At St. Bede’s, our aim is to deliver a curriculum which supports the academic, personal, social and spiritual development of our pupils. With Christ at the centre of all that we do, we teach our children to live out gospel values, treating each other with love and respect, and supporting one another. In all aspects of our curriculum, both staff and pupils work together to uphold and live out the St. Bede’s mission to: ‘love one another, as I have loved you.’

Trust Virtues

Throughout all teaching and learning experiences at St. Bede’s, we maintain the shared values of the Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust: Confidence and Resilience; Honesty and Self-Belief; Respect and Responsibility; Justice and Compassion.

Through these values, we promote positive attitudes to learning together, encouraging all to be respectful of themselves and others, as well as being active citizens both locally and globally.
We provide many experiences which allow pupils to develop their social, moral, cultural and spiritual understanding, and nurture Christian values of respect, kindness and generosity. Pupils are active in showing God’s love in practical ways to others, both in and out of school. We have established community links with our parish churches and priests, and aim to be a shining example to the community of a Catholic school, an identity which is of great importance to our St Bede’s staff, children and parents.

Curriculum Aims

Our Curriculum Aims to:

  • Develop independence, resilience and confidence in our pupils, equipping them with a deep level of life-long knowledge and understanding.
  • Recognise every learner as an individual, created in God’s image, and celebrate uniqueness and difference across our school community.
  • Support the well-being, health and self-esteem of every pupil, by providing a safe and secure environment in which pupils know they are loved, respected and cared for as part of our school family.
  • Provide knowledge-rich learning experiences, which enable our pupils to know more, remember more and understand more.
  • Promote enquiry and investigation, developing pupils’ ability to ask questions, and encourage them to apply their knowledge to think creatively and critically about what they have learnt.
  • Create an engaging, inspiring and motivational learning environment, where all pupils are supported and challenged in order to succeed, regardless of disadvantage or special education need. 
  • Develop a rich and varied vocabulary, which will support our pupils in becoming successful, life-long learners, through promoting the use of Tier 2 and Tier 3 (subject-specific) words across all subjects and offering a language-rich environment.
  • Provide a positive, exciting and vibrant primary education for our pupils, which provides them with the values and skills to be successful in learning and life, now and in the future.

Cultural Capital

At St. Bede’s, we have the highest expectations of all our pupils. We aim to equip pupils with the cultural capital they need to succeed in life, regardless of their background. Through closely monitoring pupil progress, we are able to set aspirational targets for the continual improvement of all learners. Teachers look for suitable and appropriate opportunities to stretch and challenge every pupil.

Our teaching staff seek and plan opportunities for pupils to access sporting, musical and arts activities. Teachers plan trips which allow pupils to explore the world outside of the locality of Darlington, as well as those which celebrate their home town and help children build their sense of family, community and social responsibility.

Within school, pupils are given increasing responsibility through roles such as School Councillors and Mini Vinnies, and develop their understanding of British Values. Teachers encourage children to learn about and discuss current affairs, which helps pupils develop their knowledge and understanding of the world around them.

At St. Bede’s, we strive to support pupils in becoming articulate, confident speakers, and the development of mature speaking and listening skills is given a high priority throughout school. We recognise that vocabulary size is linked to academic success, and that vocabulary needs to be specifically taught. Pupils are taught to speak clearly, precisely and audibly, using sophisticated and expressive vocabulary, modelled by teachers.

Staff at St. Bede’s School continually support and promote pupils to read widely for enjoyment. We take regular opportunities to advocate reading for pleasure, and ensure class texts are engaging, challenging and relevant to class topics.