At Upton St James CofE Primary School, we aim to provide a broad and well-balanced curriculum that will enable all our pupils to ‘rise to their best’. We use the image of a hot air balloon rising to capture the concept of us all reaching our full potential; both individually and collectively.
The scripture that supports our vision is ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’ (Mark 12 v30 – 31). The children are taught that in order to be the best person that they can be, they need to show the Christian values of Respect, Compassion and Courage as demonstrated through the parable of the Good Samaritan.
Our curriculum follows the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum supplemented by opportunities to provide enrichment, inspire curiosity, and support the development of every child’s academic, social, communication and wellbeing needs. We believe that we have a responsibility to educate the whole child, preparing children for their futures as flourishing members of the community.
If you require any further information about our curriculum (including prospective parents/carers) please contact the school office.
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Sept-2023-onwards-Upton-St-James-curriculum-map-2023-with-online-safety.pdf
‘Do to others as you would have them do to you’ (taken from Matthew 7: 12).
At Upton St James, we recognise that as members of a family, we need one another. In helping one another, we 'Rise to our best'. Our school family is unique and diverse; every person is precious to God. Therefore we value others, as we would like to be valued ourselves. We teach the principle of the Golden Rule - that we should treat others how we would wish to be treated. This is illustrated in the parable of The Good Samaritan; where the Samaritan put aside his differences with the injured man and thought only about meeting the man’s need. At Upton St James, we talk about loving our neighbour 'in action' and respect is central to this.
RESPECT is one of our British Values, as well as one of our Christian Values. Children at Upton St James learn that everyone is our neighbour and everyone deserves respect. We teach the importance of valuing our neighbour in our school community, in our locality, across Great Britain and across the world.
“Respect is when people listen to each other and help each other."Viktoria
“Respect is a value that everyone can show."Shae
“It means respecting other religions, taking care of things, treating others how you want to be treated and helping others.”Phoebe
“To respect means to have high opinions of each other.”Lyndon
‘Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience'(taken from Colossians 3: 12)
We love our neighbour, when we show our Christian value of COMPASSION. The Story of The Good Samaritan shows us that we need to show love and care to every person. Compassion means noticing the needs of others and acting in such a way as to support their wellbeing. At Upton, we teach our children we love our neighbour 'in action'. That means responding with love, even when it is difficult. We remember the words of Jesus ‘ I will never leave you. I will always be by your side’ (Hebrews 13.5)
“Compassion means a deep feeling of sympathy for people who are suffering.”Leo
“We love our neighbour as ourselves because that is what Jesus would do.” Jeanette
“We show compassion in our school by loving our neighbour as ourselves.”Floyde
'Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.'(taken from Joshua 1: 9)
Our children are taught to have COURAGE. We expect children to step out of their comfort zone; to challenge themselves and to overcome their fears. Linking to our vision of 'Rising to our best', we enable our children to develop a growth mindset and to understand that through experiencing challenge they can truly deepen their understanding of themselves as individuals and learners to be the best version of themselves.
The story of The Good Samaritan shows us that we should do the right thing, not the easy thing. The Samaritan needed great courage to help the injured man. He had to be brave in a difficult set of circumstances.
We teach our children to be brave, to take risks in their learning and to step in and act, for the benefit of others. We believe we are raising a generation of courageous advocates. Here we remember Ephesians 6:10:
‘Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might’
“Courage means never giving up, being brave and not quitting.”Taylor
“Working together even when it is hard.”Jeremy
“Standing up for yourself and for others.”Achara
“Being a fearless leader.”James
“Being independent and advocating for those who need it.”Lilly
