Our Curriculum
St Marie’s School, Curriculum Intent
Our exciting curriculum offers children an education of high quality. It provides many opportunities for children from a variety of backgrounds to come together to grow, flourish and achieve the highest possible standards in an atmosphere where they are supported and nurtured. We want our children to emerge curious for knowledge and eager to enjoy a love of learning that extends beyond their primary years. We strive for them to be mentally, spiritually and physically well.
At St Marie’s School, learning is sequenced and we begin at a child’s starting points. Teaching of basic skills, knowledge, concepts and values underpin the children’s ability to learn well. The curriculum is designed to recognise children’s prior knowledge and we carefully plan for their end points, year to year, so that we are able to provide first-hand learning experiences that encompass academic, physical and cultural opportunities to suit their needs. Our delivery allows the children to develop interpersonal skills, build resilience and become creative and critical thinkers able to articulate their own ideas and value the opinions of others.
We provide enhancement opportunities such as learning from external professionals and visitors, participating in religious experiences, educational visits and residential trips, all of which link to our curriculum and further engage learning. We believe that childhood and school life should be happy and, because of this, seek to gain the views of our children, recognising they are at the heart of our curriculum and that there are no limits to their curiosity and thirst for new experiences and knowledge.
As a Catholic school, we promote our own, unique identity which permeates all we do in school and in our community. We want children to be inspired and challenged by gospel values, rooted in the Beatitudes and taken from Jesus’ teachings; to learn the importance of love and respect for all and to reflect these values in their own behaviour and attitudes. Every child is recognised as a unique individual. Our curriculum celebrates the diversity of God’s creation and welcome differences within our school community.
We link our school values to our curriculum where truth, justice, love, peace and forgiveness are at the heart of our teaching. This way of living, growing and behaving is reflected everywhere in school; our teaching, our displays, our prayers, our collective worship and in the way the children demonstrate knowledge, understanding, tolerance and acceptance of others.