At St Mary Magdalen’s Primary School, we are committed to providing a purposeful, engaging and empowering curriculum that fully prepares learners for the next steps in their school journey, as well as the challenges of the wider world. As a Catholic school family, our curriculum in underpinned by our belief that Christ lies at the centre of all that we do and through this we are able to create inquisitive individuals who feel empowered to engage in the world in which they live.
We provide our pupils with a broad and balanced curriculum, which is accessible to all and provides stimulating, exciting and creative learning experiences which foster and encourage a love of learning. Our curriculum has direct links to our locality, embracing the community from which our children originate, but also enables our pupils to see life beyond the town of Seaham. Through our curriculum we encourage our pupils to be aspirational and motivated in their own ambitions through quality, first-hand enrichment learning opportunities. We value the uniqueness of all of our pupils, understanding that they have individual talents, ambitions, skills and aspirations. We provide an environment that encourages and celebrates hard work, effort and engagement associated with a range of learning experiences. This is reflected in our celebratory ‘Good Work Awards’ and whole school ‘Wall of Fame’.
The curriculum at St Mary Magdalen’s (STMM) is underpinned by four key layers of learning:
Curriculum Implementation
At St Mary Magdalen’s we believe our ‘Christ Centred’ approach to the curriculum offers our pupils real opportunities to develop their educational, social and moral character. Our curriculum design is broad and balanced and progressively builds on previous skills, knowledge and conceptual understanding. Core subject areas, are taught discreetly so that our children gain a broad understanding of basic skills and can apply these across all curriculum areas. Foundation curriculum subject areas are delivered, across each age phase, in two yearly cycles and are taught through exciting and engaging topic based learning. Learning is focussed on problem solving, attention to detail, communication and teamwork, all of which are soft skills that are essential for future employment. Curriculum areas are clearly identified during lessons and our children know exactly which subject they are studying. Our Teaching and Learning Policy illustrates how we develop learning and learners across the school and is closely linked to our school’s current curriculum framework.(link to website A) The outstanding quality of our classroom environments serve to stimulate and engage all learners whilst fostering higher order critical thinking. Our school mission and ethos, combined with our curriculum delivery, affords all of our pupils with a sound understanding of the difference between right and wrong, showing respect to one another, celebrating the difference and diversity of other faiths and cultures and an understanding of the values that underpin a democratic society. At St Mary Magdalen’s School, we also recognise the importance of assessment and feedback, both adult and peer led, as an integral part of the teaching and learning cycle, and aim to maximise the effectiveness of its use in practice.
