Vision
Our curriculum has been designed so that pupils at St Mary’s gain the knowledge, skills and wisdom to be able to flourish in God’s world. We want them to develop what they will need to succeed at Secondary School but importantly, also have a love of learning and a sense of their own agency and importance in the world. We want them to feel they have a voice and a stake in the future. Ultimately, we have designed our curriculum to make sure that all our pupils learn to care and advocate for themselves, their community and their world.
Curriculum Intent
Our Intent
Our curriculum has been built in carefully sequenced steps to ensure that children explore the breadth and depth of all subjects. We offer a broad and balanced approach that values the importance of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, but that also ensures children develop a solid foundation in wider curriculum subjects. We believe that all children should develop a rich and deep subject knowledge, while also having the opportunity to develop and apply their knowledge, skills and wisdom in a variety of contexts.
We aim to motivate our children and deepen their understanding through providing them with a range of educational experiences both in and beyond the classroom. Where possible, we link these to our local community, its history and its culture, and try to give children experiences that enrich, deepen and contextualise their learning.
Our Implementation
At St Mary’s, our curriculum is delivered through carefully planned sequences that build knowledge and skills over time. Each subject follows a clear progression model, ensuring that learning is revisited, deepened and applied in meaningful contexts. Teachers use high-quality resources and evidence-informed strategies to support pupils in mastering key concepts and vocabulary.
We place a strong emphasis on reading across the curriculum, recognising it as the gateway to learning. Our teaching is inclusive and adaptive, ensuring that all pupils — including those with SEND and disadvantaged backgrounds — can access and succeed in every subject.
Learning is enriched through practical experiences, educational visits, and links to our local community, helping pupils connect their learning to the world around them. We also use digital tools such as Discovery Education and ProjectEVOLVE to enhance understanding in PSHE and online safety.
Subject leaders play a key role in monitoring and supporting curriculum delivery, ensuring consistency and high standards across the school. Regular staff training, collaborative planning and pupil voice all contribute to a dynamic and responsive curriculum that meets the needs of our learners.
Our Impact
At St Mary’s, we measure the impact of our curriculum through the knowledge, skills and personal growth our pupils demonstrate over time. Pupils leave each key stage with a secure understanding of core and foundation subjects, ready to succeed in the next phase of their education.
We use a range of assessment strategies to monitor progress and identify gaps, ensuring that teaching is responsive and inclusive. Pupil outcomes are tracked carefully, with particular attention to the progress of SEND and disadvantaged pupils, so that every child can thrive.
Beyond academic achievement, our curriculum fosters confident, articulate and resilient learners who are well-prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils develop a strong sense of self, an appreciation of diversity, and the ability to reflect, reason and make informed choices.
The impact of our curriculum is also seen in pupils’ engagement, enthusiasm and participation — whether in lessons, enrichment activities, Forest School, or wider opportunities linked to our local community. Regular pupil voice, book looks and subject leader monitoring help us ensure that learning is purposeful, progressive and memorable.
What is the Cornerstones Curriculum?
At St Mary’s we follow the Cornerstones Curriculum; a creative and thematic approach to learning that is fully mapped to the 2014 Primary National Curriculum. Following the Cornerstones Curriculum ensures we have comprehensive coverage of the primary national curriculum expectations. Our curriculum ensures that every child has access to rich, relevant and age-appropriate content. At its heart of the curriculum is a child-centred pedagogy, The Four Cornerstones, which is delivered through two main types of projects:
- Cross-Curricula Projects – exciting, themed projects that spark curiosity, creativity and real-world connections.
- Knowledge Rich Projects – subject-specific projects that emphasise depth, rigour and progression.
Together, these projects form the foundation of our school curriculum and provide a rich menu of engaging and motivating activities that draw meaningful links across subjects.
Over the course of the year, our children are challenged with tasks that require them to solve problems, think creatively, and express their understanding in different ways. Alongside this creative work, our curriculum includes a robust skills and knowledge progression framework, which sets out clear end-of-year expectations for every subject. These expectations are age-related and linked to specific activities, making tracking progress, identifying children’s individual needs, and planning targeted next
steps effective and informative.
You can explore examples of the Cornerstones Curriculum projects and learn more
about the Four Cornerstones pedagogy on the Cornerstones Education website.
Teaching & Learning
St Mary’s Academy Teaching & Learning Policy March 2024