Curriculum
OUR VISION
‘...with God, all things are possible.’ (Matthew 19:26)
With Christ every day, every task, every situation, every relationship brims with divine possibility. God is always at work in our lives.
Our vision is drawn from Matthew’s gospel in which Jesus is talking to his disciples about what they must do if they hope to inherit eternal life. Jesus’s wisdom guides us to acknowledge that wealth is not material but that true wealth is gained from working collaboratively for the common good. Here, Jesus speaks about the value of serving others in order to store up treasure in heaven. Our students will be equipped with the hope, ambition, qualifications and values necessary to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world, knowing that God is always at work in our lives.
We will realise our vision by ensuring our children are at the centre of everything we do, relentlessly focusing on the development of highly literate, articulate, resilient and confident individuals.
INFLUENTIAL EDUCATION
SMSJ’s campuses are set in affluent areas of the borough and we are conscious that the we have a higher percentage than National of FSM6 students. We intend to enhance the future life-chances and opportunities of all our students, whatever their faith or starting point, by providing an influential educational which encourages all to fulfil their potential and positively contribute to society. This is how we evaluate real engagement and a thirst for knowledge.
As an all through school, we have a unique opportunity to influence learning from Nursery through to KS5 and onwards. Therefore, it is our responsibility to ensure that our curriculum is backwards planned and sequenced to facilitate progress for every student at each stage of their learning.
We are clear that progress is defined as understanding more, knowing more and remembering more of each subject
Our curriculum is developed to focus on what knowledge and skills are being taught and is specifically planned around what pupils need to know and remember, in total in each subject. We are clear what end points the curriculum is building towards, and what pupils will need to be able to know and do at those end points. Attainment descriptors signpost what has been taught before, and how students achieve greater understanding, knowledge and skills in each subject and at each stage.
We are developing a vibrant enrichment offer to complement our curriculum and which will provide a range of opportunities and experiences, supporting the development of the character and personal well-being of our students.
SPIRITUAL, MORAL, CULTURAL AND SOCIAL EDUCATION
Spiritual, moral, cultural and social education is embedded within our curriculum and is explored thoroughly through our focus on our vision and values. Our Christian vision and values, with an emphasis on Wisdom, Service and Hope, are embedded in our curriculum and are explored daily through Pause for Thought, our Collective Worship programme, Religious Studies & PSHCEE. The impact of this is a school that is deeply Christian and inclusive. We embrace other faiths and cultures and those with no faith. We pride ourselves on developing students who are compassionate, community focused and prepared to serve their community now and in the future.
We also teach and live by British Values which are delivered through various areas of the curriculum, and in all aspects of school life. These values include:
- Democracy
- The Rule of Law
- Individual Liberty
- Mutual Respect
- Tolerance
SUPER - CURRICULAR OFFER
We have a large extracurricular offer across the school, including Fresh Arts, Gardening Club, Duke of Edinburgh, Young Enterprise, Peripatetic music lessons, Jack Petchey speak out challenge, UKMT challenge, Dance, Orchestra, music groups, sporting clubs and teams, large whole school drama productions and visits within and outside of the school day. The grade 1-athon programme provides students with the opportunity to share their talents with members of staff, who wish to learn an instrument.
Students are also encouraged to be truly independent learners. They have access to the library, IT rooms, Sport and Arts facilities at the beginning and end of the normal school day as well as learning resources in our highly developed virtual learning environment.
The curriculum is regularly evaluated in order to ensure that it meets the needs of our learners’ development.
CULTURAL CAPITAL AND GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP
As part of our endeavor to ensure that all our students reach their God given potential we provide a number of experiences both in school and out of school to extend students’ cultural capital. In order to promote a greater understanding of what it means to be a global citizen, we have developed partnerships with schools abroad and regularly host overseas visiting students. We also offer opportunities for our students to travel abroad and this focus is reflected in our commitment to exploring different cultures through the curriculum. We encourage students to consider others by understanding the work of charities, and by participating in raising money for their cause. In addition, we work in partnership with organisations and universities to extend our students’ horizons.