Our Curriculum
The National Curriculum is Government guidance stipulating what must be taught to children in maintained schools (of which St Bede’s is one). It sets out areas to be covered at each of the Key Stages of a child’s education.
All National Curriculum subjects at St Bede’s provide opportunities to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Explicit opportunities to promote pupils’ development in these areas are provided in Religious Education and Relationships, Sex, Health Education (RSHE). A significant contribution is also made by the school ethos, effective relationships throughout the school, collective worship, and other curriculum activities.
At our school we believe that these areas are intrinsic to the daily life of the school. They are taught the following important skills:
Spiritual Development
- To be able to reflect about their own beliefs that informs their perspective on life and their interest in and respect for different people’s faiths, feelings and values.
- To develop a sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them.
- To use imagination and creativity in their learning.
- To be willing to reflect upon their experiences.
Moral Development
- To be able to recognise the difference between right and wrong and readily apply this understanding in their own lives and therefore respect the civil and criminal law of England.
- To be able to understand the consequences of their actions and behaviours.
- To show an interest in investigating and offering reasoned views about moral and ethical issues, and being able to understand and appreciate the viewpoints of others on these issues.
Social Development
- To be able to use a range of social skills in different contexts, including working with and socialising with pupils of different religious, ethnic and social economic backgrounds.
- To have a willingness to participate in different communities and social settings, including by volunteering, cooperating well with others and being able to solve conflicts effectively.
- To accept and engage fully with the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs.
Cultural Development
- To be able to understand and appreciate the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their heritage and that of others.
- To understand and appreciate the range of different cultures within school and further afield as an essential element for their preparation for life in modern Britain.
- To have a willingness to participate in and respond positively to artistic, sporting and cultural opportunities.
- To develop an interest in exploring, improving understanding of and showing respect for different faiths and cultural diversity.
| Key Stage (KS) | Age | Duration | School Years | Alternative Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation | 0-5 | 5 years (1 Compulsory) | Nursery, Reception | Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) |
| 1 | 5-7 | 2 years | 1-2 | Infants |
| 2 | 7-11 | 4 years | 3-6 | Juniors |
| 3 | 11-14 | 3 years | 7-9 | Secondary |
| 4 | 14-16 | 2 years | 10-11 | Secondary |
The curriculum contains the programmes of study and attainment targets for all subjects at all key stages.
In 2014 the primary national curriculum (KS 1-2) was re-evaluated and a more challenging curriculum is now taught in schools. The secondary primary curriculum (KS3-4) can be found here.
For the youngest school age children (Reception) the national curriculum does not apply, instead there is a Statutory Framework for the Early Years which promotes a very child centred approach to learning and development.
How the National Curriculum is taught at St Bede’s
As we have only 4 classes they are usually mixed age. This means that we have to be very careful planning our curriculum to ensure that all children cover all areas and no one gets it repeated. We operate a 2-year cycle of topics and themes. Sometimes the same topic title may be used but children learn different aspects of the subject appropriate for their age and stage of development. We follow the national curriculum.
To find out the topics your child will be looking at this year go to their class, or click the links below.
In addition to the formal requirements of the national curriculum the curriculum at St Bede’s offers a range of additional opportunities organised by the school in order to enrich the experiences of our children.
Please follow the link to read our Children’s and full curriculum statements 2020
How reading is taught at St Bede’s
At St. Bede’s Catholic School we understand the importance of teaching children to read as quickly as possible in order to help them enjoy and achieve to their full potential. In Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 we use Read Write Inc. Phonics to teach children to read through systematic synthetic phonics, together with some of the letters and sounds principles. At the core of the programme is the lively and vigorous teaching of phonics. Children learn the 44 common sounds in the English language and how to sound-blend words for reading (decoding) at the same time as developing handwriting skills and spelling (encoding). Crucially, they read lively Storybooks, texts and Non-Fiction books with words they can decode, so they achieve early success in reading. The more sounds they know the greater the range of texts they can read.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
At St Bede’s Catholic Primary School, we believe that inclusive education means providing all pupils with appropriate education and support alongside their peers. The Curriculum is all the planned activities that the school organises in order to promote learning, personal growth and development. Further information can be found in the SEN Information Report. If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.
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