Our Curriculum
Where questions are valued above answers, creativity above fact repetition, individuality above conformity and excellence above standardised performance.
At St Dunstan’s we have designed a unique curriculum that has children at its heart, with a cohesive vision that helps pupils understand and value how they fit into and contribute to the local and Global community. Pope Francis asks all of us to become ‘builders of a new humanity.’ It is our intention that through our Building the Kingdom curriculum our community becomes one that advocates for social justice, fights for equality and works towards sustainability.
Our curriculum has God’s love and the messages of Laudato Si at its core, whilst also recognising in these unprecedented times that emotional learning is equally important. Through our curriculum, our pupils will be equipped to serve our local community and we will instil in them a passion for undertaking Corporal Acts of Mercy to make our city a better place – whatever age our children, they will learn to make a positive difference and change for the better. Our message is that no one is too small to make a difference.
We deliver a coherently planned curriculum with a progressive development and understanding of key knowledge and skills. Our curriculum driver is our faith and we follow the Catholic Social Teachings alongside Birmingham Archdiocese strategy, ‘Learning and growing as the people of God’. In addition to this, we integrate the requirements of the 2014 National Curriculum in an engaging way, meeting the needs of future citizens and equipping all of our children with foundations for life.
Each term we explore a different theme within the Catholic Social Teachings.
Cycle A - 2021 - 2022
Autumn – Dignity of the Human Person
Spring – Options for the Poor and Vulnerable
Summer – Stewardship
Cycle B - 2022 - 2023
Autumn – Family and Community
Spring – Dignity of Work
Summer - Solidarity and the Common Good
All subjects are then linked to this theme through a Big Question which forms the basis of the learning.
To ensure that children understand the unique contribution of individual subject areas, we teach each non- core subject in a block of lessons over a week, rather than weekly lessons over a term. The whole school teaches the same subject in the same week.
Our teaching block timetable below clearly shows how our subject blocks are organised across the 3 terms.
Our curriculum has God’s love and the messages of Laudato Si at its core, whilst also recognising in these unprecedented times that emotional learning is equally important. Through our curriculum, our pupils will be equipped to serve our local community and we will instil in them a passion for undertaking Corporal Acts of Mercy to make our city a better place – whatever age our children, they will learn to make a positive difference and change for the better. Our message is that no one is too small to make a difference.
We deliver a coherently planned curriculum with a progressive development and understanding of key knowledge and skills. Our curriculum driver is our faith and we follow the Catholic Social Teachings alongside Birmingham Archdiocese strategy, ‘Learning and growing as the people of God’. In addition to this, we integrate the requirements of the 2014 National Curriculum in an engaging way, meeting the needs of future citizens and equipping all of our children with foundations for life.
Each term we explore a different theme within the Catholic Social Teachings.
Cycle A - 2021 - 2022
Autumn – Dignity of the Human Person
Spring – Options for the Poor and Vulnerable
Summer – Stewardship
Cycle B - 2022 - 2023
Autumn – Family and Community
Spring – Dignity of Work
Summer - Solidarity and the Common Good
All subjects are then linked to this theme through a Big Question which forms the basis of the learning.
To ensure that children understand the unique contribution of individual subject areas, we teach each non- core subject in a block of lessons over a week, rather than weekly lessons over a term. The whole school teaches the same subject in the same week.
Our teaching block timetable below clearly shows how our subject blocks are organised across the 3 terms.
Teaching block Timetable 2022/23
Click below to see what we're learning about in this half term:
Click below to see what we're learning in our other subjects:
Within each subject block, teachers produce a unit map which sets out the objectives that will be taught, the key skills that will be enhanced, the knowledge that will be acquired and the key vocabulary that will be used in each unit. After each unit is taught, children are assessed and progress is reviewed by the whole staff led by the subject leader.
For parents , we hope that through this new curriculum structure you are more aware of the subjects that your child is studying, when these blocks will take place and how to better support this learning at home.
But most of all for the children of our school, we hope that this curriculum challenges them to deepen their knowledge and learn new skills. To become more curious about the world we live in and to become better prepared to be respectful British citizens and followers of Christ.
For parents , we hope that through this new curriculum structure you are more aware of the subjects that your child is studying, when these blocks will take place and how to better support this learning at home.
But most of all for the children of our school, we hope that this curriculum challenges them to deepen their knowledge and learn new skills. To become more curious about the world we live in and to become better prepared to be respectful British citizens and followers of Christ.
