Our Curriculum Intent

“Life in all its fullness” John 10.10

To inspire a love of learning

Inspirational teaching that enables all our children to flourish as confident and independent learners

A vibrant curriculum that fires each child’s imagination to explore and fulfil their own potential

A loving, Christian school family that values every child and takes pride in their achievements 

At St Gilbert’s Church of England Primary School, every child is recognised as unique in the eyes of God. We believe that childhood should be a happy, investigative and enquiring time; there should be no limits to curiosity. We have embedded our school Christian values, ethos and Character Education virtues to promote positive attitudes towards learning and life, which reflect the values and skills needed for future success. Our approach to learning is to challenge pupils, so that they learn how to be determined, resilient and independent in their learning and are comfortable to learn from mistakes. We teach children how to grow into positive, responsible young members of society, who can co-operate with others while developing knowledge and skills, so that they achieve their true potential and be successful in life beyond St Gilbert's.

We want our children to develop a thirst for knowledge, allowing them to naturally gain a deeper sense of knowledge. Lessons are designed to inspire and motivate our pupils to learn beyond the classroom, where they can become increasingly creative and develop their levels of critical thinking. We provide our children with an engaging, exciting and empowering curriculum, equipping them for today whilst effectively translating into tomorrow’s learning. Learning is through our interconnected curriculum which enriches and engages pupils’ interest, consistently building on concepts of learning which thread through our Keys to Success. Our implementation of Oracy underpins our belief in good verbal communication and the ability to articulate and express views and opinions, alongside the skills of purposeful listening. At the heart of St. Gilbert’s, is a classroom rich in talk: where questions are posed; peer conversations are modelled and scaffolded, and teachers use talk skilfully to develop higher order thinking skills.

Community involvement is an integral part of our curriculum. We invite families and visitors to facilitate the learning of new skills and experiences. Our children are exposed to real life experiences outside of the classroom which complement their education and broaden their knowledge of different cultures and faiths; they also take part in social action activities and explore the real meaning of courageous advocacy. Children leave St Gilbert’s with a sense of belonging to a close-knit, familial community where they have the confidence and skills to make decisions, and
having developed a relentless optimism and restless ambition to succeed as life-long learners.