Curriculum Intent | ST Pauls Primary

The CUBE curriculum offer is designed to secure knowledge for all children from the Early Years (EYFS Statutory Framework 2021) and across the primary phases (National Curriculum). In readiness for the next stage of their educational journey, this quality curriculum diet ensures outstanding holistic and academic outcomes are achieved by all. The CUBE curriculum strikes a balance of wellbeing equity and academic excellence, resulting in well-rounded pupils with secure personal development and educational outcomes.

At Hoddlesden St Paul’s CE Primary we believe that acquiring new skills and applying rich knowledge to real life situations is essential and core to each of our children. We encourage and nurture curiosity whilst ensuring a progressive, broad and coherent curriculum based on different types of knowledge and understanding. We aim to make links within learning to ensure our understanding deepens over time.

Our CUBE Curriculum contains a range of activities and experiences which enrich the content of the National Curriculum. This ensures that our children have an outstanding education and are exceptionally well prepared for their future lives. Each term a Termly Newsletter is available to parents on the website as well as Seesaw which tells them in advance what their child will be studying and why. HomeLearning Tasks are also set to ensure learning is taken beyond the classroom. Learning Overviews on the website also map out the learning per year group per term.

Individual subject policies give examples of how our curriculum intent and implementation is bespoke for each discrete area of the curriculum; see policies for further information on each subject area.
The CUBE approach for all groups of learners follows a two year rolling programme of whole school themes. The curriculum has been designed to ensure the knowledge gained by children is tangible and sequential. It enables children to apply their knowledge and new learning with prior skills that will become progressive as they develop through school. Through the CUBE curriculum children will engage in the 6 principles as an approach to their learning.

Three young children in red school jumpers play with colourful modelling materials at a table

The CUBE Curriculum has been created to allow children to have the opportunity to develop their own self-awareness. Ensuring children contribute to the ‘flourishing of humanity’ and become self-motivators, managers and leaders. Children will have the opportunity to apply academic diligence and build relational trust with their peers, elders and community members.

Ensuring the adults in our children’s lives are consistent role models is dependent on developing positive and calm relationships, resulting in the creation of secure adult-child attachment. Consistent CPD and ‘supervision’ ensures the staff have authentic self-awareness too, another result of creating a bespoke CUBE curriculum.

Young pupils in red school jumpers drawing and colouring at a classroom table

CUBE Curriculum learning can be articulated by the use of the ‘horse and cart’ analogy, together it illustrates the term of ‘learning’. Breaking this into their separate components the ‘horse’ is the knowledge children acquire, and the ‘cart’ is how they select the appropriate skill in their learning. The two can be seen as individuals and can be completed separately however, to ensure progression both need to be actioned in order to make purposeful learning gains.

Skill progression has been carefully designed over the two Key Stages to ensure appropriate advancement and challenge is evident. This enables children to showcase their learning and self-manage their choice of skill application from their personal Learning Toolkit. The use of the National Curriculum has been adopted for establishing a Skills baseline for all subjects and the use of the Lancashire KLIPS and LAPS for core subjects is used across school. This provides teachers with the appropriate support and guidance when making assessment judgements.

Children in red tops socialising in a school club room

Teaching and Learning for all pupils is underpinned by the acquisition of tangible knowledge that is built upon over a child’s academic journey at St Paul’s. The National Curriculum forms the statutory grounding for all our learning and has been the starting point when designing the intent of our new learning landscape.

A gradual progression of knowledge in children’s education, building on prior learning that has taken place in previous year groups or key stages. ‘Knowledge Drops’ are made explicit to children and they are encouraged to draw on their prior learning to establish a more memorable connection, strengthening their learning gains.

Primary pupils in red jumpers work at tables while a member of staff supports them in the classroom

Values are imperative in many aspect of life and society. With Hoddlesden St Paul’s, Christian Values of Friendship, Trust, Hope, Forgiveness, Responsibility, Respect and Thankfulness are the foundation to our faith mission, becoming true disciples of Jesus Christ. Amongst this spiritual learning and Biblical self-leadership is the desire to work with values that link with topical, cultural or child-led enquiry.

Values-Based Learning is initiated by the child and/or a local, national or international event. This learning enables children to form balanced judgements and allows them to build appropriate responses to matters beyond the learning of the National Curriculum.

Advocating the development of the ‘whole child’ is the real impetus behind the CUBE Curriculum. Alongside this, is the learning of British Values. This is done through explicit and discreet teaching opportunities. Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) teaching is intertwined in all aspects of the curriculum and timetabled appropriately. Learning opportunities to establish a strong understanding of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith are planned half termly. They are implemented to reflect and complement the teaching across school and allow children the opportunity to compare their findings in British culture to that with other countries globally.

Primary school pupils in red jumpers working at tables in a classroom

The curriculum culture is key to ensuring successful learning is taking place in all classrooms and all pupils are making academic and holistic gains. Teachers and support staff are integral to the success of implementing a positive culture. Leaders are key contributors when articulating the curriculum vision to the staff. The CUBE Curriculum allows all stakeholders to share their ideas, thoughts and wishes in a non-judgemental arena, allowing local and relative learning to take place. A CUBE culture permeates across our school, families and the local and wider community. Ultimately, strengthening children’s understanding of their personal wealth and their ability to instigate change and success now, and as future employees, parents, workers, friends and members of a multi-cultural society.

Pupils in red school jumpers work at tables in a classroom with an adult nearby

Sir Jim Callaghan’s ‘Great Debate’ speech in 1976 and a founding individual who articulated a need for a National Curriculum many decades ago, made a very simple and (to this day) current observation. He articulated that education should ‘equip children for a lively, constructive place in society, and also to fit them to do a job of work.’ The CUBE curriculum has been designed with this very intention and over the many pilots that have taken place over the years positive strides towards Sir Jim’s expectation of pupils in education can be seen.

The learning that has taken place when children have had access to real life places of work, jobs and careers has ignited a learning that has accelerated academic attainment and progress. Over the years, the staff at St Paul’s have secured long lasting professional relationships with small, medium and large businesses that have enhanced our learning culture. These are local businesses that children’s parents, carers and family members work in, giving children ownership and a level of experience deeper than standalone classroom teaching.

Having curriculum links with start-up businesses, charities and entrepreneurs has opened children’s eyes to their true potential and also reengaged parents and carers to think about their own learning journey.

Working with a small number of businesses, the staff at St Paul’s have created a ‘Soft Skill’ learning sequence. These modules of learning are linked to the half termly learning and develop children’s ‘work readiness’ at an earlier age. We have been very lucky to have our local secondary feeder school support these learning modules in their KS3 and KS4 curriculum.