Curriculum Vision 

Our vision at Oldcastle is that high-quality education is a fundamental right for all children regardless of background or socio-economic factors. At Oldcastle, we are committed to ensuring our young people achieve their fullest potential by creating an ambitious, engaging and purposeful curriculum that will allow our pupils to become participants, not spectators, as they progress through life. 

The four purposes underpin our vision, and we recognise the need for all our school community to be:

• Ambitious capable learners, ready to learn throughout their lives
• Enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work
• Ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the World. 
• Healthy, confidential individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society. 

“The four purposes are the shared vision and aspiration for every child and young person. In fulfilling these, we set high expectations for all, promote individual and national well-being, tackle ignorance and misinformation, and encourage critical and civic engagement.”      

Curriculum for Wales

Everyone within our school community is encouraged to:

• Value and support collaboration in all areas of school life and at all levels. e.g. Junior Leadership Team, Pupil Champions, House Captains, and School Community Focus groups.
• Nurture collaboration, respect and communication, ensuring that the Junior Leadership Team and Pupil Voice work alongside the Senior Leadership Team to develop school improvement.
• Beyond the classroom, create opportunities for pupils to express themselves creatively using school resources and embracing the rich cultural provision of our local area, e.g. Newbridge fields, the local beaches, local nature reserves and drawing on expertise within the local area. 
• Provide extra-curricular experiences to inspire and engage learners and promote wellbeing. For example being part of local competitive team sports such as netball, rugby, football and cricket, where pupils compete within the borough.
• Connect with a wide variety of local individuals, groups and other schools to provide bespoke learning experiences that reflect our curriculum. For example through Careers Week and Brynteg Radio Collaborations. 
• Live out our school values through our morning thoughts, Religious Education, Values, Personal and Social Education and Concept-Based curriculum. 
• Ensure The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is embedded throughout the school community as a common language and all stakeholders understand the importance of ensuring that those rights are upheld.

Everyone within our school community is encouraged to:

• Prioritise high emotional, social and physical well-being levels using our Wellbeing and Learning Champions. 
• Commit to prioritising Physical Education and Physical Activity. as an integral part of the curriculum. 
• Prioritise outdoor learning  to enhance  personal and social communication skills, increased physical and mental health.
• Use a cumulative enrichment provision that runs alongside our curriculum that empowers our pupils with life skills, simple life experiences, and learning experiences that expand their academic aspirations and opportunities. 
• Develop oracy and presentation skills using our Radio station to create blogs, podcasts, interviews and radio shows that bring together the school community and motivates others to become engaged. 
• Celebrate our Welsh identity through Eisteddfod celebrations, sports, art, drama, music and Welsh language lessons. 
• Utilise our positive reward system to promote expected behaviours, values and work ethic, motivating all pupils and staff to be the best that they can be. 
• Create a digital environment that is meaningful and purposeful that builds digital skills and enhances creative learning.
• Provide engaging music provision that develops self confidence, behaviour and social skills as well as improve academic achievement across the curriculum.

Everyone within our school community is encouraged to:

• Engage with our bespoke concept-based curriculum that is broad and balanced and relevant to the pupils at Oldcastle. The curriculum takes into consideration the locality, history and community links within Bridgend and South Wales, as well as drawing on international issues which affect our pupils.
• Use the 27 What Matters Statements when planning the curriculum to ensure that children develop the necessary skills to underpin the Four Purposes as they move through their learning journey.
• Challenge all pupils to consider concepts that will develop their understanding of the world around them and create links to the Welsh curriculum, their locality and issues that affect them.
• Recognise the purpose and meaning of a cross-curricular approach, including all areas of learning and experience.
• Enable every child to reach their potential through high-quality teaching, facilitated by highly skilled staff committed to professional education.
• Provide equality and equity to create a better society and worldwide democracy.
• Provide knowledge and experiences about how Wales sits within the global context.
• Provide a range of targeted interventions that effectively identify the needs of a broad range of pupils. e.g. Language Links, Numbers Count, Fresh Start.
• Provide high-quality provision for all pupils with Additional Learning Needs.
• Ensure a holistic and continuous assessment process is undertaken, using Assessment of Learning to inform and adjust learning experiences to create progression opportunities.
• Commit to respecting and learning from each other through our Religious, Values and Ethics curriculum, recognising the many faiths and non faiths, that we embrace within our school community.
• Ensure Relationship and Sexual Education is delivered at appropriate times that reflect the child’s understanding and various developmental stages.
• Commit to and embed rich learning opportunities and experiences in every year group that raise aspirations by opening the world to our pupils. e.g. Careers Week