St Paul’s Church of England Curriculum Intent Statement

As St. Paul tells us, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young but set an example for the believers in speech; in conduct; in love; in faith and in purity" (1 Timothy 4:12). Our vision enables and inspires the diverse community we serve to achieve their goals and aspirations. We accomplish this through our unwavering Christian ethos which permeates all we do, as we value every member of our school community regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or faith.

The aim at St Paul’s Church of England Primary School is to provide opportunities for all children to develop as independent, confident, successful learners with high aspirations who know how to make a positive contribution to their diverse community and the wider society.  There is a high focus on developing children’s moral, spiritual, social and cultural understanding through the Christian message of love, joy and celebration of humanity.  Through our whole school vision, St Paul’s school creates an environment where all children feel welcome and can flourish, ensuring that our children are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

A primary focus of St Paul’s curriculum is to raise aspirations; create a sense of personal pride in achievement; provide a purpose and relevance for learning and ultimately to help every child find their strengths and interests. Our focus on curriculum development promotes teaching and learning experiences which are always carefully designed to ensure coverage and progression. High quality visits and visitors are also chosen to enhance the curriculum, which provides pupils with memorable experiences combining to create diverse and rich opportunities from which children can learn and develop a range of transferable skills. Subject leaders play an important part in the success of the curriculum by leading a regular programme of monitoring, evaluation and review where impact and outcomes for all children are always central.

St Paul’s provides a highly inclusive environment where learners enjoy their education and pupils at all levels are helped to achieve their potential. We use our Pupil Premium funding effectively to support the needs of disadvantaged pupils, whilst ensuing this additional financial  support positively impacts on all pupils. Those who are most able are challenged and encouraged to expand their skills and knowledge through varied curriculum opportunities.  Those who find learning more difficult are encouraged and given targeted support to embed skills; to develop at their own pace and to learn in a style that best suits their individual needs.

Sport has a high profile at St Paul’s, and pupils are introduced to a huge variety of activities to promote physical health and wellbeing. Traditional sports such as netball and football are complimented by curling, running, athletics, tag rugby, dance, gymnastics and weekly swimming sessions. Our physical activity curriculum is a value-led curriculum which teaches children the key personal skills as well as the physical skills to be well-rounded sports people. Our curriculum also aims to provide children with a good relationship towards physical activity and a strong understanding of the benefits physically and mentally of physical activity.   Giving sport a focus across St Paul’s has engaged many children including those with SEND.

The innovative practice offered at St Paul’s provides a strong foundation for learning and creates opportunities for children to work in teams and develop social skills both indoors and out. The personalised curriculum design ensures that the needs of individual and small groups of children can be met within an environment of high-quality teaching, supported by targeted, proven interventions where appropriate. In this way it can be seen to impact in a very positive way on pupil outcomes. Enjoyment of the curriculum promotes achievement, confidence and excellent behaviour where children feel safe to try out new experiences, and in doing so they discover their unique potential given to them by God.