Curriculum

Upton St James CofE Primary School Curriculum (from September 2021)

At Upton St James CofE Primary School, we aim to provide a broad and well-balanced curriculum that will enable all our pupils to ‘rise to their best’. We use the image of a hot air balloon rising to capture the concept of us all reaching our full potential; both individually and collectively.

The scripture that supports our vision is ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’ (Mark 12 v30 – 31) and our curriculum is designed around this scripture. In the Autumn term each year, children learn about ‘loving their British neighbour’ and about British values, in the Spring term, children learn about ‘loving their Global neighbour’ and the global goals and in the Summer term each year, children learn to ‘love’ and respect themselves.

Just like hot air balloons need ‘uprights’ in order to rise, our curriculum is based on six ‘uprights’ which encompass our vision for an inclusive, inspiring curriculum based on Christian values and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Our curriculum follows the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum supplemented by opportunities to provide enrichment, inspire curiosity, and support the development of every child’s academic, social, communication and wellbeing needs. We believe that we have a responsibility to educate the whole child, preparing children for their futures as flourishing members of the community. We use the six uprights across every stage of our planning. This ensures that children are provided with a range of targeted opportunities for growth and development, that enables them to succeed at every stage of their education. Children focus on each upright during its specified term, which is built upon year-on-year in a spiral curriculum (vertical links) and also make connections between them throughout the year (horizontal links).    

Our aims draw on the four elements of the Church of England Vision for Education:

• Educating for wisdom, knowledge and skills
• Educating for hope and aspiration
• Educating for community and living well together
• Educating for dignity and respect

If you require any further information about our curriculum (including prospective parents/carers) please contact Mrs Izzi Mardon (Headteacher) by e-mailing HeadUSJ@stcmat.org