To find out more about our Curriculum at St Thomas More please see the specific subject areas in the ‘Curriculum’ tab above. Specific information on the curriculum for your child can be found on the class web pages, and through our class dojo.
At Saint Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy we recognise children come to school with a range of knowledge and experiences. Our aim is to build upon this foundation and provide a meaningful and relevant curriculum to suit the needs of all children.
We celebrate our diverse, multicultural community and pride ourselves on our strong Parish links and very supportive parents to provide the children with a wide range of experiences and learning opportunities. Through extensive fundraising and the fantastic support of the Friends association we ensure that our children understand the importance of helping others and trying to live our lives as God’s disciples. At St Thomas More it is crucial that our children are active and inquisitive learners who have the resilience and compassion to become confident members of society.
Our inclusive practice ensures that all children have the same opportunities to flourish and develop. We recognise at times children may need a different approach or strategy to enable them to learn, our teachers and support staff are able to quickly identify these children and put in place the adjustments needed.
Religious Education is the very core and essence of our existence as a Catholic School and plays a key part in the curriculum. It is expected that the children admitted to the school will take a full and active part in the religious life of the school.
Religious Education is undertaken according to the doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Our aim in Religious Education is to lead the children to a living faith through prayer, the Mass, the RE Programme, Statements to Live By, collective worship and the liturgical life of the Church.
In RE we follow the ‘Come and See’ programme recommended by Nottingham Diocese. Regular whole school, key stage or class collective worship take place each week. Children have regular opportunities to attend mass at Church. Our children also study other faiths to create an understanding and tolerance of other peoples’ beliefs. There is an inter-faith dialogue project running through e-mail with another city school which has pupils predominantly of three other faiths: Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism.
We teach the National curriculum through a thematic approach that allows us to focus our teaching on Leicester’s local history. From when our children start in the Foundation stage we prioritise phonics and reading through a systematic and consistent teaching approach. We develop a love and culture for reading as the children progress through the school. We teach mathematics through a Mastery approach. Teaching for Mastery is an approach based on academic research and is evidenced as being highly effective. Our pupils are taught to think mathematically and to deeply understand concepts instead of just following a procedure. The children have opportunities to experience and participate in STEM activities throughout the year.
Alongside the core subjects it is vital that children have learning opportunities in Music, Art and PE. The children are exposed to wide ranging sporting activities and participate in regular competitive sporting events.
