Welcome

At St Michael’s we want all our children to thrive academically and reach their full potential. As children develop skills and knowledge across the curriculum we aim to build children’s love of learning. We believe that these strong foundations built at St Michael’s enable children to thrive in their next stages of education and have choices about their future.

Developing skills in the core subjects of Maths and English are given the highest priority at St Michael’s. By having strong mathematical skills as well as skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening, the wider curriculum is unlocked for children. Our Maths and English programs begin in our Nursery and follows through school.  For Maths this is White Rose and for English this is Read Write Inc.

Our curriculum values the opportunities for depth of knowledge and skills in discreet subjects. We encourage pupils to be geographers, historians, writers, readers, scientists, musicians, mathematicians and so on developing an all-round love of learning.

We ensure pupils have the very best opportunities for academic success through Quality First Teaching. We invest in our school staff through training and development to enable staff to deliver high quality lessons which engage pupils. Pupils’ progress is closely tracked so that pupils who need extra help are quickly identified and given support.

Our pupils are our biggest asset. By the time pupils leave us at the end of Year Six they have had many opportunities to support their social and emotional growth.

As pupils join us in Nursery and Reception they begin their journey of building positive relationships, managing their feelings and making responsible choices. Staff gently encourage, remind and model social and emotional skills. Daily routines in Nursery and Reception are designed to promote independence and co-operation with others.

Our school values of love, joy peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control are threaded through our school day. They are part of our worship, our conversations with children and curriculum lessons. These values develop during pupils’ time in school growing their social and emotional understanding.

We develop resilience in pupils through our ‘Mental Health Minutes’. This is a weekly class session where pupils can talk about their emotions and build strategies to support themselves.

Experience that pupils have at St Michael’s also build resilience. For instance, as children tackle the challenge of learning a musical instrument, spending a night away from home or swimming in the deep end of the pool, their social and emotional skills flourish.

This emphasis on social and emotional development is part of who we are as a church school. It means that as children leave us, we are proud that they stand out for their thoughtful decisions, good behaviour and respect for others.

During their time at St Michael’s children grow spiritually. This means that as children move through school they become confident in asking and exploring big questions. They develop their own values and beliefs.

We make use of our natural environment at St Michael’s including our Reflection Garden and woodland. Pupils enjoy trips beyond the local area such as Kingsbury Water Park in Year Three and Borrowdale in the Lake District in Year Five. These experience encourage a sense of awe and wonder of the natural world as well as considering how they can influence these environments.

We use the shared language of Windows, Mirrors, Doors to help staff and children talk about spirituality together. Whether pupils have a faith of their own or are of no faith, they have opportunities to explore their own thoughts and beliefs.

Windows

• Looking out: These are experiences, stories, or lessons that help children see the world in new ways.
• Examples: Learning about other cultures, observing nature, or hearing a powerful story can be a "window".
• Purpose: To foster a sense of wonder, awareness, and to help children ask questions about the world around them. 

Mirrors

• Looking in: This is time for personal reflection, either alone or with others.
• Examples: Reflecting on a story or event to understand one's own feelings, beliefs, and values.
• Purpose: To help children consider how experiences affect them and to learn from their own and others' perspectives. 

Doors

• Looking through: These are the opportunities to respond to what has been learned.
• Examples: Acting on beliefs, making choices, engaging in creative projects, or showing a change in attitude or behaviour.
• Purpose: To take what has been understood and turn it into a purposeful action or creative expression.