The Catholic religious ethos of St John Fisher Catholic Primary School is to be found across the whole curriculum and not just within our Religious Education programme. Our faith is enriched through contact with the faith and prayer of the staff and the Christian atmosphere of our school. Pupils are helped to understand their world and their lives in the light of our faith. The school supports, extends and clarifies what the children learn and experience at home and in church. We work together to learn more about our pupils and families and to understand the community and Parishes of Sacred Heart and Blessed Dominic Barberi.

Our curriculum is linked to our Mission Statement, “Let all that you do be done in Love” and is underpinned by this. . We promote these core values and virtues by words and deeds so that Catholic doctrine and practice permeate every aspect of the school’s activity. We provide a curriculum, which is broad and balanced, recognising every child is unique and created in the image of God. Our curriculum is designed to enable every child, including those with Special Educational Needs to discern their vocation and to be well equipped to follow it as active citizens in service to the world. We provide a wide range of extra-curricular activities and strong pastoral support. We incorporate democratic principles, value the rule of law, support individual liberty and foster a community in which different faiths are respected.

• Catholic Christian education underpinned by the values of the Gospels
• Dignity of each person is witnessed and developed spiritually, emotionally, physically, intellectually and creatively
• A curriculum that is challenging and celebrates diversity enriching the community and supports the development of the whole child preparing them for life in the twenty first century
• A learning environment that allows children to grow in their learning from their individual starting point
• To build the confidence and resilience of all children especially those who are new to learning, new to the country and those with limited life experiences
• To enthuse a life-long love of reading, and build their abilities as writers and mathematicians

At St John Fisher School, the curriculum has been designed to meet the needs of the children and families within our community. This incorporates the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum 2014 and EYFS Statutory Framework 2017. Our curriculum is designed to provide pupils with the opportunities, skills and experiences they need to be successful in their education and life beyond St John Fisher School. We recognise that a child’s time at St John Fisher School is not an isolated experience but rather part of a longer journey, which will prepare them to take up their place in the world as kind, tolerant, open minded and resilient citizens. Our curriculum aims to develop our pupils’ spiritually, socially and academically. These are supported by a range of other experiences and opportunities that best meet the learning needs of the children in our school. It is important that we consider the development of the whole child, not only concentrating on academic success. We endeavour to ensure the quality of education is well led, developing the skills and knowledge to build cultural capital so that social disadvantage can be addressed.

St John Fisher with a large proportion of our cohort in the top 20% of social deprivation (IDACI 2019), with many families who speak English as an additional language, ensure the curriculum is fit for purpose and provides a range of experiences to support and develop learning. For example: International Week, Headington Partnership, our First Holy Communion Programme, Sporting activities, enrichment activities, specialist music teaching and a parents group to build up skills. It builds on children’s cultural capital developing British Values. SMSC is intrinsically rooted within it.

• Is based on Gospel Values and faith driven experiences
• Enables responsibility and personal development through school council and Mini Vinnies
• Builds children’s confidence so they develop a love of learning
• Prepares children to be resilient and independent learners
• Offers opportunities to be creative, problem solve and apply learnt skills
• Is subject led with cross-curricular links
• Develops specific subject knowledge and skills
• Provides enrichment opportunities in all areas of learning through clubs, lunchtime activities, specific group work, workshops, external providers linked to the school and educational trips
• Focuses on phonics and English, specifically developing a much needed depth of vocabulary

The NC is implemented through subject led topics with cross curricular links made where possible. We use Cornerstones to drive our units, which are led by History or Geography.

There are seven areas of learning and development in the EYFS – all are important and inter-connected. Progression is demonstrated within subject planning and an overview schema. All subjects are assessed to end of year criteria and monitored across the year. Subject Leaders regularly meet SLT and all staff to communicate curriculum developments and updates. Details of individual subjects can be found on our website.

The impact of our curriculum is monitored by SLT and Subject Leaders. This is measured by:

• Subject Leader meetings with SLT
• Subject Leader staff meetings
• Lesson observation
• Book looks
• Learning walks
• Assessment outcomes
• Pupil Progress Meetings
• Regular external monitoring and quality assurance through moderation and school improvement partners
• Feedback from children, teachers and parents

Here at St John Fisher, we provide a broad and balanced curriculum based around the Cornerstones Curriculum, a nationally recognised approach for delivering outstanding learning opportunities for children.

The Cornerstones Curriculum is a creative and thematic approach to learning that is mapped to the 2014 primary national curriculum to ensure comprehensive coverage of national expectations. It is based on a child-centred pedagogy called ‘The Four Cornerstones’ and is delivered through Imaginative Learning Projects (ILPs) and Knowledge Rich Projects (KRPs), which provide a rich menu of exciting and motivating learning activities that make creative links between all aspects of children’s learning. Children will progress through four stages of learning in each Knowledge Rich Project (KRP) and Imaginative Learning Project (ILP): ENGAGE – DEVELOP – INNOVATE – EXPRESS.

At St John Fisher School, we believe children learn better when they are encouraged to use their imagination and apply their learning to engaging contexts. Our curriculum provides many learning challenges throughout the academic year that require children to solve problems, apply themselves creatively and express their knowledge and understanding effectively.  Using Cornerstones to support our planning and teaching ensures that pupils are assessed against a rigorous essential skills framework that outlines the end of year expectations in all subjects. These essential skills are tied to activities and are age-related so that staff can track children’s progress and identify their individual learning needs.

Our curriculum is mapped to the new 2014 Primary National Curriculum ensuring comprehensive coverage of national expectations. Should you want further information, please click on the link below to access the National Curriculum, covering each Primary school subject: