Inspired by Christian values, at St. Mary’s we are EXCITED about our learning, PROUD of our achievements, DETERMINED to be the best we can be and CARING for all of God’s creation.
“My child experiences the embodiment of the vision at school. He loves school and is excited to tell me about what he has achieved; especially when he’s had to work really hard to overcome some challenges. The Christian values are at the core of what happens daily; he experiences love, friendship and forgiveness as part of school life.”
“My child has certainly experienced the excitement around learning and is encouraged to be the best he can be. He’s also very aware of the issues surrounding Earth, recycling, being responsible.”
“We do exciting things in our learning; none of us get bored. We can’t not listen!”
“Every voice is heard, for example, with those who are less confident, [teacher’s name] always finds a way to include them. When we’re sitting with ‘diverse personalities’ (rather than with our friends) we get lots more ideas for our work which broadens our mindset. When someone produces a great piece of work, we feel proud of them.”
“We learned about the Mayans; it was insightful knowing where we are in relation to them in history. We had brilliant workshops and [teacher’s name] bought in Mayan food for us to try!”
At St. Mary’s School, learning is our priority; whether it is academic learning; learning to be a good citizen; learning to triumph over challenges or learning to respect ourselves, others and God’s creation. We are inspired by Christian values which are at the heart of our holistic learning approach.
Our curriculum is designed to meet the requirements of the national curriculum and to:
Our curriculum is organised into topics which have been purposefully selected to ignite children’s interests and connect them to the world around them. These topics incorporate the knowledge and skills of each of the different curriculum areas while promoting the links within and across subjects so that there is continuity and progression, challenge and depth. Where particular subject learning does not connect sensibly to a topic, this is taught discretely. Click to view Curriculum Map Overview for Year 1 to Year 6 .
We aim to help the children understand that the more knowledge they acquire, the more they can develop their understanding of the world around them and begin to think creatively and critically about it.
Our curriculum is extensively enriched with well-planned trips, workshops and experiences which are closely linked to the curriculum objectives. These ensure the children at St. Mary’s School develop the confidence to connect with the opportunities, experiences and resources in their locality and beyond – enabling them to view themselves as important contributors and influencers of their environment.
An overview of each subject can be found on the curriculum subject pages:
Our curriculum is extended by a variety of enrichment activities including day visits, workshops, cultural experiences and residential trips from Year 4. We also offer after school clubs and a growing number of lunchtime clubs, which are available throughout the school year. St. Mary’s School has links with local secondary schools and upper KS2 pupils are offered opportunities to experience subject ‘challenge days’ such as Maths and Science in a secondary school environment.
St. Mary’s School uses rigorous triangulated monitoring throughout the year to gauge the impact of the curriculum design. The impact is evidenced as follows:
For any curriculum based questions, please speak to either of the Deputy Headteachers; Mrs Beechey or Mrs Richardson, who oversee the curriculum across the school.