Curriculum Intent

Our Mission   ‘Inspire, Challenge and Support through Faith’

At Runnymede St Edward’s Catholic Primary School, we are a strong Christian community committed to inspiring and challenging every child to fulfil their God-given potential and strive for excellence. Our curriculum is underpinned by high expectations for all pupils, regardless of background, and a strong commitment to equity, inclusion, and closing gaps for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.

We aim to develop curious, resilient and independent learners with enquiring minds who question, think critically and deepen understanding rather than simply accept information. Learning is carefully sequenced from EYFS through KS1 and KS2, ensuring clear progression and purposeful links that build securely on prior knowledge. We place strong emphasis on long-term memory and mastery so that learning is remembered and applied over time.

Oracy and vocabulary development are central to our curriculum, supporting strong communication, reading and comprehension skills across all subjects. We ensure full coverage of the National Curriculum, enriched with opportunities for creativity through the arts, music and drama, alongside a strong focus on physical development and wellbeing through PE and PSHE.

At the heart of all we do are the 8 Essentials of Edmund Rice Education, which underpin our mission and shape every aspect of school life. These essentials guide us in growing together as a school community and in responding compassionately to the needs of those we serve. They ensure that our curriculum is rooted in Gospel values and lived through daily experience. In particular, we strive to:

• Nurture faith and spiritual growth, helping children develop a personal relationship with God and live out Gospel values in their everyday lives.
• Create inclusive and welcoming communities where every child is valued, respected and supported to flourish.
• Promote justice and solidarity, encouraging pupils to recognise inequality and respond with compassion and action.
• Encourage high expectations and excellence, enabling all learners to achieve their full potential academically, socially and personally.
• Foster holistic development, ensuring children grow morally, spiritually, socially, culturally and intellectually.
• Build strong relationships based on respect and care, where mutual understanding and kindness are at the centre of school life.
• Develop global awareness and responsibility, helping pupils understand their role as citizens in modern Britain and the wider world.
• Encourage active participation and stewardship, empowering children to use their gifts to make a positive difference in their communities.

Through this, we prepare our pupils to be confident, compassionate and responsible citizens of modern Britain, with open hearts and minds, a strong sense of identity, and a commitment to making a positive difference in their communities and beyond.

Curriculum Implementation 

We follow the aims of the national curriculum.  

The national curriculum provides pupils with an introduction to the essential knowledge they need to be educated citizens. It introduces pupils to the best that has been thought and said, and helps engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement.

The national curriculum is just one element in the education of every child. There is time and space in the school day and in each week, term and year to range beyond the national curriculum specifications. The national curriculum provides an outline of core knowledge around which teachers can develop exciting and stimulating lessons to promote the development of pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills as part of the wider school curriculum.  

However, our curriculum is tailored to meet the needs of our children using a cross-curricular approach, where appropriate. Our curriculum is carefully planned and sequenced to allow for the acquisition of knowledge and the application of this knowledge in meaningful and relevant contexts. Subject leaders’ overviews and progression maps detail the development of knowledge, skills and vocabulary in each subject area.  

Our curriculum end points for each year group are clearly defined, understood and fully embraced by our dedicated staff.  Pupils are taught the right content at the right time, carefully building knowledge and skills.  This learning is systematically embedded and revisited, enabling pupils to transfer it effectively into their long-term memory.

We strive to ensure our children have access to rich and varied life experiences in which they will have the motivation and confidence to go out into the wider world and fulfil their human potential. We challenge and overcome low aspirations and unambitious attitudes.  The 8 essentials of Edmund Rice are woven through our curriculum to promote the development of the whole child, so that children can grow in virtue, wisdom and stature, understanding both the emotional, social and physical aspects of growing spiritually, as well as the moral aspects of relationships within a context of a Christian vision for the purpose of life.

Curriculum Impact

We have clear long-term curriculum sequences from EYFS to Year 6 across all subjects.  Teachers use this framework to create medium-term planning, identifying essential content, engaging activities, high-quality text and opportunities for formative assessment to secure learning outcomes.

A retrieval of knowledge task is completed at the beginning of each new unit of study, allowing pupils to reflect on core knowledge from the previous year and term, as well as to demonstrate any newly acquired understanding.

Formative assessment is embedded in every lesson.  Teachers use ongoing assessment to provide immediate feedback and adapt teaching - whether to revisit, consolidate, or extend learning.  This ensures all pupils are well supported.

Understanding is checked throughout lessons and informs end-of-unit judgments.  Each lesson includes review activities or quizzes to assess progress towards cumulative goals.

Monitoring is carefully planned each year in collaboration with staff to ensure clarity and manage workload.  It includes lesson observations, learning walks, pupil and staff voice and book scrutinies.  

Time is allocated to subject leaders to drive initiatives and lead professional development for staff.