What is Cultural capital?

The 2014 National Curriculum defined Cultural capital as:

‘the essential knowledge pupils need to be educated citizens, introducing them to the best that has been thought and said.’

Ofsted, in their new inspection framework (September 2019) add that it is:

‘the essential knowledge that children need to prepare for their future success.’

Cultural capital is the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours and skills that a pupil can draw upon and which demonstrates their cultural awareness, knowledge and competence. It is one of the key ingredients a pupil will draw upon to be successful in society, their career and the world of work.

Cultural capital promotes social mobility and success in our stratified society.

At St. Gregory’s we believe that cultural capital gives a pupil power. It helps them achieve goals, become successful and rise up the social ladder without necessarily having wealth or financial capital. Cultural capital is having assets that give pupils the desire to aspire and achieve social mobility whatever their starting point.

We recognise that for our pupils to aspire and be successful academically and in the wider areas of their lives, they need to be given rich and sustained opportunities to develop their cultural capital.

What we do at St. Gregory’s Catholic Primary School:

At St. Gregory’s Catholic Primary School, our aims thread through everything that we do. We believe that to ensure every child has an equality of opportunity to access a broad and balanced curriculum that provides the essential knowledge and skills in order to prepare them for future success.

Our Aims:

  • Challenge and support all children with a broad and balanced curriculum that aims to prepare them for the next stage in their learning and encourage their desire to be aspirational learners.
  • Teach children to become resilient, curious, reflective, responsible and confident learners who are tolerant and respectful of others.
  • Ensure that our children understand how to keep themselves and others healthy and safe.

There are many opportunities within our curriculum offer that ensure we provide the essential knowledge to prepare our pupils for future success, some of which are listed below:

  • We teach from the National curriculum.
  • We closely track individual progress. We use this data to ensure that every child is challenged and supported to achieve as highly as possible.
  • We ‘deep dive’ into the curriculum subjects and ensure that our school then plans to effectively develop standards in all curriculum areas.
  • Pupil Premium children are closely tracked to ensure that they not only have the best curriculum but we also reflect on the extra-curricular opportunities they have received and we plan for further opportunities that will enhance their cultural capital.
  • St. Gregory’s engages with the community and our PTFA to ensure all children have access to high-quality extra-curricular opportunities and educational visits and/or visitors; including strong links with our local secondary schools.
  • Senior Leaders use the school’s finances effectively to ensure all areas of the curriculum are strong and that all children have access to quality extra-curricular opportunities and educational visits and/or visitors.
  • St. Gregory’s believes that we should develop the ‘whole child.’ 

We recognise that there are six key areas of development that are interrelated and cumulatively contribute to the sum of a pupil’s cultural capital:

  1. Personal Development:
  • Personal Finance Education;
  • Employability skills
  • Citizenship, Personal, Social and Health Education provision;
  • The school’s wider pastoral framework;
  • Growth mindset and metacognition - Resilience development strategies;
  • Transition support;
  • Work to develop confidence e.g. public speaking and interview skills;
  • Activities focused on building self-esteem;
  • Mental Health & well-being provision
  1. Social Development, including political and current affairs awareness:
  • Citizenship, Personal, Social and Health Education provision;
  • Charitable works;
  • Pupil Voice – School/Eco Council;
  • Nurture Group Access;
  • Access to counselling.
  1. Physical Development:
  • Healthy Eating policies and catering provision;
  • Anti-bullying and safeguarding policies and strategies;
  • The Health Education dimension of the CPSHE programme
  • The extra-curricular programme related to sports and well-being;
  • The celebration of sporting achievement including personal fitness and competitive sport;
  • Cycling proficiency training and Cycling to School Safely protocol;
  • Activities available for unstructured time, including lunch and break times;
  • Activity-based residentials;
  • The curricular programme related to food preparation and nutrition;
  • Advice & Guidance to parents on all aspects of pupil lifestyle;
  • The promotion of walking or cycling to school.
  • 4. Spiritual Development:
  • The Religious Education Curriculum;
  • Our collective acts of worship and reflection;
  • Support for the expression of individual faiths;
  • Inter-faith and faith-specific activities and speakers;
  • Visits to religious buildings and centres;
  • School-linking activities – locally, nationally and internationally;
  • The Assembly programme of values.
  1. Moral Development:
  • The Religious Education and Philosophy Curriculum
  • The behaviour and restorative framework underpinning the school’s Behaviour Management policies;
  • Contributions to local and national charitable projects.
  1. Cultural Development:
  • Citizenship Education;
  • Access to the Arts;
  • Access to the languages and cultures of other countries through the curriculum and trips and visits;
  • Promotion of racial equality and community cohesion through the school’s ethos, informing all policy and practice.