Our Curriculum

Please note that this page and subsequent curriculum links are currently undergoing maintenance. If you would like further information, please contact the school office.

St. Columba’s Curriculum Intent Statement:

At St. Columba’s Catholic Primary School, our Mission Statement underpins and is the foundation on which we have built our curriculum. We value the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of all of our pupils. We aim to instill in them a desire to become lifelong learners. As a Catholic school, we strive to ensure our children have an enriched learning experience rooted in the teaching of the Church and the message of Christ.

At the centre of our curriculum is a belief that children learn core knowledge whilst developing the necessary skills to support them as independent thinkers. Our creative and fully inclusive approach to teaching, along with a broad and balanced curriculum, extends learning further to ensure our children are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in a modern and versatile world.

The curriculum at St. Columba’s Catholic Primary School is tailored for our pupils and the community of Wallsend that we serve. Our curriculum is designed using the Early Years’ Framework and the National Curriculum; we follow the diocesan guidelines for the teaching of RE. We place high priority on ensuring children’s physical and mental wellbeing is met. We understand that children will not be successful learners unless they are emotionally secure so aim to provide a safe learning environment where learning can thrive. We are confident that through the dedication of all our staff, our ethos of care and support within a safe and friendly environment, our children will therefore receive a curriculum that is inspiring and allows them to achieve their full potential.

The curriculum at St. Columba’s has been developed to:

help our children to become independent, resilient learners
have strong roots within a Catholic Ethos, linking to the teachings of the church
display kindness and respect to all
enable our children to lead a fulfilling and healthy life
provide opportunities for our children to be creative
allow children to solve their own problems
immerse children in learning through appropriate cross curricular opportunities and links
build upon children’s knowledge and skills through a series of lessons
use the local environment as a basis for learning and educational visits so that our children learn to use their local knowledge and experience as a starting point for development
have a strong focus on a text based curriculum, including opportunities to speak, read and write across a range of styles and subjects
use a range of teaching styles and approaches including practical activities and discussions

St. Columba’s Curriculum Implementation Statement: How do we achieve our aims?

At St. Columba’s, we have high expectations of attendance, academic achievement and pupil behaviour. Children are expected to work hard and demonstrate positive learning attitudes in order to fulfil their own learning potential as well as contribute to the wider school community.

A love of, and passion for reading across all curriculum areas is at the heart of our teaching and learning. We place emphasis on communication and language skills, including higher order vocabulary, so that our pupils can articulate their feelings, thoughts and curiosity of the world around them. We aim to promote experiential learning within our curriculum which includes educational and residential visits as well as visitors in school. We strive to ensure that children from across the school have access to a wide range of extra-curricular activities including sport, music, performing arts as well as other practical skills such as cooking and crafting.

Our nurturing ethos allows us to celebrate positive behaviours and achievements. We are committed to working in partnership with our parents and carers as we believe that when home and school work closely together, the best outcomes can be achieved for our children.

Continued professional development for all staff is a priority to ensure they have the necessary skills and knowledge to deliver the highest standards across the entire curriculum. We aim to demonstrate a clear progression of skills and knowledge across all year groups, underpinned by an effective assessment and data analysis system.

St. Columba’s Curriculum Impact Statement: How will we know we have achieved our aims?

Our children will know the value of kindness and will show respect to all, being able to demonstrate their understanding of the Catholic Ethos which underpins our daily interactions with all in our community
Our children can grow up making a positive contribution to the world in which they live
Our children will demonstrate confidence, independence, resilience and a thirst for knowledge
Our children will experience a wide and varied knowledge curriculum, allowing each of them to achieve and progress by knowing more, remembering more and applying more
Our children will be able to talk confidently about their achievements, personal progress and be proud of the work they have achieved
Our children will be able to work collaboratively to share success, support one another and demonstrate the values of working together as a team
Our children will be ‘the best that they can be’ striving to achieve at least the expected standard across the curriculum by the end of Key Stage 2
Our children will be prepared to access the challenges of the secondary school curriculum
Our children will have aspirations for the future and know that these can be realised with hard work and determination

To find out more:

To find out more about our curriculum at St Columba’s, please explore the links below or view our year group pages from the right hand menu.

Parents are always welcome to ask staff for updates through SeeSaw or year group email addresses. Annual curriculum evenings and biannual parents evening appointments are also offered where parents can learn about a specific year group’s curriculum.