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St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

Rosebank, West Street, Epsom, Surrey, KT18 7RT
Tel. 01372 727850
Email: info@stjosephs-epsom.surrey.sch.uk

Curriculum

 

Our Vision for Learning

Our Ofsted Inspection found that, 'The school’s extremely              well-designed and carefully organised curriculum ensures that pupils learn a broad range of subjects and achieve exceptionally well, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2.

The curriculum exceeds the demands of the national curriculum in several respects and pupils are taught by highly skilled adults.'

All that we do at St Joseph’s is shaped by our commitment to our Faith. The choices we make and the expectations we nurture in our children emanate from a guiding desire to live our lives according to gospel values. In the words of our Mission Statement, written by the children:

  • We are God’s family, here to learn and try our best.
  • God is at the heart of everything. Prayer is behind us in all that we do.
  • As friends of Jesus, we treat others with respect, as we would wish to be treated ourselves.
  • We want everyone to be the best person they can be.
  • We are all amazing in our own way.
  • We look after the wonderful world that God created for us.

We aim to develop a strong moral compass in our children, exemplified by a high level of respect for people, a desire to help the less fortunate and the confidence to stand up for the equal rights of all. 

Our curriculum is broad and balanced, designed to lead children towards mastery in all subjects, providing children with the cultural capital they need. 

It ensures that children appreciate the responsibility they hold to contribute and to be good and active members of their community and wider society.

We help children develop a positive attitude to learning from their first days in school. We want all children to experience success, but equally for them to know that making mistakes is an important aspect of how we learn.

We have high expectations of children and expect them to be engaged in their lessons, to demonstrate a desire to challenge themselves and to know what more they need to do to improve further. 

Our curriculum is inclusive, and we expect all children to have full and equal access.

Interrupting the Forgetting 

Our approach is based on our understanding of how children learn most effectively. Initially, pupils secure strong foundational knowledge in each subject.  They go on to link new ideas to prior learning across all subjects.   ​

Learning is regularly revisited through lots of retrieval practice. Quick low stakes quizzes, revisiting content and our 'Power Pages' all help to embed knowledge in the memory of the children. 

We ensure full access to learning for children of all abilities, either through support which is carefully scaffolded or by providing extension challenges.

We value highly the importance of each child’s emotional and social development; our Education in Personal Relationships programme of study covers this exceptionally well.

We are committed to ensuring that children learn to take care of their physical and mental health, with a programme of learning specifically in place to ensure this happens.

Building resilience and self-awareness are key aspects of the work we do. Our school trips, including two outward bound residential, add significantly to this area.

We provide a school counsellor and two ELSAs (Emotional Literacy Support Assistants) for any child who needs an extra boost to bring them back to their best self.

The curriculum provides a rich cultural experience with music, drama, dance and art valued alongside other subjects.

Our Framework for Learning 

  Autumn Spring Summer

Reception

Me and My Location
Toys
Follow the Star!

Pirates
People Who Help Us

The Animals Came in Two by Two
Dinosaurs
Seaside

Year One

St Joseph's Epsom
The Three Pigs

Neil Armstrong
Barnaby Bear Travels the World
Van Gogh’s Sunflowers

Ourselves and Other Animals
Henry V111 and Elizabeth 1

Year Two

Trains, Planes Automobiles
Autumn

Florence Nightingale
Moving Christmas Card

London’s Burning
Materials
Epsom Mapping

Changing Seasons
Habitats
Equal Rights -Greta Thunberg

Year Three

Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch
Settlements
Magnets
Equal Rights - Ermeline Pankhurst

The Prehistoric Age
Skeletons
Weather Forecast
Making Playgrounds

Let There be Light
Romans
Plants
London Skyline

Year Four

Disasters and Human Impact
Ancient Egyptians
Sound

Changing State
Hola!
Equal Rights - Mulala

Ancient Greeks
Teeth and Digestion
Eco Project  Waste

Year Five

Chile
Sayers Croft
Life Cycles
Light

Forces
Mayans
Equal Rights - Rosa Parks

Materials
Anglo Saxons/Vikings/1066
Rivers
Gears and Levers
Impressionism

Year Six

Hampton Court to Greenwich
The Heart
Electricity
Icons

Mountains
To Boldly Go!
Equal Rights - Martin Luther King

Evolution
Save Our Coasts
WW2
Eric Ravillious

All in all, we are preparing our children to live life successfully as well-rounded citizens of the United Kingdom and the wider world. We prepare children well for their next steps in education at secondary school.

Achieving High Standards

On a daily basis we see children who are keen to learn, self-driven to succeed and making great progress.

We know that outcomes for them in terms of end of year and key stage assessment results indicate that this is the case.  At the end of Year One, children are assessed through a national phonics test for which we are usually in top 5% of the country.  Our outcomes for KS1 assessment and for Year 6 SATs are always strong.

Our children tell us in regular surveys that they feel happy and safe. They relish all the additional opportunities we provide to help them reach their best selves.

Our community tell us in feedback following key events. The messages of gratitude received at the end of academic years are a good indication that parents recognise that the curriculum offer at St Joseph’s is both special and effective.

The quality of the work evidenced in children’s books is testament to the breadth and depth of learning they do. Children take pride in their work. From the day each child starts school, we keep their Special Books and when they leave in year six, we hand them back, tied in a ribbon as a memento of the journey they made with us. This celebrates their perseverance and determination to do well.

Outward Looking

We are involved in a number of outreach initiatives, helping to shape the development of other professionals.Until recently, we were a Teaching School, leading several other primary schools in CPD and collaboration.

Our Deputy Head is a Maths and Mastery Specialist, working on a weekly basis for the NEHS MathsHub.  A second teacher is currently training to be a Mastery Specialist.

Our Head Teacher, as a National Leader of Education supports schools with their own development.

We also train a cohort of Early Career Teachers from across Surrey, who are in their first year of teaching.

Our Leader for Religious Education is an inspector for Catholic schools. 

We are asked to provide these services because the quality of the education offered at St Joseph’s is regarded highly.

Please contact the school office if you require any further information about our curriculum offer.