Our Curriculum

At St Michael’s CE Primary School, our curriculum is at the heart of our vision:

“Creating a community where we learn together through respect, kindness, curiosity and faith.”

As a Church of England school, we believe that education is about developing the whole child. Alongside securing strong academic knowledge and skills, we seek to nurture children who are curious, compassionate, confident and resilient; who understand their place within the wider world; and who are encouraged to flourish as unique individuals made in the image of God.

Our curriculum provides children with the knowledge, skills and experiences they need to succeed, while also encouraging them to wonder, question, reflect and discover. We want children to develop a lifelong love of learning and to recognise that education is not simply about achieving academic success, but about becoming thoughtful, responsible and active members of their community.

Our Curriculum Aims

Through our curriculum, we aim to:

• Create a secure and happy learning environment where every child feels valued, known and supported, and where courtesy, consideration, honesty and respect are consistently modelled and encouraged.

• Develop our four core values of respect, kindness, curiosity and faith, helping children to understand and demonstrate these values in their learning, relationships and everyday lives.

• Provide an ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum which develops strong subject knowledge while inspiring curiosity, creativity and a desire to learn.

• Ensure every child can flourish, regardless of their starting point, through an inclusive curriculum that recognises and responds to individual needs, strengths and interests.

• Develop confident and independent learners who are willing to ask questions, take risks in their learning, persevere when things are difficult and learn from their experiences.

• Provide equality of opportunity, ensuring that all children are supported and challenged to achieve their full potential.

• Develop children's understanding of themselves and others, encouraging empathy, compassion, cooperation and a respect for different experiences, beliefs and perspectives.

• Help children to understand and care for the world around them, developing a sense of responsibility and stewardship for God's creation and the wider environment.

• Provide opportunities for children to develop spiritually, through worship, reflection, prayer, wonder and opportunities to explore questions about faith, meaning and the world around them.

• Develop strong links with our church, families and wider community, enabling children to understand that they are part of something bigger than themselves and encouraging them to make a positive contribution.

• Celebrate achievement in all its forms, recognising academic success alongside creativity, sporting achievement, personal development, service, perseverance and positive contributions to our community.

• Create an attractive, welcoming and stimulating learning environment which encourages children to explore, discover and take pride in their school.

Learning Together

Our vision reminds us that we learn together. Learning at St Michael's is therefore not simply something that happens between an individual child and their teacher. We believe that children learn through relationships, collaboration, discussion and shared experiences.

Our teachers model a love of learning and create classrooms where children feel safe to ask questions, make mistakes and challenge their thinking. We encourage children to listen carefully to others, value different ideas and work collaboratively.

We want our children to develop curiosity about the world around them. Through an ambitious and carefully sequenced curriculum, children are encouraged to ask why, make connections, investigate ideas and develop increasingly sophisticated understanding.

Respect and Kindness

Our curriculum provides opportunities for children to develop not only knowledge and skills, but also the character needed to use these positively.

Respect and kindness underpin the way we learn and live together. Children are encouraged to listen to others, celebrate difference, care for one another and recognise the contribution that every member of our community can make.

We explicitly develop children's understanding of relationships, responsibility, compassion and service. Through opportunities such as charity work, community projects, leadership roles, visits, trips and sporting activities, children are encouraged to put our values into practice.

Curiosity and Faith

As a Church school, faith is woven throughout the life of our school and our curriculum. Collective worship, Religious Education and opportunities for prayer and reflection enable children to explore their own beliefs and develop their understanding of Christianity and other faiths and worldviews.

We encourage children to wonder and ask questions rather than simply providing answers. We want them to feel confident exploring big questions about life, faith, meaning and the world around them, while respecting that people may hold different beliefs and perspectives.

Our curriculum also encourages children to appreciate the beauty and complexity of the world around them and to consider their responsibility to care for God's creation.

Looking Beyond St Michael's

We want our children to leave St Michael's not only with strong academic foundations, but with the confidence, character and values they need to make a positive contribution to the world.

We therefore provide opportunities for children to develop leadership, independence, resilience, teamwork and service. We work closely with our church, families and wider community so that children understand their role as members of a community and recognise the difference they can make to the lives of others.

Ultimately, we believe that the success of our curriculum is seen not only in what children know, but also in who they become.

Academic knowledge and achievement are important, but so too are integrity, honesty, perseverance, maturity, responsibility, compassion and care for others.

Our aspiration is that every child leaves St Michael's as a confident, curious and compassionate learner, equipped to continue learning throughout their lives and to contribute positively to the communities of which they are part.

At St Michael's, we learn together through respect, kindness, curiosity and faith, so that every child can flourish.