We take great pride in the quality of every lesson we teach. We know that pupils learn best when they are inspired, happy and challenged, so our teachers offer this to children every single day through a range of exciting, informative and engaging lessons.

Aims of St Patrick’s Curriculum

The aim of our curriculum is for pupils to have the requisite skills to be successful, responsible, independent and motivated life-long learners. It is achieved through the holistic and rigorous approach to the academic, religious, emotional, artistic, social and physical developments of children embedded into the meaningful context of learning.

We offer a broad and balanced curriculum which encompasses academic subjects, sports, arts and personal, social, health and economic education taught primarily in a cross-curricular way through topics. Our curriculum sets the foundations for our pupils upon which they will build their next stage of education. Learning, working and living at St Patrick’s are centred on the universal values imparted and practised in school and the families. This includes the respect and care that our children and staff show for one another, the environment and the community around us. The school works closely with the families in bringing up and educating our children to become successful, well-educated, confident, responsible and caring citizens who respect and protect the environment and live their lives according to the values and morals promoted by the school and our families.

Our curriculum is much broader than the National Curriculum. It is fresh and exciting, focusing on real-life skills and knowledge at its heart. Each subject has its own set of key subject skills, which our pupils develop throughout their time as they progress through the school. They are the foundations for their development, and when mastered, become their toolkit for future learning and life beyond education. Starting this process at the very early stages of the Early Years curriculum allows the children the time to learn and apply these skills with success.

St Patrick’s children leave at the end of Year 6 with fantastic mature attitudes, self-assured and with a life-long love of learning. They are fully prepared for and embracing the next stage of their education, having the courage and confidence to pursue new opportunities and new learning will may enrich their experiences and lead to great achievements in life.

Cross-curricular implementation of the curriculum

The curriculum is planned and taught through topics supplemented by a wide range of trips, workshops and school and home project work with the consideration of the local context, key skills, knowledge and the needs and interests of all learners. With a cross-curricular approach to planning and teaching, there is a real sense of tangible energy in every classroom. It is not unusual to hear across the classrooms from pupils engrossed in their learning “Is that the end of the lesson already?” A varied range of resources, open and closed tasks, timed and untimed, and a wealth of practical activities to embed and secure their learning both indoors and outside. The pupils really do benefit from a learning environment where they are stimulated, stretched and inspired.