Wider Curriculum Opportunities & Cultural Capital

Our curriculum extends beyond the National Curriculum and includes a wide range of enriching experiences and opportunities both within and beyond the school day. This includes an extensive programme of after-school clubs, that support the core curriculum offer, as well as those which develop specialist skills, such as choir and, whilst also extending the range of children’s experiences (Cultural Capital).  Residential visits in year 4 and year 6 build children’s independence and provide enrichment opportunities for learning within different contexts and settings. In year 6, the 5 day residential visit to Swanage, in Dorset, includes opportunities for children to take part in outdoor activities, such as rock climbing, archery, rock pooling and orienteering. Educational visits take place throughout the school year, in all year groups, and link explicitly to the term’s learning. Visitors also deliver talks, workshops and full day activities across a wide range of subjects, giving pupils access to outside experiences and expertise. 

Throughout the year, themed days are woven into the curriculum to extend the breadth and balance of opportunities we offer our pupils. These include, Anti-bullying Week, Internet Safety Day, World Book Day, and World Kindness Day.

Forest School & Outdoor Learning

Forest Schools is designed to provide opportunities for outdoor learning in a woodland environment.  As a school, we are very fortunate in having our own forest school area and a teacher trained to deliver the Forest Schools programme, who is based at The Warriner School Farm.

Children in our Foundation Stage and Year 1 have weekly forest school sessions. Sessions are designed around the needs of the group to ensure that they are learner-led. Teamwork skills are developed through games and activities. Individual skills and self-esteem are fostered through activities such as hide and seek, shelter building, tool skills, lighting fires or environmental art. 

PE and Sport

At Bishop Loveday, we are using our PE & Sport Premium to part-fund a qualified teacher and sports coach, who leads our PE curriculum across the school and provides high quality instruction during PE lessons for year 4 and year 6. He also promotes increased pupil participation in PE and Sport beyond the school day, liaising with local sports clubs and coaches, and supports our sports’ clubs after school. Year 4 and 5 also benefit from our team of swimming coaches and have a series of 8 lessons each year.

Music and the Arts

Bishop Loveday Primary School provides opportunities for children to take part in a wide range of musical activities and performances where they are encouraged to sing, compose and perform. A range of opportunities are provided within and beyond the curriculum for children to showcase their musical skills and talents, for example our children take part in Children Singing for Children, a local concert for children. Visits to the theatre further enriches pupils’ cultural development. Our Around the World in 80 assemblies programme, provide links between geographical places studied, people studied from history and music from around the world.

Opportunities to Lead

We offer lots of opportunities for pupils to take on new responsibilities and be involved in successfully supporting the life and work of the school. Our School Council is made up of a number of advocates leading for change. Please see our Courageous Advocacy page for more information.

Pupils tell us that they enjoy the opportunity to volunteer to help make their school an even better place to be and that they enjoy the additional responsibility. 

Opportunities to Develop Spirituality

Opportunities for spiritual development are either presented or naturally arise and are promoted in all aspects of the curriculum and school life, as the children become actively engaged in our curriculum and collective worship. This provides a wide range of experiential learning opportunities that enables the children to question, consider, reflect and respond, whilst also considering their own values, beliefs and feelings and those of others, with whom they are working alongside or with. See attached document.

Collective Worship

A programme of Collective Worship helps to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and provide clear guidance on what is right and what is wrong. Our Worship Lead plans collective worship that provide opportunities to worship as a whole school, within phases and within classes. At the end of the school day on a Friday, a worship celebration is held by the head of school.  

Homework

All children receive homework.  The amount and type of homework varies with the ages of the children.  Some homework is expected to be done regularly, for example reading and learning times tables, and other homework might be undertaken termly, for example projects related to history themes. 

We sometimes set whole school challenges, which are linked to world celebrations or events, for example World Book Day or competitions related to the arts.