Curriculum Rationale
“The overall curriculum aim for is to continue with our high standards in core subjects, ensuring these skills can be applied across the curriculum while also raising the profile of these subjects.” Mrs Lakner
Our Curriculum intent –
We want the children at St Raphael’s not just to know the Gospel values of compassion, justice, forgiveness, respect, perseverance, courage and community but to live them. We want the children to leave with the personal qualities and skill set to fulfil their own aspirations and have the courage to embrace the challenges they may face on this path and have strategies to deal with setbacks. We want the children to be caring and have pride in their community and a sense of belonging that will enable them to live life to the full.
- Our School Development Plan can be viewed here.
- A copy of the school’s ten non-negotiable statements can be found here.
Religious Education
Religious Education is led by Mrs Lakner and Mrs Shields.
“This year in RE we are developing the role of our worship leaders. The worship leaders will be trained and led by staff to develop worship throughout the school through their involvement with each class. Also they will lead reflection times in the chapel before school begins. A further aim this year is to refine and develop our use of assessment in RE so as to monitor the progress and attainment of our pupils. This will involve working with the diocese and with other schools.”
- The school follows the dioceses approved scheme, The Vine and the Branches (EYFS- Y4) The Way the Truth and the Life (Y5 and Y6).
- More information about the rationale for these schemes can be found here.
- In addition to this we cover world faiths within our RE curriculum during special events and celebrations as a school.
- Our RE policy can be found here.
- Celebration of the Word is a key part of school life and also complements the curriculum and our worship policy can be found here.
- The Shrewsbury Diocese Education page can be found here
RSE
Here at St Raphael’s we recognise the value that a high-quality RSE curriculum can offer to our pupils. We embrace the challenges of creating a happy and successful future adult life for all our pupils, by giving them knowledge that will enable them to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships. We deliver this teaching through the prism of Catholic RSE. We follow the ‘Life to the Full’ programme, produced by Ten:Ten. The framework of ‘Life to the Full’ is taken from the Model Catholic RSE Programme by the Catholic Education Service.
- RSE is led by Mrs McLeod
- To view the policy for RSE click here.
- To view our intent and curriculum overview click here.
- To view the Whole School Overview click here.
- To view the Programme Pathway click here.
- To view the Information for Parents Booklet click here.
- Parents portal log in information click Parents Portal Information
Special Educational Needs (SEN)
Our SEN leads are Mrs Murphy and Mrs Lee.
“My aim for SEND is to ensure that all children are happy and independent in their learning. We will focus this year on early identification of needs and in particular on supporting children with communication and language delay.”
- Information on our SEN offer can be found here.
- Information on the Tameside Local Offer can be found here.
- Our SEN policy can be found here..
Early Years Foundation Stage
Our EYFS team teachers are Mrs McLeod in the nursery class and Mrs Shields and Mrs Neale in the reception class. We follow the national guidelines on the curriculum called Development Matters. This is explained in the curriculum overview at the top of the page.
At St. Raphael’s we aim to provide a broad, balanced, differentiated curriculum which addresses the children‘s social, emotional, physical, intellectual, moral and cultural development within a safe, secure, stimulating environment. Our curriculum enables the child to learn and develop skills, attitudes and understanding in the 7 EYFS areas of learning:
The prime areas are:
- Personal, Emotional and Social Development (PSED)
- Communication and Language (CL)
- Physical development (PD)
The specific areas are:
- Mathematics (M)
- Literacy (Lit)
- Understanding the World (UW)
- Expressive Art and Design (EAD)
“Our aim for EYFS is to further develop outdoor provision ensuring that the children continue to receive purposeful learning opportunities.”
- Further information on Development Matters can be found here.
- The EYFS Policy can be found here.
- The EYFS Outdoor Learning Policy can be found here.
English
English is led by Miss Taylor and Mrs Murphy. The school follows the National Curriculum.
“My aim for English this year is for all children to be immersed in a school reading culture which will promote an appreciation of reading and allow the children’s love of reading to be refreshed. In addition we want to embed our writing targets to support children having an increased ownership of their own writing.”
- Information on our Reading Scheme can be found here.
- Information and support with our Phonic Scheme can be found here.
- Information on Writing can be found here.
- Our English polices can be found here for Literacy, Writing, SPAG and Phonics.
Science
Science is led by Miss Pollitt. The school follows the National Curriculum.
“In science this year I would like to see classes develop floor books to encourage questioning and collaborative investigations.”
- Our Science policy can be found here.
Computing
Computing is led by Miss Taylor.
For computing, we follow Kapow Primary’s Computing scheme, which is designed to align with the school’s ethos, national strategies, and the goal of equipping students with essential digital skills. The curriculum fosters enjoyment and confidence in using technology, encouraging exploration and adaptability in a rapidly evolving digital world. It aims to develop pupils’ digital competence, collaboration, and responsible online behaviour. The scheme meets national curriculum targets and, when paired with Kapow’s RSE & PSHE resources, supports the DfE’s Education for a Connected World framework by promoting safe, informed, and healthy digital engagement.
- The school follows the National Curriculum using the Kapow Scheme.
- Information on our Computing Scheme can be found here and here.
- Information and Guidance on E-Safety and School Policy can be found here.
- DFE Guidance for Parents on Cyber Bullying can be accessed here.
- Our Acceptable Use agreement for children can be found will be uploaded soon.
Physical Education
Art
Art is led by Mrs Neale and we follow the Art Access’ scheme of work. This scheme challenges, inspires and engages the children with a wide range of artist and techniques.
Our Art curriculum aims to:
- enrich the children’s lives through art and allow them to express themselves in a way that is unique to art
- produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording experiences
- develop control in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
- evaluate and reflect upon our own and others’ work
- explore great artists, craft makers and designers and understand their place in history and culture.
Music
Music is led by Mrs Lee.
“My goal is to support staff across the school to teach a wide range of music skills across a range of genres, developing pupils’ passion for music within a stimulating and safe environment.”
- The school follows the National Curriculum. We use Sing Up to provide the schemes of work and are assisted in this by the support of the Tameside Music Service.
History
History is led by Mr Matthews.
- The school follows the National Curriculum and schemes of work are provided by Collins Connect.
Geography
Geography is led by Mrs Lee.
For Geography, we follow the Collins Connect scheme of work which provides learning opportunities for all age groups including Early years. We aim to provide our children with opportunities to study and explore the relationships between people and our local and world wide environments. We aim to teach children the skills they need in order to be effective geographers and prepare them for a life of currently unknown possibilities. We want to inspire and challenge our children intellectually but also contribute to their social, moral, cultural and physical development in order to prepare them for the responsibilities and experiences within an increasingly globalised world.
Modern Foreign Languages
MFL is led by Mrs Neale and we are learning Spanish. Our school uses the ‘Kapow’ scheme of work.
Our aim for Spanish is to:
- Foster an interest in learning other languages.
- Introduce young children to another language in a way that is enjoyable and fun.
- Stimulate and encourage children’s curiosity about language.
- Develop their speaking and listening skills.
- Help the children develop their awareness of cultural differences in other countries.
- Lay the foundations for future study.
Design & Technology
Design and Technology is led by Mrs Lee. Our D.T. Curriculum follows the National Curriculum and aims to ensure that all pupils:
– develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday
tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world
– build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design
and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users
– critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others
understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.
Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE)
PSHE is led by Mrs McLeod
PSHE
At St Raphael’s, PSHE enables our children to become healthy, independent and responsible members of society. It aims to help them understand how they are developing personally and socially, and tackles many of the moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up.