Subjects Which Cannot Be Taught
The hidden curriculum isn't usually referred to on school websites, but we thought it was worth a mention for St George's Prep. The success of the hidden curriculum cannot be measured in traditional data terms, rather it can be felt - it's how you feel when looking around a house for sale, you know whether the property is for you!
At St George's, a visitor would feel, see and hear the hidden curriculum in the following ways:
- respect for authority/school rules, leading to a calm and ordered learning environment
This does not mean that our children accept and do not question the teacher, other pupils or what they are learning. Our pupils are positively encouraged to think deeply, question (politely), research further, explore and discuss what they are learning.
- respect for the opinions/beliefs of others
Everyone is welcome at St George's and through our PSHE lessons and school values, children learn tolerance, respect and understanding of others. Staff continually model the respect that we expect from our children and should any issues arise, staff will tackle, question, explain and monitor attitudes and behaviour, involving parents if necessary. Our values and expectations are clear to visitors as older pupils look after younger ones, children understand that others may have different faiths, languages, home circumstances, but that at school everyone is equal and deserves respect.
- high aspirations
All of our staff and parents want our pupils to be the best version of themselves - academically and otherwise. When we talk about high standards, this refers not only to the learning which occurs, but also relates to behaviour, uniform and manners. Not all of our pupils will reach 'greater depth' in their learning, however, we do not impose a ceiling and have high aspirations for all. Through well-planned lessons, practical activities involving active learning opportunities, support from staff and higher order questioning, most pupils achieve more than the national average in academic subjects.
At St George's a child is not valued just for their academic results. All of our pupils shine in some way - this may be on the sporting field or they may be a talented musician or a gifted artist. Whilst some pupils may (despite support and interventions) struggle to achieve highly in academic subjects, we search for and target that child's specific talent, thus enhancing their self-confidence and self-belief. Our assemblies celebrate more than academic success - visitors may see children receiving recognition for a beautiful painting, improving their front crawl in the pool or for helping a child who fell over on the playground.
