CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

Our curriculum reflects our school mission, which is;

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To promote a sense of self-worth through an understanding that each one of us is precious to God. We will achieve this through providing a quality education, in a happy and secure environment, developing relationships of trust within a Christ centred community.                                                         

At St Mark’s, we believe all of our children possess distinctive gifts and qualities; as such they have the right to success, be able to recognise their own greatness, and develop who they are in a happy and secure environment. Our school ethos is firmly rooted in our values with ‘each one of us being precious to God’ being the foundation of everything we do.   

     

We are continually evaluating and developing our curriculum to ensure that it is coherent, consistent and experiential and, most of all, exciting and fun!  We use the National Curriculum as the basis of what we teach our children, but aim to go beyond its scope to create the conditions in which each child will flourish.  Therefore, our intent is for our curriculum to be knowledge-rich while developing the skills children need to critically evaluate, innovate and apply their learning. 

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Our curriculum values and principles are based on our broader school values;

• We show how each person is precious to God through our actions and behaviour

• We respect others

• We are curious learners

• We are determined and resilient

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High expectations in speech, language and communication strengthen the children’s ability to learn at a deeper level, allowing them to articulate their learning; demonstrating quality thinking and application of skills and knowledge. Physical and mental wellbeing are highlighted within our curriculum design allowing children opportunities to exhibit spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding.

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As far as possible, we provide an experiential curriculum, enabling our pupils to be fully engaged with what they are learning. Our curriculum is designed to:

• Develop characters who are resilient and cope with adversity.

• Develop creative individuals who collaborate and co-operate and can solve problems seeing failure as an opportunity to learn.

• Develop pupils who can think critically and care about their learning so they always do their best.

• Develop pupils who care about their role as part of a family, community and the wider world; encouraging them to feel part of, and to contribute positively to fundamental World values.

• Ensure all pupils have high aspirations.

• Develop a love of learning for all pupils

 

Curriculum Implementation

Our tailored curriculum balances the national expectations and an all-encompassing range of experiences allowing our children to flourish. Clear strategic planning ensures the curriculum is dynamic and adapted to the context of the school and children’s needs. Age related expectations combine the acquisition of knowledge and development of skills to create a purposeful and exciting learning journey for every child. The curriculum has high expectations to combine transferable skills, demonstrate a breadth of vocabulary and develop strong cross curricular links. Outstanding classroom environments stimulate and engage quality thinking and reasoning. Weekly and medium term planning is responsive to children’s needs; incorporating holistic approaches to teaching and learning. Peer coaching supports all staff to further develop our curriculum. Our marking policy is an opportunity for children to reflect on their learning and think deeply in their feedback. 

 

Curriculum Impact

St Mark’s uses careful monitoring throughout the year to gauge the impact of the curriculum design. Curriculum teams monitor individual subjects: reviewing learning, evaluating pupil voice, providing individual feedback to move practice forward, celebrating positives and highlighting areas of development to change. Our whole school team strengthen our ethos and vision as we work together to reflect upon our curriculum and share outcomes driving forward next steps. We don’t confuse coverage with progress when assessing. Learning is measured through careful analysis of application of skills across the curriculum; showing how acquisition of knowledge is enhanced by expectations to evidence quality thinking and demonstrate individual understanding. Class teachers and leaders conduct performance analysis linked to monitoring and measuring performance against individual and school targets.