Curriculum Overview

Content

Overview

At St Ambrose we provide a curriculum through which we live out our Mission to ‘Follow the example of Jesus’. Our curriculum is designed to enable every child to thrive through holistic provision that is there to find and nurture every child’s gifts and talents whilst building their capacity to tackle challenges both in school and throughout life.

Our engaging curriculum ensures that children develop a passion for learning and a curiosity about our world which enables them to ‘be the best they can be’. This takes place both within and beyond the classroom through well planned and constructed curricular and extra curricular experiences that both engage and motivate our children to learn and grow.

We are committed to providing rich, engaging learning which has the highest aspirations for our children and community, taking place in a safe and stimulating environment that values our children and enables them to achieve well.

As research advances, our curriculum will continue to flourish and develop to match the needs of our children, their families, our school, parish and wider community in the 21^st Century .

Key drivers

Aspiration

“So be sure when you step, step with care and great tact. And remember that life’s A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed) Kid, you’ll move mountains.” Dr Seuss

We will give our children at St Ambrose a range of broad, varied and rich experiences that help them to aim high and be their best selves
We will introduce vocabulary beyond the primary curriculum where appropriate
We will raise awareness of the concept of a lifelong educational learning journey i.e. nursery – primary – secondary – post 16 – higher education- life beyond school
We will make our children aware that education improves career and life chances understanding the concept of choice
We will give our children experience of life beyond the area they live and the possibilities the world has to offer them

Achievement

“The expert in anything was once a beginner.” – Helen Hayes

We will give our children high-quality learning that helps them ‘be the best they can be’
We have the highest expectations of our children, and they will develop the highest expectations of themselves
We will show our children the endless potential they have to achieve well
We will work with sporting, business and educational partners to raise standards and aim high
We will teach our children to communicate effectively as global citizens

Resilience

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill

We will teach our children to solve their own problems
We will teach our children to face up to challenges they previously thought would be impossible
We will enable our children to think big and set their own goals
We will support our children to achieve their goals
We will give them the opportunity to discover talents and gifts beyond the curriculum
We will provide enrichment activities that support us in this through trips, a range of visitors, residential opportunities and a broad experiential curriculum.

Teachers post ‘Learning Journeys’ for each term on their class pages which provide further detailed explanations of the learning our children engage with.

In Religious Education, we follow ‘Come and See,’ the recommended programme of study for the Archdiocese of Liverpool.

In English, we deliver phonics using the ‘Read Write Inc’ programme for EYFS and Key Stage 1 child. As a school, we use a ‘quality text’ based approach to engage our children in high-quality reading and writing and writing lessons.

In Mathematics, we use a variety of resources, including the Liverpool Calculation Policy. We use the White Rose scheme to supplement learning, as well as an online practice and learning programme for class and homework.

Our foundation subjects work towards a block-based approach, linking subjects where possible to improve learning. This enables children to have prolonged learning in each subject, so that knowledge and skills are embedded. We strive to write creatively and to high standards across the curriculum, and we use themed ‘Creative Writing Weeks’ to showcase this writing.

Please see the subject tabs for the curriculum map and progression document for each subject.

Educational Visits

Aims and Objectives for Educational Visits

Our fundamental aim at St. Ambrose RC Primary School is to provide the best possible education for all our pupils. It is the aim of the school to place a high value on diversity, treating every member of the school community as an individual, and meeting the needs of all, taking account of gender, ethnicity, culture, religion, language, sexual orientation, age, ability, disability and social circumstances. In doing this, we aim, therefore, to raise the achievement of all the children in the school.

Educational Visits and Outdoor and Adventurous Activities are an integral part of the children’s education at St. Ambrose. They offer opportunities to enrich the curriculum, enabling the children to have first-hand experience of a wide range of topics and activities. On residential visits especially, there is opportunity to develop social skills which have a long-lasting beneficial effect.

Nature of Educational Visits

The school runs a wide range of Educational Visits. These may include:

Walks around the Speke area, including to church, the woods, the shops and the sports centre.
Half-day visits by coach to places of interest to support the curriculum.
Day visits to places of historical, environmental, religious or other interest to support specific curriculum areas.
An annual residential visit for children in Year 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Nursery