Curriculum for Wales

A Summary of Curriculum for Wales at Corpus Christi Catholic High School

Please find below information on how practitioners, learners, parents, carers and the wider community have been engaged to inform curriculum development at Corpus Christi Catholic High School.

We at Corpus Christ Catholic High School are committed to offering the very best of opportunities to our learners where we strive to live the values of the gospel. Our curriculum is firmly rooted in the teachings of the Church which is reflected in our school Vision.

Underpinned by the Corpus Christi Pupil Profile, our Mission Statement and the four purposes, our Vision expresses all that we want our learners to be so that they lead caring, compassionate and fulfilling lives. For us, education means the formation of the whole person; spiritually, morally as well as intellectually, physically and socially.

The creation of our Vision resulted from extensive dialogue with stakeholders. Amongst an array of consultations, the process involved INSET days, meetings with the school council and discussions with our partner primary schools. Our shared Vision informs the development of an inclusive and challenging curriculum which aims to close the attainment gap and support learner progression towards fulfilling the four purposes. Our Vision is the foundation stone upon which our curriculum is built.

To realise our Vision, a bespoke curriculum will be delivered to all learners in Year 7 and 8 from September 2023 and all learners in Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 from 2024. In designing our curriculum:

• Our school leaders and teachers undertake reading and research and attend professional learning on curriculum
• We work in partnership with our cluster primary schools; Christ the King, Holy Family, St Bernadette’s, St Joseph’s, St Peter’s and St Philip Evans both strategically and collaboratively to ensure a well-planned, purposeful curriculum across the 3-16 continuum and in doing so, prepare our pupils for further study at St. David’s Catholic Sixth Form College
• Senior leaders within our cluster meet regularly to plan valuable training for Middle Leaders, Teachers and Support Staff
• Key features of our school context, pupils and community have been agreed to inform the approaches and experiences best suited for the needs of our learners
• We have listened to the views of governors, staff, parents and pupils regarding what all pupils should know and be able to do. All that is taught is underpinned by gospel values, the Corpus Christi Pupil Profile, our Mission Statement and the four purposes.
• We collaborate and consult with a range of bodies on providing learners with distinct and learning enriching experiences for example, the Archdiocese and careers and work-related experiences (CWRE).

How our curriculum meets the required elements of the Curriculum for Wales

Our curriculum Vision aligns to the national aspiration of the four purposes and is being developed to fulfil mandatory requirements.

 Our Curriculum will enable our learners to fulfil our Vision by offering:

• a learning community based on love and justice
• a broad and balanced curriculum to include learning opportunities within and across all the Areas of Learning and Experience
• a curriculum that encompasses the concepts in all the statements of what matters and provides appropriate progression in accord with the principles of progression
• alignment to the mandatory requirements of CfW and the cross-curricular skills of literacy, numeracy and digital competence
• approaches to learning and teaching which enable all pupils to flourish
• programmes to stretch the most able
• extensive provision for children with learning difficulties or physical needs
• academic excellence
• a rich provision of extra-curricular opportunities

Information on how we are approaching learning progression and arrangements for assessment

At Corpus Christi Catholic High School, we believe progression and assessment is fundamental to ensuring we achieve our school Vision. Our curriculum is underpinned by the mandatory principles of progression which describe what it means for learners to progress. We use a variety of evidence informed assessment strategies to enable each individual learner to make progress at an appropriate pace. We ensure our processes identify learners who require further support or challenge and provide rich qualitative intelligence for us to inform next steps in learning for individuals and groups of learners. Our assessment arrangements ensure active engagement between learners and teachers exists. It is based on ongoing reflection on where a learner is, what their next steps are and what is needed to help them achieve.

How we will keep our curriculum under review

Our curriculum will be under regular review to ensure that it is meeting the needs of our learners at Corpus Christi Catholic High School and is fulfilling our school Vision. A variety of self-evaluation activities will take place throughout the year and findings will be used to inform our understanding of the effectiveness of our curriculum and the required revision. We will continue to work within our school, across our cluster and in partnership with governors, Central South Consortium, the Archdiocese and our ITE partnership to develop further a high quality 3-16 continuum of leaning for all.

If you would like more information about the changes to the curriculum in Wales, please follow this link: https://gov.wales/education-changing