Our Curriculum is firmly rooted in our Christian Vision: 'Believe and Achieve',  underpinned by this verse from the Bible: ‘I will show you my faith by my deeds.’ James 2: 18

Our associated values of Love, Hope and Truth are woven through our Curriculum and help to develop the attitudes and dispositions that we want to instill in our children. 

Through a carefully sequenced and progressive curriculum we seek to enable and inspire children to develop the confidence, knowledge, skills and creativity they need to flourish in a world of constant change. 

The National Curriculum

The school follows the 2014 National Curriculum but we design and sequence each unit of learning very carefully to ensure progression within every subject and to meet the needs of our children. If you would like to find out more the National Curriculum and the content of our curriculum by subject and year group, click here.

Relevant, real life and exciting opportunities are planned as often as possible to enthuse children and give purpose to their learning. Opportunities include talking to professional actors to support our theme which culminates in a live performance in a professional theatre; a residential for our Year 4 children and visits to places such as Streetwise. We also give children the chance to contribute to the local community by organising fundraising opportunities and we welcome visitors to the school such as local paramedics and the Life Education Centre.

At St James, all teachers are responsible for providing an inclusive curriculum so that children with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND) have equal access to the curriculum. We have high expectations for all pupils and are committed to ensuring our curriculum complies with the Equality Act 2010 and the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014. 

We aim to challenge that mindset that seeks to predetermine the capacity of each learner, replacing it instead with a curiosity about what the learner can achieve. As teachers we should approach teaching with a sense of openness, looking to be surprised by our learners and what they can achieve.

...our curriculum should whisper to our children, “You belong. You did not come from nowhere. All this came before you, and one day you too might add to it.”(Ben Newmark)

Through the design of our curriculum and its implementation, we aim to create learning spaces where all children belong. At St James how we build a fully inclusive space for all and particularly those learners experiencing disadvantage, is crucial.