At St Barnabas C of E Primary School, we view the word curriculum in the widest possible definition. “All that is experienced in school, whether planned or unplanned”. This definition encompasses concepts such as ethos and Christian Values, crucial to our definition as a church school, and we hold ourselves accountable for the conscious and unconscious lessons it teaches the children in our care. 

The nature of our school curriculum stems from our school vision ‘"Building on our shared and inclusive Christian values, we will work in unity to unlock the potential of all in our community to enable them to flourish. We will equip all to embrace opportunity and to seek positive transformation in the world."   We hope that as our pupils journey through the school they aim to be the best they can be, aspire to great things and treat all people with kindness and respect.

With this in mind our curriculum has been constructed in such a way that it recognises that for the majority of our pupils there is a shortfall in experience which could, if allowed to remain, prevent them from thriving in education, question their self-worth and belief and which could prevent them from accessing future opportunities. 

We have a strong commitment to equal opportunities, providing the best possible chance for all pupils to thrive and to engage in learning both within and beyond the classroom. We have built in to our curriculum experiences such as additional swimming, specialist music provision, trips to museums, Library visits, Forest Schools, riding a bike and performances to ensure that everyone has as many positive childhood experiences as possible. Our curriculum embraces breadth and balance and we are proud to see our pupils progress, not only in the core subjects but in all areas. 

This commitment to ensuring that all pupils experience a breadth of education is linked to our Christian Values of Trust, Hope, Forgiveness, Peace, Thankfulness, Compassion, Perseverance, Friendship and Love. We strive to ensure that everyone understands the role and purpose of our Christian values, that living through these values will help them to appreciate how to become a successful individual within our community and prepare them for the next stage in their education and future lives. 

How each subject is planned and delivered is led by our subject leaders. Delivery of the core subjects is aligned with the national curriculum requirements for example the school uses The White Rose Maths scheme of work to help us achieve mastery of maths and build resilience towards reasoning and problem solving.

Humanities draw upon the unique and rich historical links that can be found in the local and wider local area. To help promote a healthy lifestyle and to combat childhood obesity opportunities for Physical Education are provided both, within and beyond, the timetable.  Our curriculum of the foundation subjects ensures that there is the opportunity to embed understanding of key transferable concepts and skills, supporting pupils learning as they move between subjects. 

Formative assessment directs the course of pupils’ achievements and the clearly defined assessment descriptors insist on provision for all subjects to be aspirational. Approach and style do differ as a child progresses through the school – clearly defined stages are tailored to provide individual age appropriate provision:

Key Stage 1

We recognise the pupils of this age range are more than just the younger people in main school, acknowledging their maturity by giving them the opportunity to perform in their Christmas production and family worships. The curriculum design for this age group is based on two over-riding principles: the embedding and mastery of basic skills coupled with subject led acquisition of knowledge and skills. The curriculum in KS1 will have a focus on reading (including phonics), writing and maths because we recognise that children cannot access the more intense KS2 curriculum and beyond without a good working knowledge and understanding in reading, writing and maths. There is an emphasis still on first-hand experience, Stories and examples of text preceding writing tasks and on the use of physical materials in maths to ensure concrete understanding comes before conceptual understanding. The curriculum is broad and balanced and begins to allow pupils to develop interests in specific subject areas such as Science and Geography.

Key Stage 2

In Key Stage 2 we recognise that the child is developing into a young person who can take responsibility for their own actions as an individual and a learner. We expect our learners to become self-critical, equipped to edit their own work accepting direction and debate as a way to improve their work. Growing independence and knowledge of how to keep safe is crucial as children move on to secondary school. The school uses sporting, residential and musical opportunities to foster confidence, self-belief and resilience. Many children develop interests beyond the classroom such as martial arts, music, youth groups such as Brownies and sports. They become confident enough to take lead roles in productions and school council roles as well as leading church services. In Key stage 2 the demands upon the children for both stamina and resilience, in the quantity and quality of work produced increases and is matched by an expectation of proficiency in all the skills taught in years before. We do spend time in Year Six preparing children for their SATs in an effort to familiarise themselves with test situations, but the key stage is rich in experiences providing pupils with a great many childhood memories.

The impact of our curriculum is that pupils leave us with skills and knowledge in all areas of the curriculum. Many, if not all will be able to swim at least 25m, ride a bike and will have started learning at least one foreign language. They will have had experiences of museums, sporting events, different religions and industry. Some will have presented a whole school worship, whilst others will have represented the school in sport at a competitive level. For all their differences the pupils know that in our school they are loved, they are familiar with our Christian values, and have a growing understanding of how, through our values, they can make a positive contribution to both the local and wider community.