ST JOSEPH'S Curriculum RATIONALE

Our Intent

At St Joseph’s Primary School, we are dedicated to enabling our children to grow into self-confident, articulate and motivated life-long learners, who will be caring and compassionate members of the global community. They will have a positive impact on society because of the awareness of British Values and the knowledge, skills and understanding gained during their time at St Joseph’s. Teaching and learning at St Joseph’s Primary School is underpinned by our values and virtues, as outlined in the Catholic School Pupil Profile. We want our children to grow as individuals in the image and likeness of God, by living out the virtues as set out in the Catholic School Pupil Profile.  Our school mission statement – to inspire, to learn, to love with God is central to our school and our mission is lived out daily.  

We want our children –

to be ATTENTIVE & DISCERNING about the choices they make and the effects of those choices. We want our children to be happy and enthusiastic learners who are eager to do their very best in order to achieve their God given potential.

to develop ELOQUENT language which they can use to understand and articulate their emotions, beliefs and questions, to express their ideas or opinions clearly and with conviction. To be able speak or write fluently, persuasively and appropriately. When children choose their words, they do so carefully so they are kind and compassionate, and don’t hurt others.

To be TRUTHFUL in all they do. Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’. Being honest and truthful means we are following in his footsteps and living life the way God wants us to. Being truthful is being faithful to ourselves and to Jesus.

to become more LEARNED and WISE through the broad, balanced and engaging curriculum offer and the opportunities it affords, providing engaging and relevant learning experiences allowing our children to develop interpersonal skills, build resilience and become creative, critical thinkers.

to grow in FAITH and have HOPE in themselves and in others. To be FAITH-FILLED in their beliefs and hopeful for the future. We support children to have high self-esteem and be learners who are resilient to set backs. We ensure our children aspire to a successful future, built on academic foundations and a thirst for learning

to be CURIOUS about everything and ACTIVE in their engagement with the world, changing what they can for the better.  We aim to empower children to lead lives that are physical and mentally healthy,

to be CURIOUS about the universe and all human activity, and to take increasing responsibility for their own learning, through the opportunities provided for them in the life of the school, the Church and the wider community. We believe that childhood should be a happy, investigative and enquiring time where there are no limits to curiosity and there is a thirst for new experiences and knowledge. leaving our school with happy memories and a love of learning.

to be COMPASSIONATE and LOVING.   It is our intent for our pupils to leave our school with a sense of pride and belonging to be part of a caring and loving community where they feel valued and have the confidence and skills to make decisions, self-evaluate, make connections and become lifelong learners.

to be GRATEFUL for their own gifts, for the gift of other people, and for blessings of each day, developing them to the full so that they can be GENEROUS in the service of others, and Generous with their gifts, both now and in the future. Every child is recognised as a unique individual. We celebrate and welcome differences within our school community. encouraging emotional intelligence, empathy and respect for all.  Children will gain life skills such as how to keep safe and have the self-belief and aspirations to be the very best they can be.

to be INTENTIONAL and PROPHETIC by thinking carefully about their our actions and choosing to live how God wants us to, remembering that every action we make has an impact on other people and the world around us, thinking about the choices we make and care for God’s creation. As we choose to act intentionally and make good decisions, we encourage others to do the same, setting a good example and being role models for others.

Our Implementation

Our curriculum at St Joseph’s is broad, balanced and ambitious, and develops knowledge and skills based on the National Curriculum programmes of study. We have carefully designed our curriculum to engage all pupils with challenging and progressive content, enriching activities and inspiring workshops, visitors and trips.  Cognitive science research: Rosenshine’s Principals of Instruction, underpins our curriculum. We ensure that all pupils know more and remember more, through careful planning, adaptation and retrieval questioning in all lessons.  Based on the Chris Quigley Curriculum, we have developed ‘Knowledge Categories’ in History, Geography, Art and Design Technology, where pupils can connect new knowledge to knowledge already stored in their long-term memory (schema building).  

In subject areas such as maths, phonics, PE and science, we use and adapt highly successful schemes such as White Rose Maths. These enable our pupils to acquire and build on the appropriate knowledge and skills as set out in the National Curriculum.  

Our Impact

End of Key Stage results and progress figures will provide some evidence of the impact of our curriculum . 

Pupils knowledge and skills in non-core subjects can be evidenced through book scrutiny, pupil voice and displays. 

However, good outcomes are not just measured using data but in how successfully pupils are developed as well-rounded citizens. 

At the end of their primary education, pupils leaving St. Joseph’s will:

• take personal responsibility for their actions and their learning.
• respect others and themselves, demonstrating empathy, fairness and kindness towards others whilst celebrating each other’s individual backgrounds and talents. 
• are respectful of their immediate and wider environment so that they grow up to be responsible British and global citizens. 
• work collaboratively and get along with other people.
• know that making mistakes and taking risks is essential for learning to take place and view this positively. 
• persevere when something is difficult. 
• can demonstrate our learning in different ways 
• support each other with their learning. 
• know how to assess their own learning and that of others.