Curriculum Intent

Our Mission   ‘Inspire, Challenge and Support through Faith’

At Runnymede St. Edward’s Catholic Primary School, there is a strong Christian community where our intent is to inspire and challenge children; encouraging each child to use their talents to the full – striving for excellence.  Through our ambitious curriculum, we want to empower our children to be curious and resilient, having a deep love and desire for learning. 

Our curriculum ensures that pupils develop lively, enquiring minds where they question rather than merely accept. Promoting a spiritual and holistic curriculum allows all our children to appreciate, empathise, value and flourish, allowing them to evangelise the modern world.

The 8 principles of Edmund Rice are at the heart of all we do – growing together as a school and supporting the needs of our community. Our curriculum is designed to provide opportunities for all our children to develop as independent, confident, successful learners with high aspirations; who know how to make a positive contribution to their community and the wider society with a compassion for those in need.  Within our Catholic faith, we nurture one another, living our faith each day in the hands of Our Lord. 

Concern for the whole person is paramount.  In a world that can sometimes be challenging, the opportunities that our children have to demonstrate firm values, compassion for others and mutual respect must be demonstrated and encouraged. There is a high focus on developing children’s moral, spiritual, social and cultural understanding and our curriculum ensures that we educate for justice;  children are well prepared to be outstanding citizens in modern Britain.   We want our children to have a sound understanding of their heritage and have open hearts and minds to the diversity in their immediate community and the world 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 leader’s overviews and progression maps detail the development of knowledge, skills and vocabulary in each subject area.  

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 moral aspects of relationships within a context of a Christian vision for the purpose of life.

Curriculum Impact

We teach our pupils to ensure that the most important knowledge will be transferred across contexts and will be embedded in long-term memory. We define progress as knowing and remembering more.  Teachers and staff work hard to plan a broad and balanced curriculum that is expertly delivered to ensure a child’s entire school experience enables them to develop a deep body of knowledge and transferable skills which will see them through to the next stages of their education and beyond.  Our pupils leave us with high aspirations, self-belief and a thirst for a lifelong love of learning.