Curriculum Intent statement

Our Curriculum Intent

We are proud to be a Church of England Academy with a vision for every child to ‘Care, Believe, Grow’.  This translates into our children being nurtured as unique individuals with skills and talents which we seek to identify and promote through activities both within the school and beyond. Our ambition is to make sure every child is equipped with the skills they need to succeed as they progress through each stage of their educational journey and then into adult life.  As an inclusive church school Chestnut Street aims work together to open minds and broaden horizons from the foundation of our shared Christian values of Trust, Perseverance, Compassion, Respect, Forgiveness and Honesty. We pursue excellence through our inspiring and creative learning environment and we empower every member of our community to seek positive transformation in the world.

At Chestnut Street, we believe that our school is the ‘garden’ where our children will grow and flourish like the mustard tree in the kingdom of heaven. We have the passion to enable every child to achieve anything in their life journey. As part of the Christian family, we follow Jesus’ examples and teachings, we believe, care, guide and support our children and their families. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” Matthew 13:31-32

We provide a diverse curriculum, which evolves from the Early Years Foundation Stage and then into the National Curriculum Programmes of Study using pupils’ interests and our locality as starting points. We believe that learning is most productive when children know what they are aiming to achieve, when the basic skills of English and mathematics are firmly embedded in daily practice and when they are given the opportunity to apply those skills through problem solving, independent research and teamwork challenges. We nurture our pupils to develop resilience and the tenacity to be successful in their goals and to grow into happy, healthy, ambitious individuals to be independent and responsible citizens.

At Chestnut Street CofE Primary Academy the curriculum is taught in distinct subjects in their own right however where there are meaningful curriculum links these are used.   We aim for our curriculum to foster our pupils’ spiritual, moral, emotional, social and cultural development by valuing first-hand experiences. Our school grounds offer a wide range of opportunities for children to expand their learning beyond the classroom; educational and residential visits are an integral aspect of our curriculum and we are continually exploring opportunities offered through the arts and physical activity.  Our aim is for the natural world to provide a place of wonder, exploration, reflection and self-discovery. At Chestnut Street the ultimate worth of each person is grounded in being created in the image of God and in God’s love and compassion for everyone.

With strong Christian values we nurture our children to become proud of themselves and to uphold the best of British Values in their attitudes and behaviour. Through collective worship and daily activities we encourage children to develop spiritually and to be reflective learners.   Whilst our Christian Values lie at the heart of all we do, we pride ourselves as being inclusive and embrace all faiths and cultures.