Curriculum Subjects
Our curriculum reflects the expectations of the National Curriculum in a way that is unique to St Michael's. It is well organised with clear intent so that every child progressively knows more and can do more in each subject as they move through school. We appoint and develop staff to ensure that we have expert teachers who teach confidently to provide every pupil with the best learning experience.
We aim for excellence in all subjects. The Curriculum Statements below tell you more about our intent in each subject, how we implement our curriculum and the impact on learning. The curriculum units of work and overviews for subjects show how knowledge and skills build progressively through school. The year group overviews on the St Michael's Curriculum Page detail how learning is organised within each year.
Ofsted, May 2024, judged that:
Pupils, including children in the early years, benefit from an education of exceptional quality. They are curious and enjoy their learning. Children in the early years participate in a wide variety of learning activities with gusto. Throughout the school, pupils progress extremely well through the curriculum. This prepares them very well for their next stages of learning. The school has the highest expectations of pupils in every aspect of school life, including their achievement. Pupils are proud to maintain these high standards and achieve highly. The climate of warmth, care and compassion develops pupils’ confidence and makes them unafraid of mistakes. Pupils behave well and are highly respectful to staff and each other. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) thrive in the welcoming and supportive environment.
The school has a well-established and highly ambitious curriculum in place. It has designed the curriculum to continuously develop pupils’ knowledge from the early years to Year 6. Teachers at every stage prioritise the knowledge that pupils need to prepare them for their next steps. For example, in the early years, staff take every opportunity to develop children’s sense of number, through engaging activities and counting games. This prepares children very well for the demands of key stage 1. Teachers have strong subject expertise and deliver the curriculum well. They design learning that enthuses and inspires pupils, as well as developing their understanding. Teachers adopt effective strategies to check on pupils’ knowledge during lessons. They skilfully identify and address any misconceptions that would otherwise hinder pupils’ learning. Pupils achieve highly across the range of subjects and the quality of their work is excellent.
