St Bernadette Catholic Primary School
Curriculum Intent
Curriculum Intent
"Learning with Christ as our guide"
At St Bernadette Catholic Primary School we inspire, teach and nurture our children to be the role models of the future through making responsible choices about how they live their life and how they contribute to their community whether that be locally, nationally or globally.
The Gospel values of Jesus Christ underlie the whole curriculum and empower our children on their journey.
Our curriculum is rich in knowledge and designed to meet the needs of the children in our school. We provide an ambitious, inclusive curriculum that allows children to excel academically. This equips them with the aspirations, knowledge, skills and cultural capital to succeed in life.
We instil the principles of Catholic Social Teaching and British values to ensure pupils are prepared to take responsibility for their place in the wider world.
Our school values the input of its pupils, parents and the local community with regards to the planning and delivery of the curriculum. Pupils receive a well-rounded education when everyone is involved in shaping it.
Our key drivers for designing a curriculum for our children are:
Faith in Action
We recognise that every child is unique and have been given gifts by God and we want to encourage our children to use their gifts to support others both near and far. We want to empower our children to make a difference for the future of all. Children leave St Bernadette with the desire to serve others to make a difference.
Diversity and inclusion
“We may have different religions, different languages, different coloured skin, but we all belong to one human race.” – Kofi Annan
Our community is not centred around the school building but made of the children, parents and staff within it. We want all children to be secure in the knowledge that they have the opportunity and support to thrive. Our children are exposed to role models and resources which come from the diverse world we live in, celebrating many cultures and different religions across the world. The strength of our community comes from who we are. #togetherwearestronger
Literacy and storytelling
“There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they'll take you.” Beatrix Potter.
Our absolute determination at St Bernadette is to enable all children, no matter what their need or background, to be able to speak, read and write well; be led to magical places listening to stories, taking huge pleasure in books and empowered to express themselves through writing in a variety of forms. To support our children there is a rigorous and sequential English curriculum in place. We are passionate about storytelling - giving children a love for our language and using it to express themselves. This approach brings to life and enhances many aspects of the curriculum
STEM - maths, science and technology
“Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.” Socrates
Our children learn to solve problems creatively, to question, to seek the truth and to be eager to explore more about how things work. At St Bernadette children are given the opportunities to think critically and work collaboratively through real world experiences and investigations. We provide opportunities for hands on learning which encourages independent exploration of a range of subjects. Our children are the inventors of the future and will make a difference to their community near and far.
The Arts
"Art can transform lives. it gives us the power to question, to confront, to explore and to challenge how we think about the world." Lucy Liu
Through rich opportunities in art, drama and music our children gain great insight about themselves and their peers. Experience of the arts fosters academic achievement and rich transferable skills as children move on in their learning journey.
Sporting Opportunities for all
"Sport has the power to change the world." Nelson Mandela
Every child at St Bernadette has the opportunity to shine in sport. We know that participation in sport builds character as well as skills such as problem-solving, resilience, perseverance, confidence and teamwork.
Curriculum Implementation
Our bespoke curriculum is designed to meet the needs of our children by taking into account:
our children’s backgrounds and starting points
delivering a broad and balanced curriculum
our progress and attainment results
Subject leaders ensure there is clear progression and that the topics taught allow for opportunities to develop a depth and wealth of knowledge through disciplinary teaching and cross curricular opportunities. Progression maps for each subject identify the knowledge, skills, understanding and vocabulary that children need to master each subject.
Our teaching is adaptive, utilising a variety of techniques and styles which are chosen to meet the needs of the children. Responding to events in the news provides an up to date and relevant curriculum. Opportunities to further enhance children’s cultural capital include outdoor learning, theme days and weeks, visitors, workshops and trips.
To discover more about your child's curriculum please visit our year group pages.