Our School Curriculum
At Sacred Heart School, we follow the National Curriculum in Years 1 to 6.
Our English curriculum is taught through phonics, reading and writing. Through our reading and writing, we also teach the spelling, punctuation and grammar skills necessary to enable our pupils to be good readers and writers. English lessons are timetabled for 90 minutes a day to ensure that all the areas of the curriculum are covered securely.
We aim to deliver an inspiring English curriculum through lessons which encourage pupils to read and write with confidence, fluency and understanding. We encourage an interest in words and their meanings to enable a growing vocabulary. In writing, pupils develop their writing skills through a cycle of planning, drafting, revising and editing their own writing. We want our pupils to be interested in books and read with enjoyment. We endeavour to nurture a love of literature and language, and instil children with the confidence to continue reading and writing throughout their lives.
Click here for the classes page with details of each year group's timetable and curriculum.
If you would like any more information on our school's curriculum please contact the school office. Click here for contact details.
We appreciate that mathematics is essential learning for our pupils and we are committed to timetabling it for 80 minutes a day to ensure that all areas of the curriculum are covered securely. We focus pupils’ learning through mental calculation as well as the development of standard written methods. We are clear that problem solving and effective use of number to calculate are essential life skills and we aspire to ensure all of our pupils are able to meet the necessary standards.
The Religious Education curriculum follows the recognised scheme ‘Come and See’ that is recommended by the Diocese of Brentwood. Further information about this curriculum is found by clicking here.
We detail to parents the curriculum we are following termly in a leaflet that is sent home to parents and is available here.
September 2017, saw our introduction of the International Primary Curriculum (IPC). The IPC is topic-based curriculum which is designed to inspire children, helping them to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding in a wide range of subjects, such as science, geography, history, art, music and so on. Its coverage encompasses all areas of the National Curriculum; although some subject areas will be taught as stand-alone areas, e.g. the PE curriculum.
Older pupils’ topics will have a period of more in-depth focus on one particular subject area. Teachers will plan for a balance of skills and knowledge during each topic and across the academic year.
The Religious Education Curriculum and our Faith Development
At Sacred Heart learning about religion and our faith is extremely important to us. Our pupils have religious education lessons timetabled for every week and in these sessions they will learn about our religion and other religions too. However, during the course of their time in schools, pupils will learn about our faith as we work hand in hand with parents and our parish community. This sharing and development of our faith happens in the religious life of our school and we encourage parents and the wider parish community to be involved in our worship as much as we can.
The Religious Education Programme at Sacred Heart follows the Diocesan Religious Education Programme ‘Come and See’. It encourages children to understand and appreciate Christ’s message and our mission to ‘Love one Another.’ This allows us to learn about our core values: compassion, faith, respect, responsibility and achievement. It enables us to ensure our pupils learn to respect each other irrespective of our differences. Learning that we are all made in the image of God and that, therefore, we are equally important to God and each other is central to our belief.
As learning to respect is so important we also learn about other Religions (Islam, Judaism, Sikhism Hinduism) which helps our children to know about other faiths and encourage tolerance to all people.
We support the parish in their sacramental programme that prepares children for Holy Communion and Reconciliation. Our teaching staff join the children at their first Holy Communion and we celebrate this occasion by recognising the children in school too.
Within the Sacred Heart School Community we celebrate our faith through class masses or services, liturgies, services or assemblies during the important points of the Church’s year – Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Advent and Christmas as well as commemorating our own feast day in June. Our pupils have a regular cycle of prayer in their classrooms as well as attending whole school worship.
We particularly recognise the importance of educating the children about the world and the need for social justice. Consequently our school houses represent a charity and through assemblies and class discussion teach the children about the importance of the work they do.