Curriculum at St Matthew's Bloxam

The member of staff with whole school responsibility for the curriculum, it's coverage and enrichment opportunities is Mrs. Francis.

At St Matthew’s Bloxam C of E Primary School we offer a rich and vibrant curriculum which is ambitious for all learners.  Through our Christian Faith we want to illuminate hopes, dreams and aspirations and to seek experiences to enrich lives to show love and respect within our school family through our vision.

 Let Your Light Shine

“In the same way, let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven.”

Matthew Chapter 5, Verse 16.

Our Curriculum has been designed to inspire, develop and equip all children with the essential knowledge, skills and understanding and STEM capital which are the building blocks to succeed in later life. Central to this are the key academic, personal and vocational skills to become educated, useful members of society. We aim to equip our pupils with the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life to become confident, self-motivated pupils, eager to become lifelong learners. We offer stimulating and awe-inspiring experiences with our core Christian values and British values at its heart.

It was reviewed and updated by teachers and pupils to create our personalised curriculum which is aspirational, inspirational and engaging including a range of experiences as well as activities from the National Trust's 50 things to do before 11 3/4. 

The aims of our school curriculum are:

• to illuminate hopes, dreams and raise aspirations, 
• to foster the children’s understanding of belonging, encouraging curiosity and a passion to learn,

• to promote a “have a go” attitude towards learning, so that all children enjoy coming to school, embracing new challenges and possibilities; pushing their own boundaries,
• to enable children to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills; being determined to succeed and to become independent thinkers and questioners thereby acquiring a solid basis for lifelong learning,
• to promote a Values based Education founded on Christian Values and British Values, so children take responsibility for themselves, their actions with respect and resilience and to value everyone,
• to fulfil all the requirements of the National Curriculum and the Locally Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education.

Promoting British Values

In accordance with The Department for Education we aim to actively promote British values in schools to ensure young people leave school prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils are encouraged to regard people of all faiths, races and cultures with respect and tolerance and understand that while different people may hold different views about what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, all people living in England are subject to its law.

The Key Values are:

• democracy

• rule of law

• individual liberty

• mutual respect

• tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

The government sets out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy and at St. Matthew's Bloxam C E Primary School these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

Democracy:

Democracy is promoted within the school. Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our School Council and pupil questionnaires. The elections of School Council are based solely on pupil votes. Each teacher has different ways in which the pupils make their voices heard in their classroom e.g. through Circle Time, questionnaires and discussions, decisions over classroom rules and consequences for behaviour. We try to challenge injustice through our curriculum and Collective Worship themes which are based on the Christian values. 

The Rule of Law:

The importance of rules, whether they be those that govern the class, the school or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days and through Collective Worship and through PSHE. The children are taught right from wrong. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind laws; that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Visits from authorities such as the Police; Fire and Rescue Service; Road Safety Officers etc. are a regular part of our calendar and help reinforce this message. There is a clear code of conduct for all pupils. Work in RE on codes for living in different religions and the significance of the Golden rule for religious and non-religious people allow pupils to discuss the importance of this value.

Individual Liberty:

Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing they are in a safe, supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for pupils to make choices safely, through the provision of a safe environment and empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advise how to exercise these safely, for example through our Online Safety and PSHE lessons. Whether it be through choice of challenge, of how they record, of participation in our numerous extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices. All classes work towards incentives where their choices affect outcomes for themselves personally as well as the whole class. We also try to give ownership of learning to the children and promote a personal investigative approach. At break and lunchtimes the children are allowed to use the outdoor spaces according to their personal choices. Our shared values in the school promote both staff and children as good role models and we take opportunities to challenge stereotypes whenever the opportunity arises. Opportunities are also taken to explore that with individual liberty and freedom comes responsibilities to the local community and the wider world.

Mutual respect:

Part of our school ethos and behaviour policy has revolved around Core Values such as 'Respect', and pupils have been part of discussions and Collective Worship related to what this means and how it is shown. Displays around the school promote Christian Values and these are reiterated through our classroom and learning rules, as well as rewards and sanctions. The children themselves are peer mentors and have friendship benches which promote respect and friendships. Our equality and SEND policies reflect our core values. We support Anti-Bullying weeks in school. We promote respect through circle time and PSHE lessons. Opportunities are provided for children to learn to respect others through visits to and from people from other cultures. Charities are supported in school which promote respect and tolerance to others.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs:

This is achieved through enhancing pupils understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and giving them opportunities to experience such diversity. Collective Worship themes involve prejudices and are supported by learning in RE and PSHE. Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school. We celebrate festivals throughout the year from all the world religions. Visitors to school and visits to places of worship enhance our understanding.