Intent
At the Federation of St. Cuthbert’s and St. Sebastian’s we believe that our children are entitled to a language rich English curriculum where they appreciate the power of the spoken and written word.
We recognise the foundations for teaching the English National Curriculum begin in Early Years with the development of a high quality programme planned within Communication, Language and Literacy. Many children enter our schools with very poor language skills, therefore, teaching children to communicate is vital from the very early stages of their journey with us through primary school. As inclusive schools, our curriculum recognises the varied needs of our children and allows every child to maximise their learning potential and achieve in English. Our aim is to prepare them for the application of English skills across the whole curriculum and life beyond education.
We believe reading is a passport to the world and strongly feel that cultivating a “reading for pleasure” culture in our schools is imperative.
“Reading for pleasure is the single most important thing that will make a child successful in life’”(UNESCO)
The National Curriculum for English places reading for pleasure at the heart of the English curriculum. Our text based approach allows children to immerse themselves in great literature, opening them up to ideas, experiences, places and times they might never otherwise experience in real life. Thus giving our children the chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually.
“All pupils must be encouraged to read widely across both fiction and non-fiction to develop their knowledge of themselves and the world they live in, to establish an appreciation and love of reading, and to gain knowledge across the curriculum.’ (National Curriculum in England, DfE, 2014)
We believe in a strong sense of community and provide opportunities for children to display their English skills and achievements through planned special events e.g. assemblies, pantos, nativities, speech choir festival, individual speaking, debates, etc. At the heart of our curriculum, the principal aim is that children leave our school with a wide range of happy memories in English formed through exciting enrichment activities beyond the classroom.