At St Mary’s we have introduced a Mastery curriculum for all children. Mastery means a deep, long-term, secure and adaptable understanding of a subject. Among the by- products of developing mastery, and to a degree part of the process, are a number of elements:

• Fluency (rapid and accurate recall of facts and concepts)
• A growing confidence to reason
• The ability to apply knowledge to solve problems, to conjecture and test hypotheses.

White Rose Maths

At our school, we follow the White Rose Maths scheme to deliver a high-quality, engaging, and well-structured mathematics curriculum from Early Years through to Year 6. White Rose Maths supports children in developing a deep understanding of mathematical concepts through small, carefully sequenced steps.

Our approach focuses on:

• Fluency – ensuring pupils gain confidence with key number skills.

• Reasoning – encouraging children to explain their thinking and make connections across concepts.

• Problem-solving – helping pupils apply their skills in real-life and challenging situations.

• Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract (CPA) – using practical equipment, visual models, and formal methods to build secure understanding.

Teachers use White Rose resources to provide consistent progression and to ensure learning is accessible to all pupils, while also offering opportunities for greater depth. Regular assessment and ongoing support help every child move forward confidently in their mathematical journey.

By using White Rose Maths, we aim to create enthusiastic, resilient mathematicians who enjoy exploring numbers and patterns and who are well-prepared for the next stage of their education.

Phonics - Read Write Inc

At St. Mary's, we use the phonic programme Read, Write Inc. to teach reading in Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1.

Read Write Inc. is a method of learning centred around letter sounds and phonics, blending them together to read and write words and using these learnt sounds in their reading and writing.  Using Read Write Inc. children learn to read effortlessly so that they can put all their energy into comprehending what they read. It also allows them to spell accurately so that they can put their energy into composing what they write.

Children are grouped according to their ability and work with a teacher or teaching assistant on the Read Write Inc. programme every day Monday to Friday. They are assessed every half term and then regrouped according to their phonics knowledge and fluency when reading.  

If you want to find out more about Read Write Inc. the following website has lots of information for parents.

https://ruthmiskin.com/en/find-out-more/parents/

Mrs. Smith is our Early Reading Lead in school. If you would like to talk to her about your child’s phonics and how you can help at home please contact the school office on 01709 812611 and they will arrange an appointment for you to speak to her.

English

At our school, we are committed to developing confident, articulate, and enthusiastic readers, writers and speakers. Our English curriculum is carefully designed to ensure that every child builds the knowledge, skills, and passion needed to succeed both in school and beyond.

A Golden Thread of Reading

Reading sits at the heart of our curriculum. A golden thread runs through every aspect of English and across wider subjects, ensuring children encounter high-quality texts every day. From captivating class novels to rich non-fiction and poetry, our book choices inspire curiosity, build vocabulary, and support a deep understanding of the world.

Daily Reading

All pupils take part in daily reading sessions. These include whole-class reading, guided practice, independent reading, and focused comprehension work. Our aim is to nurture fluent, confident readers who develop a lifelong love of reading.

Daily Grammar and Language Development

Grammar, punctuation and spelling are taught daily, helping children to develop accuracy and control in their writing. These lessons build progressively across year groups, ensuring pupils develop a strong command of Standard English and an understanding of how language works.

Increased Opportunities for Writing

Children write frequently and for a wide range of purposes. Our curriculum ensures they have regular opportunities to plan, draft, edit and publish their writing, allowing them to develop stamina, creativity and precision. Writing is always linked to rich reading material, ensuring ideas, vocabulary and structures are well supported.

Oracy Opportunities

We believe that strong spoken language skills are essential to learning. Across the curriculum, children engage in purposeful talk—debates, discussions, presentations, storytelling and drama—to build confidence, vocabulary and clarity of expression. Oracy supports both reading and writing, and helps children develop as articulate, thoughtful communicators.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

As a Catholic school, There is a significant focus in the teaching timetable which is dedicated to formal religious education through the Religious Education Directory - To Know You More Clearly. In reality, the Catholic teaching goes way beyond the minimum requirements because the Christian values underpin every aspect of learning in our school. The children learn about faith and learn to live the faith. Throughout the school week, children are involved in daily acts of worship, liturgy and opportunities for deep, spiritual reflection.

‘To Know You More Clearly’ includes scripture, doctrine and liturgy as well as spiritual and moral development, within the traditions of the Catholic Church, but with the chance to study other world faiths. 

Ofsted’s Focus on the Curriculum

The Curriculum is at the heart of the Ofsted Framework

• The curriculum is a framework for setting our the aims of a programme of education, including the knowledge and understanding to be gained at each stage (intent).
• For translating that framework over time into a structure and narrative, within an institutional context (implementation), and for evaluating what knowledge and skills children have gained against expectations (impact/ achievement).

Developing our Curriculum

We aim to make sure that all children experience ‘expert’ teaching, where learning is deep and profound, allowing pathways and connections in the brain to be made and retained. Every member of staff is constantly looking for ways to develop in order to give the children the absolute best.

This continues to be an ongoing piece of work at St Mary’s, school embedded its core curriculum in 2020-2021and will implement and embed the curriculum in foundation subjects in 2021-2022.

INTENT

At St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, our curriculum is designed to build happy, confident, lifelong learners that are ambitious, resilient and not afraid to try new things.

We build upon prior learning through themes that are planned and delivered to create curiosity, awe and wonder as well as provide many opportunities to get involved with a wide range of life experiences. With high expectations, nurture and high quality teaching, we shape the children to be good citizens that leave with the skills required for the wider world. We encourage children to enquire, self-reflect, and make connections in order to give them the confidence to make decisions, try new things and enhance their cultural capital.

At St Mary’s, school leaders and teachers explore each subject carefully and take time to consider the agreed end points, and how learning should be sequenced in order to create the best chances for all our pupils to learn effectively. The most important knowledge has been carefully selected and consideration has been given as to how we will ensure pupils will know more and remember more.

IMPLEMENTATION

We aim to provide a broad and balanced curriculum which also promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of every child. Our curriculum is planned according to the statutory guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage and National Curriculum. The curriculum is implemented through themes mainly in discrete subjects but links are made where possible. Our belief is that learning should begin with curiosity or a question allowing time for children’s thinking and freedom to act according to their ideas. Children will go on an educational visit or have a professional come into school at least every term in order for children to experience a wide variety of learning environments and hook their learning. 

Ark Curriculum Plus

For history, geography and science, St Mary’s follows the carefully designed Ark Curriculum Plus programme.  

What kinds of knowledge, attitudes and values should be prioritised?  

Different authors have proposed different responses to this question, depending on what they conceive the purpose of education to be. However, it does seem that most of the justifications that have been made for education can be grouped into four broad categories.

1.Firstly cultural transmission. A key reason given for educating young people is, in Matthew Arnold’s words, to pass on from one generation to the next: “the best that has been thought and known in the world. Those who do not know what people are expected to know are regarded as ignorant – not stupid, but simply lacking the knowledge expected of them.

2.Secondly, personal empowerment. Arguably the most important aim of education is to allow young people to take greater control of their own lives. The idea is that rather than simply enculturating young people into the existing systems, education is the means by which people: ‘deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.’ 

3. Thirdly, preparation for citizenship. Democratic citizenship arguably works only if those who are voting understand the choices they are given, and so education therefore has a vital role to play in preparing citizens so that they can make informed decisions about their participation in a democratic society.

4. Fourthly, preparation for work. As a number of reports from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development have shown, educational achievement is inextricably linked with economic prosperity. Those that do better academically, tend to go on to get better paid jobs.

IMPACT

Our children will be able to discuss their learning with good level of knowledge using subject specific, technical vocabulary across all subjects. By the time they leave school a vast majority have sustained mastery with some greater depth.

Summative assessments as well as standard tests will help us monitor children’s development of mastery however Teacher’s Assessment will be the main evidence of academic attainment. Pupil, staff and parent surveys with a big focus on pupil’s voice will aid us knowing the children’s social and emotional well-being