The Second Vatican Council heralded a review and reform of the Catholic Church in the 1960s. It was concerned both with ressourcement “return to the authoritative sources” of Christian faith, for the purpose of rediscovering their truth and meaning in order to meet the critical challenges of our time. If ressourcement is about revitalization, renewal, then the oft mentioned, but often misunderstood concept, aggiornamento is essentially a question of a new and wider contextualisation, with the aim of finding new ways to rethink and reformulate the fundamental affirmations of the Christian faith in order to more effectively communicate the Gospel.
Following the Second Vatican Council, the Church published a document setting out what Catholic schools were about.
For the Church, Catholic schools are, like the gospels, about promoting the growth and formation of human beings, the whole person; and that the identity and whole mode of operation of a school that calls itself Catholic must be rooted in the Gospel of Jesus:
The Church “establishes her own schools because she considers them as a privileged means of promoting the formation of the whole person, since the school is a centre in which a specific concept of the world, of human beings, and of history is developed and conveyed. . . . It is precisely in the Gospel of Christ, taking root in the minds and lives of the faithful, that the Catholic school finds its definition . . .
- Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education
The Catholic School (1977) n.8-9
Key Principles
Our school is committed to ‘forming fine young men of integrity, men of competence, men of conscience, men of compassion and men of commitment’. Our curriculum upholds the key principles of Catholic education. Education is preparation for life, which is itself a preparation for eternal life. Catholic education is concerned with the ways in which pupils and students will make use of their formation in the service for others, for the praise, reverence and service of God’. We aim to instil a joy in learning and a desire to learn that will remain beyond the days in school.
At St Cuthbert’s, our curriculum and therefore the quality of our education is based upon the following key principles.
In accordance with the key principles and seeking to provide a holistic Catholic formation to all boys, we work to ensure that our curriculum has:
a criterion of excellence in all aspects
a commitment to care for the individual by ensuring our curriculum is centred on the individual
aspirational pathways for all our pupils which will give them the qualifications and skills for their next steps in education
a structure to help pupils to realise that their talents are for the good of the human community,
a broad curriculum which gives pupils a breadth of experience and knowledge with a balance between the classroom and co-curricular opportunities
- a relentless focus on education and action to keep ensure all pupils are safe and help them understand how to stay safe
- a focus on developing the imaginative, the affective and the creative dimensions of each pupil
At St Cuthbert's, there is a logical sequence of activities within lessons and across lessons that builds pupils’ knowledge and skill-sets incrementally. Lessons always allow pupils to apply their knowledge or practise what they have learnt. In terms of the sequence of learning, staff and pupils can answer the questions ‘why this?’ ‘why now?’
Our lessons include:
High expectations of all pupils. This presentation of work, meeting deadlines, attitudes to learning, relationships with peers and staff, uniform, and equipment.
Lessons are inclusive and carefully planned to maximise the potential of all pupils: All pupils contribute to the lesson. Teachers know the most vulnerable pupils in the class, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
Lesson objectives are clear in learning journey , which are used in each lesson. Pupils understand the end points of teaching sequences. They know, and are told, explicitly what they are working towards.
Modelling and scaffolding are regular features of lessons to support pupils in their understanding.
Resources are high quality and appropriately challenging for pupils. This includes what pupils read in lessons. Developing pupils as readers and disciplinary literacy activities are part of every lesson.
Teacher explanations of concepts and instructions are always clear and explicit. They are given verbally and in writing to aid pupils’ understanding.
All lessons are rich in assessment. Assessment is used to check pupils' understanding and to fill gaps in pupil knowledge and understanding.
Lessons always begin with ‘knowledge recall’ and end with ‘knowledge summary’. This helps to support pupils' long-term memory of taught knowledge and they apply this knowledge to more challenging conceptualised ideas over time.
Learning environments are ordered and tidy. Displays are used to support pupils in their learning.