At St Mary’s and St Peter’s Church of England Primary School we aim to provide a curriculum which is deeply Christian, whilst at the same time serving the common good within our community.
We take the words of Jesus in John 10 promising ‘life in all its fullness’ seriously and believe that all within our community should be able to flourish and achieve their full potential.
We want our children to be successful lifelong learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens who are able to make a positive contribution to society.
We will achieve this by providing a broad, rich and exciting curriculum, which is both inclusive and challenging, in order to get the best from every child.
In order to learn successfully, we believe children need:
- to develop positive self-images through knowing they are valued for themselves;
- to have equality of opportunity to gain full access to the curriculum;
- opportunities to form positive relationships within a stable and secure environment;
- opportunities to express themselves creatively and apply their skills and knowledge;
- access to a range of stimulating activities, trips, workshops and appropriate resources.
The curriculum at SMSP is not static and is subject to ongoing development in order to enhance the delivery to all our children, and remove potential barriers to learning. This includes adapting the curriculum, where necessary, to make it accessible for those with disabilities or special educational needs, whilst remaining aspirational.
We teach the full National Curriculum and Religious Education.
The National Curriculum sets out a clear, full and statutory entitlement to learning for all children aged five to eleven and determines the content of what will be taught in English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, Design and Technology (DT), Art, Music, Physical Education (PE), Computing, Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) and Religious Education (RE).
It is preceded by the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum which is taught to children aged four to five.
The teaching of Religious Education is statutory in all schools and as a Church of England Voluntary Aided school the Governors have adopted the London Diocesan Board for Schools (LDBS) religious education curriculum.
Each subject has a programme of study which specifies the knowledge, skills and concepts that the children will be expected to acquire as they progress through primary and secondary school. There will be times when these subjects are best taught discretely and systematically, and other times when they will be taught in a cross-curricular way enabling the children to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding in a broader sense.
Reading is prioritised to allow SMSP children to access the full curriculum. We foster a love of reading through a wide range of reading materials and reading opportunities. This enriches children’s vocabulary and allows for increased confidence and shared discussion across the wider curriculum.
Mathematical fluency and confidence are also prioritised. We provide SMSP children with a variety of opportunities to develop fluency in the key mathematical concepts; to understand, reason and explain their thinking and to use and apply their knowledge to problems across the wider curriculum.
As a school with a Church of England foundation, we have close links to St Mary’s and St Peter’s Parish community and the chaplaincy team help us to live out our school vision of ‘Life in all its fullness’ through supporting and promoting the pastoral and spiritual elements of the curriculum as well as support the teaching of Christianity. Through welcoming visitors and visiting other places of worship within our locality, we instil an understanding of and deep respect for the religions and beliefs within our community and throughout the world.
We consistently encourage respectful attitudes and actions within our supportive, Christian community. Parents’ involvement in their children’s learning and development allows us to foster strong relationships between home, school and the wider community.
Living in Teddington, we are fortunate to have close access to some of the best theatres, historic buildings, galleries and museums in the world, including Hampton Court Palace and Strawberry Hill House and, as such, SMSP children develop a rich Cultural Capital. We also recognise the need to broaden our horizons, taking every opportunity to learn about, and celebrate, diverse London and Britain.
With this knowledge, skills and experience – alongside a true love of learning – SMSP children are well prepared for life at secondary school and beyond.