Curriculum Overview

Curriculum Overview

At St Thomas More we want all students to develop a love of learning and enjoy all aspects of the taught curriculum. With this in mind we focus on ensuring that students experience consistency in their learning through well structured schemes work which are delivered through high quality lessons.  

Students at St Thomas More enjoy their lessons and thrive on the challenges we pose; they want to learn. 

Our curriculum is built upon a shared understanding of the key facets that support effective learning and academic success. To support our staff and students we make use of a common vocabulary when discussing, debating and implementing our curriculum. The key terms we use are as follows:

• Key concepts:  these are the big ideas that underpin a subject’s curriculum.  They are used to sequence the curriculum and ensure that students have a concrete foundation for future learning.
• Crucial learning: this is the most important learning that students need to secure at given points within a subject. Crucial learning informs assessments and forms the basis of feedback to students in terms of what they have secured and the next steps they need to take.
• Make it stick: this is our common approach to interleaved learning and retrieval practice.  This ensures that students do not forget what they have learnt.
• Performance strand: this refers to the explicit teaching of exam based strategies that pupils require to succeed in formal examinations.  
• Learner Attributes: these are the academic behaviours that underpin effective learning. Staff support students to develop these through modelling, support and reflection.

This common curriculum language is a key part of our work in ensuring students understand the progress they are making. We want students to understand the learning process to help them to become more confident and autonomous over time.

To find out more about the School Curriculum please contact info@stthomasmore.org.uk .