The Curriculum at St Felix

Possibility

Community

Responsibility

At St Felix these are our curriculum drivers underpinned by our Catholic faith. We believe our pupils should be made aware of the many opportunities that exist for them in the modern world and aspire to fulfil their dreams through hard work and a realisation that we are all part of a global family which brings with it both rights and responsibilities. Our curriculum demonstrates that pupils regardless of background, gender or disability have a role to play and a story to tell which is worth hearing. 

Where possible the curriculum is presented through first-hand experiences and practical activities with links between subjects being made where possible. This cross-curricular approach to learning allows the children to make connections in their understanding and allows them to transfer and practise skills. Some areas of learning are, however, taught discretely where strong links cannot be made.

The teaching of reading is seen as a priority and we use the Power of Reading to support this. In the Early Years and Key Stage 1, children have daily, taught phonics sessions. Children read regularly either in a guided reading session or individually. Parents are encouraged to take an active role in their children’s reading development. We use the synthetic phonics approach as outlined in ‘Letters and Sounds’. Children are taught to hear, say, blend and segment sounds and to use these skills in both reading and writing. In Key Stage 2, children take an active part in taught reading sessions and guided reading to develop the key skills of retrieval, deduction and inference. Writing skills are taught explicitly within English lessons in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 linked to our Power of Reading texts However, Reading and Writing skills are constantly reinforced throughout the curriculum.

Mathematics is highly valued. At St. Felix we recognise the importance of mathematics as a life skill.  Therefore, high quality mathematics teaching takes place daily in school. Provision in school is in-line with the new National Curriculum, which focuses on developing:

• fluency;
• problem solving

Our children are generally taught in their mixed ability class groupings, with some classes having mixed year groups. However, work is appropriately designed to provide challenge for all ability levels and in class support ensures access for all pupils.