Bolton St. Catherine’s Academy delivers the National Curriculum through the International Baccalaureate’s (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP).
We believe this programme offers our students an excellent and challenging curriculum because:
“Students in the 21st century are faced with the challenge of learning about an interconnected world where knowledge is constantly developing. The IB Primary Years Programme prepares students to be active participants in a lifelong journey of learning.” (IBO 2007)
The programme:
- Encourages the students to become internationally-minded and responsible world citizens
- Encourages them to enjoy learning and be confident and independent by engaging them in in-depth inquiries about real life issues
- Develops the whole student- physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically through the learner profile.
The Learner Profile:
In our academy we want students and adults to be:
- Inquirers
- Caring
- Thinkers
- Risk-takers
- Open-minded
- Principled
- Balanced
- Reflective
- Knowledgeable
- Communicators
The written curriculum:
Throughout the year the students take part in 6 units of inquiry based on 6 themes. These themes are about issues that have meaning for, and are important to all of us. Units of inquiry often cover more than one subject area.
The themes are:
- Who we are
- Where we are in time and place
- How we express ourselves
- How the world works
- How we organise ourselves
- Sharing the planet
Each unit of inquiry has a central idea. This is a true statement that the students have to find out as much as they can through their inquiries. For example in year 6 during their sharing the planet unit of inquiry the central idea is:
Water is crucial to all living things and it is our responsibility to use it and care for it wisely.
There is still some single subject teaching and some teaching by specialist teachers e.g. P.E. modern foreign languages, music and R.E.