At Our Lady and St Benedict Catholic Academy, our curriculum plan is designed to build knowledge and skills across all areas of learning to provide children with a broad and balanced experience; enabling them to use and apply their learning across a wide area.  In this way, all children will flourish through a wide range of learning experiences and develop into well rounded individuals.

Our curriculum is designed to recognise and build upon children’s prior knowledge and ensure that every pupil is able to meet their full potential.  Every child is recognised as a unique individual, and by personalising learning we aim to nurture their gifts and talents so that they are able to succeed and fulfil their true vocation.  Developing pupils spiritual, moral, social and emotional well being underpins everything that we do, enabling all pupils to build resilience and become creative and critical thinkers, so that they become lifelong, aspirational learners.  

Whole School Curriculum Rationale

At Our Lady & St Benedict Catholic Academy, we have designed a whole school curriculum that is centred on developing our pupils' communication skills. We recognise that many children enter our school with low levels of language and communication, which can be a significant barrier to their academic and personal success. Our curriculum aims to address this challenge by making language and communication the foundation upon which all other learning is built.

Our curriculum is fully aligned with the requirements of the National Curriculum, ensuring that our pupils receive a broad and balanced education that prepares them for the next stage of their learning journey. However, we have tailored the curriculum to meet the specific needs of our school community, as outlined in the provided information.

Given the school's context, where many children enter with low levels of communication, we have placed a strong emphasis on developing oracy, vocabulary, and language skills across all subject areas. We believe that by equipping our pupils with the ability to communicate effectively, we are not only supporting their academic progress but also preparing them for success in all aspects of their lives. We also know that early language and communication provides the building blocks and pre-requisite skills for children to develop into successful readers.

Our curriculum is designed to be aspirational, challenging our pupils to reach their full potential. We want our children to have lively enquiring minds and we have incorporated a range of enquiry based questions alongside creative and practical experiences, such as Forest School, debate, Big Questions, and a range of visits, visitors and activities to engage our pupils and foster a love of learning. Additionally, we have ensured that the curriculum provides opportunities for personalisation and choice, allowing our pupils to raise aspirations, pursue their interests and develop their unique talents.

Whole School Aims

Our whole school curriculum is closely aligned with our school's vision and values, which emphasise the importance of developing the whole child. We believe that by nurturing our pupils' communication skills, we are empowering them to become confident, articulate, and engaged members of our school community and beyond.

Our school's vision statement, "Loving, Learning and Looking forward with Christ”  is at the heart of our curriculum. We allow time for discernment to enquire and think deeply to make smart judgements and be wise.  We are committed to providing our pupils with a transformative educational experience that equips them with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in the 21st century.

Subject Vision

The rationale for teaching communication skills across our curriculum is rooted in our understanding that these skills are the foundation for all learning. By prioritising the development of oracy, vocabulary, and language, we are ensuring that our pupils have the pre-requisite skills to enable them to succeed in reading which ensures that they have the tools that they need to access the full breadth of the curriculum and to engage meaningfully with the world around them.

Our intent is for all pupils to become confident and articulate communicators and readers, who are able to express their ideas, thoughts, and feelings with clarity and precision and who are able to read to simply find out more and feed their lively enquiring minds.  We believe that by fostering these skills, we are not only supporting our pupils' academic progress but also nurturing their social and emotional development, preparing them to be active and engaged citizens.

This vision aligns closely with the needs of the city, which include a focus on raising attainment in language and reading and developing pupils' critical thinking and problem-solving skills. By placing communication at the heart of our curriculum, we are creating a strong foundation for our pupils to succeed in these areas and beyond.

Communication with Stakeholders

To ensure the successful implementation of our whole school curriculum, we will employ a range of strategies to communicate our rationale and vision to all stakeholders, including parents, carers, and the wider community.

We will use a variety of channels, such as the school website, newsletters, and parent information sessions, to share our curriculum rationale and explain how it is tailored to meet the needs of our pupils. We will also provide regular updates on the progress and impact of our communication-focused approach, highlighting the successes and addressing any concerns that may arise.

Additionally, we will work closely with Thrive at Five who are a charity based agency working across Abbey Hulton and Bentilee they know that children are shaped by relationships, their experiences and environment and that these early experiences profoundly impact there actions, development and future. Parent and Toddler sessions (Owlets) and Talk time is provided to improve language and communication before they start school so that children are prepared for the best start at school. The Nuffield Early Language Intervention is delivered to improve Language and Communication so that children can access the curriculum. (For Further information on the schools work with Thrive at Five please click here  ) Thrive at Five

We want to ensure that our pupils understand the importance of developing their communication skills and are engaged in the learning process. We will provide opportunities for them to share their experiences and feedback, which will help us to continuously refine and improve our curriculum.

Addressing Inspection Feedback

Our Ofsted inspection feedback which graded the school as Outstanding in all areas praised the teaching of reading and Early Language and communication they felt that pupils make great progress in communication ensuring that they are well-prepared for the next stage of their education. We know how important this is and wish to raise the profile even further by ensuring that reading and communication are a key feature of every lesson here at OLSB.

Finally, the strong alignment between our curriculum, the school's vision and values, and the curriculum drivers demonstrates our commitment to continuous improvement and our dedication to providing the best possible educational experience for our pupils.