Purpose
Our purpose as adults educating children is
to communicate the love of God
to acknowledge God in all that is done so that he might show the way (Proverbs 3:5 to 6)
to pass on to the next generation the wisdom we have learned (Deut 6: 6 to 9)
to bring others into this heritage
to enable children to fulfil their potential in all aspects of their schooling
to achieve excellence in the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of children
The school is part of this task and aims to do this through a Christ centred curriculum.
Such a curriculum is characterised as aiming to be excellent and glorifying to God, to lead children into the wisdom and discipleship of Christ and to pass on to the next generation the truths learned by those who know Jesus.
Truths are to be found through a relationship with Jesus, in studying the Christian Bible, in the lives of heroes of the cross and in the lives of those around us who share our faith and in studying the creation.
Jesus says, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” (John 14:6) and this is the shared faith of the teachers.
Principles
The following principles apply in curriculum development:
the teacher is encouraged to be rested and to know the peace of living in the Kingdom of God; having fellowship, praying and studying and taking regular time out to rest and reflect
the teacher is encouraged to trust that out of their relationship with God they will communicate his truth and in acknowledging him he will fulfil his promise to direct their paths
the teacher is to prepare their lessons thoroughly according to standards outlined below
the teacher is encouraged to pray and consider the truths about God they might communicate through their lessons
the teacher is to evaluate the effectiveness of their lessons against their lesson objectives and the truths about God they discerned and consider what else was imparted into the lives of the children in terms of knowledge of God.
The work of the school is to educate the children through its ethos and values and its curriculum. We need to acknowledge God in all we do and prayerfully minister the Way, the Truth and the Life that is Jesus.
Standards
Written policies on the curriculum are available.
It is intended that the curriculum should include;
subject matter appropriate for the ages and aptitudes of pupils including those pupils with special educational needs;
a strategy that enables pupils to acquire skills in speaking and listening, literacy and numeracy skills;
the opportunity for all pupils to make progress;
The school aims to integrate Personal Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS) into the curriculum.
PLTS are:
team working
independent enquiry
self-management
reflective learning
effective participation
creative thinking
It is intended that the curriculum should emphasise the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils through standards which
enable pupils to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence;
enable pupils to distinguish right from wrong and deter them from criminal activity;
encourage pupils to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative and understand how they can contribute to community life;
provide pupils with a broad general knowledge of public institutions and services;
provide pupils with a broad understanding of the diverse way of life in our land.