Rooted in Love – Faith in Action – Learning to Thrive

At St Mary’s, our curriculum is rooted in love, inspired by faith in action and designed to help every child thrive.

We believe every child deserves a rich, ambitious and inclusive curriculum that inspires curiosity, develops knowledge and nurtures character. Through meaningful enquiry, carefully sequenced learning and memorable experiences, children build a strong sense of belonging, develop independence as learners and gain the confidence to ask questions, think critically and embrace new challenges.

Inspired by our Catholic faith, we encourage children to use their knowledge and talents to serve others and care for the world around them. We want every child to understand their place within their local community and the wider world, becoming compassionate, responsible and knowledgeable citizens who are ready to make a positive difference in an ever-changing world.

A curriculum designed for our children

Our curriculum has been designed specifically for the children of St Mary’s and our mixed-age school structure.

We want children to develop secure subject knowledge while also recognising meaningful connections between different areas of learning. Curriculum content is carefully selected and sequenced so that children build upon what they already know and are prepared for what they will learn next.

Our curriculum:

• Meets the requirements of the National Curriculum

• Is ambitious for every child

• Identifies the important knowledge and vocabulary pupils need

• Is carefully sequenced to build knowledge over time

• Responds to the needs of our mixed-age classes

• Reflects our local community in Chipping and the Ribble Valley

• Extends children’s knowledge beyond their immediate experiences

• Promotes equality, diversity and inclusion

• Develops reading, writing, oracy and mathematical understanding

• Provides memorable experiences, visits and visitors

• Encourages curiosity, creativity and critical thinking

• Helps children put their faith and values into action

• Prepares pupils for the next stage of their education and life beyond school

Our three golden threads

Three golden threads run throughout our curriculum:

• Belonging

• Independence and Curiosity

• Responsibility

These threads reflect our mission and the qualities we want every child to develop. They provide meaningful connections between subjects, texts, enquiries and wider experiences without weakening the distinctive knowledge and skills of individual subjects.

The golden threads are revisited at increasing levels of depth as children progress through school.

Belonging

Belonging provides the foundation for learning and wellbeing.

Children learn best when they feel safe, valued and connected to the people and places around them. Through this thread, pupils explore identity, family, faith, community, heritage, culture and the meaning of home.

Children develop an understanding of:

• Who they are and what makes them unique

• Their place within the St Mary’s family

• Their local community and its history

• The diverse communities that make up modern Britain

• The wider human family

• How places, experiences and relationships shape identity

• The importance of inclusion and human dignity

• How people can create welcoming and compassionate communities

Belonging connects closely with our mission to be Rooted in Love. It helps children develop confidence, empathy and respect while recognising that every person deserves to be known, valued and cherished.

Independence and Curiosity

Independence and curiosity help children become active and motivated learners.

We want pupils to ask questions, explore possibilities and recognise that learning is something they participate in rather than something that simply happens to them.

Children are encouraged to:

• Ask thoughtful questions

• Investigate ideas and problems

• Make predictions and test them

• Seek explanations

• Select and use appropriate resources

• Persevere when learning is challenging

• Learn from mistakes and feedback

• Make connections with previous knowledge

• Explain their thinking

• Evaluate evidence and different viewpoints

• Develop their own interests

• Take increasing responsibility for their learning

Curiosity drives discovery, creativity and innovation. Independence gives children the confidence and strategies to pursue their questions.

This thread supports Learning to Thrive by helping pupils become resilient, reflective and confident learners who are ready to embrace future challenges.

Responsibility

Responsibility helps children understand that their knowledge, choices and actions have an impact upon other people and the world.

Children learn that education brings opportunities but also responsibilities. We encourage them to use their voices, gifts and knowledge wisely and for the benefit of others.

Through this thread, pupils explore:

• Caring for God’s creation

• Protecting the environment

• Rights and responsibilities

• Justice and fairness

• Making safe and healthy choices

• Responsible use of technology

• Service and participation

• Leadership

• Citizenship and British values

• Standing up for what is right

• How individuals and communities can create change

Responsibility is closely connected with Faith in Action. It helps children understand that even small decisions can make a difference and that everyone can contribute to the common good.

The importance of vocabulary

Vocabulary is central to learning at St Mary’s.

Children need words to understand new ideas, express their thinking, ask questions and participate confidently in discussion. A limited vocabulary can become a barrier to learning across every curriculum subject.

Teachers identify and explicitly teach the most important vocabulary within each unit. This includes:

• Everyday words used in increasingly sophisticated ways

• High-value academic vocabulary found across the curriculum

• Precise subject-specific terminology

• Vocabulary needed to understand rich texts

• Words that help children explain, compare, justify and evaluate

New vocabulary is:

• Introduced clearly and in context

• Explained through child-friendly definitions

• Modelled accurately by adults

• Connected with existing knowledge

• Revisited through retrieval and discussion

• Displayed and referred to during learning

• Used in speaking and writing

• Assessed as part of children’s understanding

We place a strong emphasis upon oracy. Children regularly rehearse ideas aloud, listen to others, use complete sentences and learn how to explain their thinking with increasing clarity and precision.

Through repeated encounters with important words, children develop the confidence to speak, read and write as mathematicians, scientists, historians, geographers, artists and theologians.

Learning through rich texts

High-quality texts sit at the heart of our curriculum.

Carefully selected books give children access to rich language, powerful ideas and experiences beyond their immediate lives. They help pupils develop knowledge, imagination, empathy and an enduring love of reading.

Our texts are selected because they:

• Offer rich and ambitious vocabulary

• Provide strong models for writing

• Connect meaningfully with curriculum enquiries

• Build knowledge of people, places and events

• Represent a range of voices, cultures and experiences

• Act as mirrors in which children can recognise themselves

• Provide windows into the lives and experiences of others

• Encourage questions, discussion and reflection

• Introduce children to significant authors and illustrators

• Inspire purposeful writing across different forms

A text may provide a meaningful starting point or connection for learning, but it does not replace carefully sequenced subject teaching. Children are explicitly taught the knowledge, concepts and disciplinary approaches that belong to each subject.

Through rich texts, pupils learn to read closely, discuss thoughtfully and communicate with increasing confidence, accuracy and creativity.

Meaningful enquiry

Curriculum learning is brought together through carefully chosen overarching questions.

These questions encourage children to think deeply and make meaningful connections. Examples include:

• Where do I belong?

• What makes somewhere feel like home?

• How has my community changed?

• How does curiosity change the world?

• What responsibility do we have for the future of our planet?

• Who changes the world?

• How can I make a difference?

Enquiry questions are not designed for children to guess an answer at the beginning of a topic. They provide a purposeful journey through which children gather knowledge, consider evidence, revisit ideas and develop increasingly informed responses.

Maintaining the integrity of subjects

Although our golden threads and texts create meaningful connections, each curriculum subject retains its own identity.

Children learn that:

• Historians investigate and interpret evidence about the past.

• Geographers explore places, people, environments and connections.

• Scientists ask questions, investigate and use evidence to explain.

• Artists develop ideas and make creative decisions.

• Designers identify needs, create, test and improve.

• Musicians listen, perform, compose and evaluate.

• Mathematicians reason, represent and solve problems.

• Theologians explore Scripture, belief, tradition and religious meaning.

Teachers use accurate subject vocabulary and make the distinctive nature of each discipline clear.

Our mixed-age curriculum

Mixed-age teaching is an important and positive feature of St Mary’s.

Our curriculum is organised carefully to ensure that every child receives their full year-group entitlement. Subject content is mapped across cycles to avoid unnecessary repetition and prevent gaps in learning.

Teachers identify:

• What each year group must know

• The prior knowledge children require

• Important vocabulary

• Appropriate levels of challenge

• How learning will build towards future study

• Where year groups can learn meaningfully together

• Where separate or smaller-group teaching is needed

Children may share a common text, experience or enquiry while working towards age-appropriate curriculum outcomes. Teaching, questioning, resources and expected responses are adapted carefully so that every pupil makes progress.

Our smaller teaching groups also enable staff to know children’s strengths and needs exceptionally well and respond quickly through support, additional practice or greater challenge.

Experiences beyond the classroom

We want the curriculum to be remembered as well as understood.

Learning is enriched through:

• Educational visits

• Visitors and experts

• Local-area studies

• Outdoor learning

• Forest School

• Practical investigations

• Art, music and performance

• STEM activities

• Careers Week

• Residential experiences

• Community and parish links

• Charitable and environmental action

These experiences are selected because they deepen curriculum knowledge, bring learning to life and help children recognise its relevance beyond the classroom.

Inclusion and adaptive teaching

Our curriculum is ambitious for all children, including pupils with SEND.

Teachers identify potential barriers and use adaptive teaching so that pupils can participate meaningfully in the same broad curriculum as their peers.

This may include:

• Clear explanations and modelling

• Breaking learning into manageable steps

• Visual and practical resources

• Vocabulary pre-teaching

• Worked examples

• Structured discussion

• Additional practice

• Scaffolds which are gradually removed

• Alternative ways to record or communicate learning

• Carefully planned adult support

Support is designed to increase access, confidence and independence while preserving appropriate challenge.

Assessment and remembering

Assessment helps teachers understand what children know, what they have remembered and what they need to learn next.

Teachers use:

• Questioning and discussion

• Retrieval activities

• Observation

• Review of pupils’ work

• Low-stakes checks and quizzes

• Practical demonstrations

• End-of-unit assessments where appropriate

• Opportunities for children to explain and apply their learning

Assessment is used to identify misconceptions, adapt teaching and determine whether pupils are ready to move forward.

Important knowledge and vocabulary are revisited regularly so that learning becomes secure and can be applied in new contexts.

Supporting learning at home

Parents and carers can support the curriculum by:

• Reading regularly with their child

• Discussing new and unfamiliar vocabulary

• Asking children what they have learned and remembered

• Encouraging children to explain their thinking

• Visiting libraries, museums and places of interest

• Exploring the local area

• Talking about current events

• Playing games involving language, number and problem-solving

• Supporting children’s interests and questions

• Using the curriculum overviews to see what is being taught

Families do not need to recreate school lessons at home. Talking, reading and sharing experiences together make an invaluable contribution to children’s knowledge, language and confidence.

Curriculum information

Each subject page provides:

• A rationale explaining why the subject matters at St Mary’s

• A whole-school overview

• Progression of knowledge and skills

• Information about how the subject is taught

• Examples of learning

• Suggestions for supporting learning at home

• Links to relevant national guidance

Our curriculum will continue to grow and develop as we evaluate its impact, respond to the needs of our children and prepare for future national curriculum changes.

Our commitment remains constant: to provide a curriculum through which every child can belong, become an independent and curious learner, accept responsibility and truly thrive.