What do our children learn?

On this page are overviews of what the children learn in each year group.

Curriculum Intent

All children (regardless of any perceived differences) achieve their personal best, so they are academically, spiritually, physically, morally, socially and culturally prepared for education after St. Christopher’s – and ultimately life in modern Britain, as part of God’s creation – The Earth.

The curriculum at St. Christopher’s has four principal drivers:

  • Aspirational and resilient.
  • Wonder and awe of the world.
  • Community and Culture.
  • Healthy bodies, healthy minds.

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Curriculum Implementation

All children receive a curriculum which is rooted in the National Curriculum in England and the Catholic Religious Education Curriculum Directory. It is also linked to Catholic Social Teaching and Fundamental British Values.

The ability to read is the key to learning in most subject areas, so the highest priority is given to teaching children to read fluently and independently, using systematic synthetic phonics.

Children learn to read. Then they read to learn.

The school has selected schemes of work which steadily build progression year-on-year, so that children progressively know more and are able to do more – with confidence and fluency.

Materials, schemes and activities are also selected which are representative of the diverse population of the UK, which is not necessarily represented by the school’s current population.

The timetable is organised so that there is balanced and equitable (but not equal) time given to the teaching and learning of each subject. To avoid ‘light touch’ shallow learning, History and Geography alternate on a half-termly basis so that there are two lessons per week – the same is the case for Art and Design Technology. This is designed to give the children more time and opportunity for deeper thinking in these subjects.

In lessons, new learning is linked to existing knowledge to build a mental schema and to assist long term retention. Lessons are constructed and teaching is adapted to meet the needs of the children in order for them to aquire and remember new knowledge and skills, without being cognitively overloaded. Regular low-stakes assessment enables learning gaps to be identified and addressed in good time.

Click here to see our Curriculum Drivers