Please click here for our Curriculum Intention statement which sets out our beliefs as to what Imageour curriculum will cover.

Our Curriculum is delivered through:

  • Teaching the programmes of Study from 2014 National Curriculum
  • Educational Visits including residential trips
  • Forest School – we are extremely fortunate to have our own forest and a trained Forest School leader
  • After school clubs which are run by our staff and are free.
  • Opportunities for children to take the lead: chaplaincy team, house captains and prefects
  • Throughout the year, children are encouraged to raise money for local and global causes
  • Visitors come into school to enhance the learning taking place by sharing their experience and knowledge

Through our planned activities, children have opportunities to be creative, to be physically active and to be academically challenged. Our curriculum is enriched by our strong ethos based on respect for ourselves, others, the environment, equality and a sense of wonder at the world we live in.

Our school curriculum reflects the requirements to provide a broad and balanced curriculum as per the Academies Act 2010, and the National Curriculum programmes of study which we have chosen to follow.

It also reflects requirements for inclusion and equality as set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 2014 and Equality Act 2010, and refers to curriculum-related expectations of governing boards set out in the Department for Education’s Governance Handbook.Image

Further information on how we achieve this can be found in our statement of equality information and objectives, and in our SEND policy and information report.

To see more detail as to how we plan for children to learn and what we feel effective teaching includes, please see our Learning and Teaching policy.

Learning And Teaching Policy

Whole School Curriculum Plan 23 24

RSHE or Relationship, Sex and Health Education is taught in-line with guidance from our Diocese of Nottingham and the Department of Education. Throughout the year, all classes will be following Ten : Ten Life to the Full scheme to ensure coverage of the curriculum. We call our lessons Learning for Life. We call this subject Learning for Life because the content of these lessons prepares children for living in a diverse world and society.

DFE RSEHealth Education

This programme has been supported by both the Diocese of Nottingham and our Governors. The following leaflet gives you more details from our Diocese.

RSE Health Education Diocesan Information Leaflet

Learning For Life  2022 2023

For additional information as to what is being taught throughout the school please click on the Catholic Life tab in the main menu and then click on the RSHE tab in the drop down menu.

At Holy Cross , we follow the National Curriculum for Mathematics. We use the White Rose scheme of work. It covers all aspects of maths and its structure allows us to share online tutorials when students are not able to attend school.

Please click the link below to access the resources. You may need to set up an account.

https://whiteroseeducation.com/parent-pupil-resources/maths/home-learning

The key, underlining concepts being taught in Maths can be accessed below, all substantive knowledge is based on these.

Maths Key Concepts

Have a look at the two documents below that set out how we teach calculations. This may differ from how you were taught and it is useful to see how your child carries out common calculations.

Addition And Subtraction Calculation Policy

Multiplication And Division Calculation Policy

At Holy Cross we recognise that a high quality of education in English will enable pupils to write and speak fluently so that they can communicate their ideas, thoughts and feelings to others. Through reading, pupils have a chance to develop not just academically but culturally, emotionally, socially and spiritually. It is the key to accessing a world of knowledge that will enable them to function as a member of society.

We use the Teach Through A Text Approach to deliver all English lessons from Year 2 to Year 6. The planning sequences come from The Literary Curriculum – The Literary Tree. All classes are exposed to high quality texts. This approach enables spelling and grammar to be taught within the context of the text being read.

Sharing our reading skills books on the IPADS

The key, underlining concepts being taught in English can be accessed below, all substantive knowledge is based on these.

English Key Concepts

We also encourage to read as much as possible whilst ensuring that they are reading texts which are neither too easy nor too hard for them. We use the “Accelerated Reader,” programme for this. Children are tested regularly to assess their reading level, then they are allocated a reading range from which they can choose their book. Once each book is read the children independently carry out a quiz based on the content of the book and they are awarded points towards their reading target.

To access the quizzing website click here

Phonics teaching at Holy Cross is done through the Little Wandle (Revised) program. It is used in Reception, Year 1 and in the beginning of Year 2. Little Wandle (Revised) is a programme focusing on quality first teaching of phonics, early reading and early writing. The teaching of early reading will change for most pupils in Year 2.  However, we recognise that not all children progress at the same rate and where Little Wandle is still needed, children will have access to this teaching. The ability to read in order to access all areas of the curriculum is vitally important so at Holy Cross we put this at the heart of all we do.

To see the schedule of teaching see below.

23 24 Phonics Teaching Sequence Yr 1

23 24 Phonics Teaching Sequence Foundation

At Holy Cross, we believe in the importance of quality Science teaching to help children understand the world around them. We aim to foster children’s curiosity for the natural world so that through their learning, they continue to experience a sense of wonder for the beauty of creation and in turn, deepen their respect for it.

From communication skills to resilience in problem-solving, children develop skills in Science that will enable them to be successful across the primary curriculum and in later life. We want children to appreciate the importance of Science in their lives and recognise themselves as Scientists, both now and in the future.

In order to achieve this vision, Holy Cross deliver a high quality Science curriculum to engage every student. Scientific enquiry is at the heart of our teaching and through well-planned opportunities, children are challenged to question, predict, explore and communicate. We recognise that children’s ideas are not confined to those that adults may have predicted and encourage them to follow their own lines of enquiry, recognising that Science does not always know the answers.

Based on the National Curriculum objectives, and the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics, we have created a medium term plan, which ensures progression across the keystages and takes into account the wider world and our unique school environment. Throughout our lessons, we make the learning relevant to the children’s everyday lives and where possible, introduce them to inspirational Scientists (both historical and modern). Regular, focused assessment allows teachers to adapt their teaching in order to challenge misconceptions and build on prior learning.

Above all, we want our children to look forward to their Science lessons and leave our school as knowledgeable, skilled Scientists who may one day enjoy a career in Science.

The key, underlining concepts being taught in Science can be accessed below, all substantive knowledge is based on these.

Science Key Concepts

Please see our curriculum plan for the topics children are covering in science.

At Holy Cross, our history curriculum will help pupils gain a clear knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. We will inspire pupils to be curious about the past, and to ask questions, think critically and assess evidence. Pupils will gain an understanding of the complexity of people’s lives, how things have changed over time and how these things interconnect with the challenges of their time.

Please see our whole school curriculum plan for the topics your child is learning in History.

The key, underlining concepts being taught in History can be accessed below, all substantive knowledge is based on these.

History Key Concepts

At Holy Cross, we believe that Geography should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people. Our geography curriculum will equip children with a knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and both natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s physical and human processes. With geographical knowledge, understanding and skills, pupils have the tools to recognise how the earth’s features are shaped and changed over time.

The key, underlining concepts being taught in Geography can be accessed below, all substantive knowledge is based on these.

Please see our whole school curriculum plan for the topics your child is learning in Geography.

Geography Key Concepts

Use the link below to see what is taught in each year group throughout the school.

Computing Long Term Plan

The key, underlining concepts being taught in Computing can be accessed below, all substantive knowledge is based on these.

Computing Key Concepts

At Holy Cross we follow a full PE programme throughout school. The children experience a wide variety of units throughout the year and throughout each Keystage. PE is taught by both PE specialists and class teachers. As well as the Curriculum the children also have opportunities to take part in forest school and inter school competitions (apart from during COVID restrictions). The children are also encouraged to be active during breaktimes and lunchtimes and are provided with a variety of equipment to enable this. The school also facilitates a “Walk to school,” facility for children. Parents can drop their children off in a carpark near school where they are then escorted to school by school staff. There is no charge for this facility.

To see what content is covered in PE across the school click on the link below.

Please see below for the PE curriculum for all year groups.

PE Overviews By Year Group

The key, underlining concepts being taught in PE can be accessed below.

Key Concepts In PE

At Holy Cross, our vision for Art and design is to engage, inspire and challenge all pupils’ creativity. We will do this by equipping our pupils with the knowledge and skills required to participate in, experiment with, invent and create their own works of art with confidence. We also want our pupils to investigate, appreciate and evaluate a variety of art and artists. We want our pupils to understand that the perseverance, resilience and attentiveness needed to complete a piece of artwork are invaluable skills that can be transferred to many other areas of life.

The key, underlining concepts being taught in Art and Music can be accessed below, all substantive knowledge is based on these.

Learning a foreign language  provides an opening to other cultures. A high-quality languages education should foster pupil’s curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. We intend to give our children the skills to be able to communicate with their countries closest foreign neighbour, a place some of them will hopefully be more encouraged to visit having a basic understanding of the language. We intend that this language learning will provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping pupils to study and work in other countries.

French Long Term Plan

The key, underlining concepts being taught in French can be accessed below, all substantive knowledge is based on these.

French Key Concepts

A high-quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement.’ Department of Education, National Curriculum

At Holy Cross, the intention is that children gain a firm understanding of what music is through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing, and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions, and musical genres. Our objective at Holy Cross is to develop a love of music and so increase children’s self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. We also aim to encourage all children to develop a personal interest in music.

Music Long Term Plan

Music Key Concepts