Curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact Statement

Curriculum Intent

At St Philomena’s, we are committed to providing an ambitious, broad and enriching curriculum that enables every child to achieve their full potential academically, spiritually, socially and personally.

Rooted in our Catholic faith, our curriculum places Christ at the centre of all that we do. We nurture children who Strive for Excellence, Act with Respect and Serve Our Community, enabling them to recognise their God-given gifts and make a positive contribution to the wider world.

Our curriculum is designed to provide children with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to succeed. It is carefully planned and sequenced so that pupils build a rich body of knowledge over time. New learning builds upon what children already know, enabling them to make meaningful connections, deepen their understanding and apply their learning with increasing confidence and independence.

We have high expectations for every child. Through high-quality teaching, appropriate adaptation, support and challenge, pupils are enabled to access an ambitious curriculum and achieve well from their individual starting points.

Our curriculum also develops children's cultural knowledge and understanding of the wider world. We want every child to leave St Philomena’s with strong academic foundations, confidence, curiosity and high aspirations, ready to succeed at the next stage of their education and beyond.

Curriculum Implementation

Our curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced to ensure that children develop knowledge, skills and understanding progressively from the Early Years through to Year 6.

Subject leaders carefully consider progression within their subjects, identifying the important knowledge, concepts and skills pupils need to learn and how these develop across year groups.

Continuing Professional Development is a priority. We support teachers in developing strong subject and pedagogical knowledge so that the curriculum is taught effectively and with consistently high expectations.

Teachers use assessment of prior learning to inform their teaching. Clear explanations, modelling, purposeful questioning, discussion and opportunities for guided and independent practice help pupils to develop secure understanding and increasingly apply their knowledge independently.

We recognise the importance of helping children remember what they have learned. Retrieval and purposeful revisiting are used across the curriculum to strengthen recall, address misconceptions and help pupils make connections between prior and new learning.

Our approach to teaching is informed by Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction. Teachers use approaches including:

• reviewing previous learning;

• presenting new material in carefully sequenced steps;

• providing clear explanations, modelling and worked examples;

• using purposeful questioning to check understanding;

• providing guided and independent practice;

• identifying and addressing misconceptions; and

• providing appropriate scaffolding and support while developing pupils’ independence.

Assessment is an integral part of teaching and learning. Teachers check pupils’ understanding and use what they learn from assessment to adapt teaching, revisit important knowledge, address misconceptions and provide appropriate support and challenge.

Reading at the Heart of the Curriculum

Reading is prioritised throughout St Philomena’s. We want children to become confident and fluent readers who develop a genuine love of reading and recognise reading as a gateway to learning.

High-quality texts are carefully selected to enrich pupils’ vocabulary, knowledge, imagination and understanding of the wider world. Reading supports learning across the curriculum and enables pupils to access increasingly ambitious content.

Enrichment and Wider Opportunities

Learning at St Philomena’s extends beyond the classroom. Visits, visitors, music, the arts, sport, outdoor learning, leadership, service and community involvement enrich our curriculum and broaden children's experiences.

These opportunities help pupils develop confidence, independence, cultural awareness and aspiration while discovering and developing their individual gifts and talents.

Curriculum Impact

The impact of our curriculum can be seen in what our children know, understand, remember and are able to do.

We aim for pupils to develop secure knowledge and skills, achieve well from their starting points and become confident, articulate and increasingly independent learners. Children are encouraged to apply their knowledge in different contexts, make connections across their learning and approach challenges with resilience and curiosity.

Leaders evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum through a range of evidence, including pupil voice, work scrutiny, lesson visits, learning walks, assessment information, curriculum reviews and professional discussion. This enables leaders and teachers to identify strengths, respond to areas for development and continually refine curriculum provision.

Our broad and carefully sequenced curriculum provides children with strong academic foundations while also developing their creativity, confidence, cultural awareness and understanding of the wider world.

Rooted in our Catholic identity, our curriculum develops character alongside academic achievement. Children learn to respect and celebrate difference, show compassion, serve others and understand their responsibility towards their community and the wider world.

We are confident that our pupils leave St Philomena’s as knowledgeable, articulate, compassionate and confident young people, well prepared for the next stage of their education and equipped with the knowledge, skills, character and aspiration to succeed in the future.