Curriculum Intent

At Sir John Talbot’s School, we have built a truly inclusive curriculum where our vision of ‘achievement through caring’ is fundamental in ensuring students are educated in a culture of high aspirations with a ‘no ceiling’ approach.  We have designed our curriculum so that our students are taught to care for themselves and their achievement, care for others and care for their environment. The curriculum is at the heart of our school vision and built upon the foundations of our values: excellence, integrity, empathy, creativity, and equality. This is not only integral to the planning of schema, but also how it is then implemented in our classrooms. Our curriculum promotes high aspiration, enjoyment, and awareness of the ‘real world’ in and out of rural Shropshire. We encourage our students to have awareness of their journey of learning in each subject with MATNAV learning journeys so they can navigate through the curriculum alongside their teachers. We care for our students as unique individuals, and know a truly broad, balanced, and challenging curriculum is how they can emerge as confident communicators who embark on a journey of lifelong learning. Alongside the traditional academic curriculum, we encourage all learners to participate in wider enrichment such our extensive Duke of Edinburgh programme, sports, and performance clubs.

SJT’s whole school vision for the curriculum intent
Summer 2023 saw us launch our 3-year journey on the kaleidoscope curriculum.

The 4 (KACI) strands of this curriculum work are:

• Know more and remember more – Building our curriculum plans to ensuring sequencing that builds schema for all students.
• Assessment and feedback – Developed to focus on formative assessment. We want to ensure students have ongoing feedback to ensure misconceptions, gaps in knowledge or areas for development are addressed effectively and swiftly for all learners.
• Creativity and enjoyment – Students enjoy a curriculum that is challenging. Students enjoy a curriculum that allows them to experience creativity in all areas.
• Inclusivity – A commitment to an inclusive curriculum that represents all students through our EDIB work. A curriculum that adapts for learners of all SEND need and ability. An equitable curriculum that ensures students regardless of economic background access the full kaleidoscope.

Why is our vision for curriculum a kaleidoscope?

Inside a kaleidoscope, are a number of mirrors. These are our students. They reflect.
The kaleidoscope holds a variety of colourful objects, like beads, pebbles, or small pieces of glass. These are the different parts of our whole school curriculum. They are accessible for all.

These items are free to move around. The curriculum moves differently for different students. When you rotate the outside of the kaleidoscope, the mirrors (students) reflect the movement of the small objects (curriculum).

The reflection of the mirrors is what you see when you look inside.

The students are a reflection of the curriculum we give them.

For ease of access, you can explore our subject specific curriculum overview here: