1. St. Mary’s Primary Curriculum Rationale

2. Who Are We?
St. Mary’s Primary is a Catholic school which serves the west end of Greenock and also part of the central area of the town. The school is a well-established local landmark. It was opened in 1909 as a secondary school and then refurbished in 1975 to create a primary school. We are currently in temporary accommodation as our school is undergoing a major refurbishment.

3. What Makes Us Unique?
We have skilled, dedicated and hardworking staff.
Our pupils are very keen to learn and have positive attitudes.
Our parents provide excellent support to the school and to their children.
We have very strong parish links with St. Mary’s Church.
We care for those who are less fortunate than ourselves through regular charity events.
We are well known and respected within our local community.
Our Gospel values promote respect and tolerance for others.

4. Our Vision and Values
We are committed to upholding and providing the moral teaching, faith, tradition and sacramental life of the Catholic Church. In our daily work, we live by the Gospel Values of: “Faith in God, Belief in Ourselves, Love for One Another and Hope for our Future”
Agreed Core Values
Respect
Honesty
Tolerance
Faith

5. Our Aims
 In order to equip the children to achieve their full potential, we aim to:
Provide a happy, safe and welcoming environment where each member of our school community feels valued and respected.
 Provide the highest quality learning experiences which support and enhance each child’s potential for success and life-long learning.
Develop as a community of faith, through the promotion of Christian values, celebration and worship, and service to others.

6. What Do We Want For Our Children?
To be confident and believe in themselves.
To be included, happy and safe in school.
To treat others with respect and tolerance.
To receive the highest possible standard of education and achieve success in their learning.
To develop the Gospel values, skills and attitudes to be responsible, employable citizens, who can contribute positively to society.
To have a sense of pride in their local community, and an understanding of Scotland and its place in the world.

7. Our Priorities
As a school community, we agreed the following priorities for our curriculum:
Sharing our Catholic faith and Gospel values.
Promoting ambition, high attainment and achievement for all pupils.
Ensuring the health and wellbeing for all children.
Developing transferable skills for lifelong learning and employability.
Learning for sustainability - local and global citizenship.
Developing a greater understanding of Scotland and its place in the world.

8. Promoting Gospel Values
As a Catholic Primary School, we place a particular emphasis on developing our Christian faith and positive values. Through the support of parents and our parish community, we aim to develop a genuine love of God and a deep understanding of social justice in our children’s lives. This is achieved through the commitment of all within our school community to follow the principles of the Charter for Catholic Schools in Scotland and to adopt our agreed school values of respect, honesty, tolerance and faith. Our Catholic ethos is further strengthened through our teaching programmes, daily prayers, assemblies and church celebrations.

9. Examples of Activities to Promote Gospel Values
Religious Education programme (see planners)
Sacramental Preparation
P1 Blessing
School Masses and Religious Celebrations
Participation in Christmas Concerts
Development Groups
School Values
School Prayer (related to our School Values)
Prayer Services
God’s Loving Plan
Catholic Education Week
Class Altars
Class Charters
Positive Values promoted through Inter-disciplinary Learning topics e.g. empathy, social justice, fair trade
Daily Prayers

10. Ambition, High Attainment and Achievement
We work hard to create an ethos of achievement, which promotes high expectations among our pupils and enables them to become confident, independent and reflective learners.
Our curriculum recognises that learning takes place in different contexts, both inside and outside of the classroom. We therefore seek the expertise of and work with a wide range of business partners in order to provide enjoyable, challenging and motivating learning experiences for our pupils.
We realise that learning is a social activity and use teaching approaches which actively engage our pupils and encourage them to take responsibility for their own learning.

11. Examples of Activities to Promote Ambition, High Attainment and Achievement
Literacy and Numeracy pathways
Inter-disciplinary Learning Topics – Research and Personal Study
Celebrating Achievements in School through Assemblies, Twitter, Wall Displays etc
Royal Bank of Scotland Money Sense Programme
P6 Residential Trip
After School Activities
Outdoor Activities
Collaborative and Cooperative Group Work
Participation in Sporting Events
Development Groups
Cluster Science Roadshow
Target Setting
Learning Logs
AiFL Strategies
Group Leaders in Classes
Reciprocal Teaching Activities
World of Work Week
Participation in Inverclyde Festival

12. Health and Wellbeing
We believe that it is the responsibility of all adults within our school community to ensure that our children are happy, safe and well-supported. This is achieved through an ethos of positive relationships and mutual tolerance and respect for each other. Our curriculum provides many opportunities for our pupils to participate in activities which promote good health and safety choices e.g. sport and exercise, healthy eating, road safety, drug and alcohol awareness. This equips them to make informed decisions about their own emotional, social and physical wellbeing.

13. Examples of Activities to Promote Health and Wellbeing
Health and Wellbeing programme (see planner)
Anti-Bullying Topics (at the beginning of each session)
Focus on the Rights of the Child
Class/Bus/Playground Charters
Development Groups
Focus on Global Goals
Circle Time Activities in Class
Morning Check-ins
RE Programme
School Values and School Prayer
Restorative Practices
Seasons for Growth Group
Social Skills Group
After School and Lunch-time Clubs
Worry Box in each Class
Anti-racism/Anti-sectarianism Lessons
Drug/Alcohol Awareness Lessons
Online Safety
Transition Programmes – Nursery/Primary/Secondary
Heartstart for Senior Pupils
God’s Loving Plan
PATHS Programme
Equalities Programme

14. Skills for Lifelong Learning/Employability
In a changing world, it is extremely important for our children to have the necessary transferable knowledge, skills and attitudes to be able to make informed choices, both now and in the future. Our curriculum promotes activities which will develop confidence, leadership, communication and inter-personal skills. We also provide opportunities for pupils to participate in the wider life of the school and experience personal achievement through involvement in charity events, school concerts, outdoor learning and sporting/cultural events within our local area.

15. Example of Activities to promote Skills for Lifelong Learning/Employability
Participation in Christmas Concerts
Development Groups
ICT Programme
Peer and Self-assessment
Employability Skills developed through IDL Lessons
Dialogic Teaching
Class Charters
Learning Logs
E-portfolios
Anti-bullying/Anti-racism/Anti-bigotry Lessons
Involvement in Sporting Events
Participation in Inverclyde Festival
Residential Trip for P6
Personal Research Topics
Focus on Growth Mindset/Learning Attributes
P6 Playleaders
P7 Monitors
Book Club
Topic Showcases
World of Work Week

16. Learning for Sustainability
Our curriculum allows the children to explore a variety of ways to look after our planet and make the world a better place for everyone. For example, pupils learn about the global goals, children’s rights, fair trade and environmental issues, all of which help to promote their strong sense of social justice and responsible citizenship. All children in school are part of a Development Group and are encouraged to make a difference through positive action. Examples of this include local litter picks, fundraising events for our partner school in Malawi and leaflet drops about Fairtrade. This reminds the children that they have a voice and their contribution, no matter how small it may seem, helps to improve our world for them and others.

17. Examples of Activities to promote Learning for Sustainability
Inter-disciplinary Learning Topics
Class Charters
Global Goals
Children’s Rights
Development Groups
Partnership with Chikuli Primary
Cluster Science Roadshow
Science Programme (see planner)
Topic Showcases
Assemblies
Pupil Council
Fairtrade Tuckshop
Ragbag
Religious Education Programme (see planner)
West College Scotland Science Lessons

18. Scotland and its place in the World
There are many opportunities within our curriculum for our children to find out about their local environment, different parts of Scotland and other parts of the world. Greenock and the surrounding areas are of particular interest to our children and provide a wealth of learning opportunities, both from a historical and modern perspective. When studying other countries, links are made about the similarities and differences with our own country. This helps to break down cultural barriers and promote tolerance and respect for others.

19. Examples of Activities to promote Scotland and its place in the world
Inter-disciplinary Learning Topics
Focus on Global Goals
Children’s Rights
Development Groups (especially the Local Communities Group)
Partnership with Chikuli Primary
Outdoor Learning Trips
Science Programme (see planner)
Topic Showcases
Assemblies
Expressive Arts Lessons
Participation in the Inverclyde Festival
Celebrating St Andrew’s Day and Robert Burns Day in Classes
P6 Residential Experience

20. Parental Engagement
We recognise that parents/carers are the first and on-going educators of their children. They are always welcome in St Mary’s, and we continually provide opportunities for them to become involved in their own children’s learning, as well as in the wider life and work of the school. We believe that this partnership is essential if we want to ‘get it right’ for every child in our school.

21. Examples of Activities to promote Parental Engagement
Parents’ Evenings
Termly Targets and Report Cards
Sacramental Preparation and Celebrations
Parent Partnership Group
World of work Week
Cluster Science Roadshow
Book Week
Parent Questionnaires
Topic Presentations
Prayer Services
Parent Helpers with School Trips
Supporting Pupils with Homework Activities
P1 Blessing
P7 Leavers’ Mass
P6 Enrolment for the Pope Francis Faith Award
P1 Induction Programme
Christmas Concerts