Cultural Capital

We may be a remote, rural school but we aim to broaden our pupils' horizons to the maximum extent possible and in a variety of ways.
 
At Kielder Primary School, we believe that that all children should be exposed to cultural experiences and learning that will equip them with the cultural knowledge to propel them further in their education, social development, and careers. Developing cultural capital at Kielder Primary school will help provide experiences that the children may otherwise not have had. We seek to develop the children's cultural capital by a range of means and in a cross-curricular and extracurricular manner.
School values and collective worship

Through our school values, summarised in The Kielder Way (Knowledge, Individuality, Excellence, Leadership, Determination, Empathy and Respect), we aim to provide our pupils with opportunities to apply these values and self-reflect upon them.

Through school collective worship, pupils consider spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues and can explore their own beliefs. Collective worship offers us the chance to explore and understand the values at the heart of our ethos. From forgiveness and humility, to gratitude and justice, collective worship gives pupils a space and time to reflect.

Curriculum

Through our PSHE curriculum, children learn about growth mindset and are encouraged to take a positive and active approach to life. Children are supported to develop their own strategies to cope with day-to-day challenges and difficulties. Through all areas of our taught curriculum, we encourage the children to be inquisitive and find out more in their quest for knowledge. We link up with subject experts and visitors to school, e.g. authors, faith leaders, scientists, fair trade experts and Diversity Role Models. We actively invite people in to work with our pupils, including a member of the community teaching the pupils origami and craft/literature specialists working with our pupils on a local myth. We are currently working with a local folk musician to produce a unique school song. Through our Forest School programme, children learn more about the world around them and their 'orbits of learning'.

School visits

We offer a vast range of school visits in line with our belief that outstanding learning is not confined to the classroom. Here are just some of the visits undertaken over the last year:

  • Visit to Bellingham Heritage Centre as part of the 'Beneath our Feet' project.
  • Dance and football workshop with Meta4 at Dance City, Newcastle.
  • Visit to Great North Museum: Hancock in Newcastle and Create & Sing workshop with the Royal Opera House.
  • Visit to the Musem of the Moon in Hexham Abbey.
  • Nursery rhyme workshop at Seven Stories, Newcastle. 

Extracurricular activities

Our extracurricular activities include sports clubs, art club, football, mixed sport and rhythmic drumming. We have secured funding through the DfE's Opening School Facilities Programme to deliver a dynamic programme of after-school activities, which have proven to be a huge success.

Links with other schools

We recognise the value of being a very small, rural primary school. However, we also acknowledge the need to actively seek out opportunities for our pupils to interact with a wider, more diverse group of peers. To that end, we have a link with Sacred Heart Primary School in Newcastle, enabling our school councils to work together and all our pupils to forge wider friendships. We are also in the process of establishing a link with a similar-sized primary school in the south of France. Watch this space!