Please visit your child's cwtch website page to find out more about what they are learning this term:

https://www.bishopchildsprm.co.uk/cwtch-pages/

Our Curriculum Vision

Bishop Childs' curriculum is designed for success in the 21st century:

• A continual reminder of God’s enduring love.

• A curriculum that lays strong foundations for academic success, good character and high levels of well-being.

• A bedrock of respect, aspiration, teamwork and equity.

• A curriculum focused on the progress of the individual.

• An opportunity to engage in the generation of meaningful ideas and high-quality problem solving.

• A curriculum firmly linked to real-life interests and moral causes.

• An opportunity for children to influence what and how they learn.

• A curriculum that develops deep knowledge and understanding.

• A moral purpose and an opportunity to create beautiful and original work that has value beyond the classroom.

The Four Purposes

Our curriculum is driven by the four purposes that are described in Curriculum for Wales. 

Our curriculum supports us all to become:

• ambitious, capable learners, ready to learn throughout their lives

• enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work

• ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world

• healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society

Our superheroes help us to remember to work towards being brilliant examples of these qualities.

Each cwtch has produced a version of the four purposes that every learner can understand. 

Here is an example:

Acquiring Skills

Bishop Childs' curriculum ensures that all learning experiences enable our pupils to develop literacy, numeracy and digital competence skills.

Our learners are constantly given opportunities across the curriculum to:

• develop listening, reading, speaking and writing skills

• be able to use numbers and solve problems in real-life situations

• be confident users of a range of technologies to help them function and communicate effectively and make sense of the world

Concepts

At Bishop Childs, we follow a 'concept-based curriculum'.  This means that we focus on big ideas that are broad, abstract, timeless and universal..  These concepts help pupils to understand how the things they are relevant to their lives and the lives of others in the real world. 

During their educational journey, our pupils will learn about:

Areas of Learning and Experience

The curriculum is structured around 6 'Areas of Learning and Experience', namely:

• Expressive Arts

Covers art, dance, drama, film, and music, focusing on creative and artistic development.

• Health and Well-being

Focuses on physical, mental, and emotional health, aiming to help learners navigate life's challenges.

• Humanities

Encompasses geography, history, religion, values and ethics, business studies, and social studies.

• Languages, Literacy and Communication

Includes Welsh, English, and international languages, alongside literature.

• Mathematics and Numeracy

​​​​​​​Focuses on developing mathematical understanding and resilience.

• Science and Technology

​​​​​​​Covers science, technology, and engineering, focusing on innovation and environmental impact. 

Although every Area of Learning and Experience is visited every term, our learning is led by particular 'drivers' and 'co-drivers' at different times of the year:

Big Questions

Using our numeracy, literacy and digital skils in the context of the areas of learning and experience, our learners frequently talk about how learning helps them to begin to answer 'big' and 'big little' questions.  These questions spark our pupils curiosity, drive inquiry-based learning and promote critical thinking.  They are linked to our planned concepts and therefore help children to understand more about the world around them.

Pupils at Bishop Childs are encouraged to think deeply about these questions that cover a number of subjects, they are taught how to ask meaningful questions to find out more about matters that interest them and are inspired to discuss different points of view. 

• How would you start to answer some of these big and big little questions? 

• What knowledge would you draw on? 

• What else would you like to find out?

• Would you write down your answer?  Would you draw your thoughts, or are you someone who would like to present your response through music or drama?  The list is almost endless!

Bishop Childs' Curriculum Summary

• Bishop Childs' curriculum is always evolving to meet individual learner's needs and interests - the world around us is always changing and learning must be authentic.

• Our teachers and pupils work together to ensure that indoor and outdoor, onsite and offsite learning engages everyone - the children, their families and our goveronors, who pop in regularly to see our curriculum in action.

• The knowledge and skills our pupils need to acquire is carefully planned in response to professional discussions focused on what our pupils should learn and why.

• Our curriculum develops learners’ Welsh language skills and their understanding of the culture and heritage of Wales.  This includes Black, Asian and minority ethnic histories, ensuring a more inclusive, accurate portrayal.

• Effective teaching enables our pupils to make the best possible progress towards realising the four purposes.  As they navigate their educational journey, learners at Bishop Childs are effectively supported to improve their use and application of skills and increase their acquisition of knowledge.  They learn to do this with increasing effectiveness, increasing breadth and depth, deeper understanding, increased refinement and growing sophistication; they become more able to make connections and transfer learning into new contexts.

• Curriculum planning at Bishop Childs provides space for pupil voice, diversion, reinforcement and reflection.