New Curriculum

Cantonian is excited to embrace the new Curriculum for Wales.  The Curriculum has been designed to enthuse pupils aged 3 to 16 and give them the foundations they need to succeed in an ever-changing world.   

At Cantonian, we strive to develop strong and effective relationships within the school that will help support learners to thrive and become more independent.  We want all our pupils to be ready to learn, respectful and responsible.  We want to develop these three essential characteristics within our pupils and for them be evident in the culture of the school.

Wellbeing is also an important aspect of our school life, as we understand the impact positive wellbeing has for pupils in terms of their health and the progress they make.

At Cantonian, we are committed to ensuring we provide our pupils with the necessary skills, knowledge, experiences and understanding to make progress towards the four purposes. We want our pupils to be happy and confident, to achieve their potential and to become independent lifelong learners.  We aim for ‘The best from each, success for all’ which leads to ’A BRIGHTER FUTURE.’

The Cantonian Curriculum

At Cantonian, we have put relationships at the heart of our curriculum because we strongly believe that developing good relationships and encouraging positive behaviour in the classroom, playground and wider community is essential for creating the right environment for effective teaching and learning.  Where children and young people feel included, respected, safe and secure, and when their achievements and contributions are valued and celebrated, they are more likely to develop self-confidence, resilience and positive views about themselves.

At Cantonian, we make the commitment that each pupil is known well by at least one adult within the school.  In order to help develop relationships and support pupils socially, emotionally and academically, our curriculum has embraced the idea of Criw.  The structure of Criw allows for relationship building, monitoring of academic progress, and character development.  From September 2023, Criw has been rolled out to all pupils in Year 7 and will be built on year-on-year.  We commit to focusing on relationships and developing Criw to ensure every pupil feels seen, heard, and valued.

At Cantonian, we promote an inclusive environment to ensure ’The best from each, success for all.’  We believe that a happy pupil is a successful one and we are committed to providing a positive, safe and stimulating environment for pupils to learn and where all feel valued.  Central to our curriculum vision is wellbeing and the driving ambition to develop our pupils’ resilience and self-worth which will enable them to thrive, progress and succeed in school and in life.

The cornerstone of the Cantonian curriculum is the 3R’s.  The 3R’s underpin the essential characteristics we want our pupils to display which are Ready, Respectful and Responsible.

Ready: we want all our pupils to be ready to embrace their learning, ready to face challenges and ready to engage in work.

Respectful: we promote respect within and outside the classroom and work with pupils to understand the importance of creating a respectful community, within and outside our school, where everyone is respected and valued.

Responsible: we believe it is important to promote responsibility and encourage pupils to act in a responsible manner within school and their wider community.  We also encourage pupils to take responsibility for their work and encourage them to always try to work to the best of their ability.  At Cantonian, we promote social responsibility, and our pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions.

At Cantonian, our curriculum has been designed to embrace the principals of understanding by design.  Teachers consider the ‘statements of what matters’ and the ‘four purposes’ when identifying what understanding they believe pupils need, and how this understanding can be developed and deepened as they move from Year 7 to Year 11.  The curriculum understanding drives what knowledge, skills and experiences are needed and what assessment opportunities best capture pupils’ understanding.

The Cantonian Craft allows staff to think about how they teach and the pedagogical approach that is most effective.  The Cantonian Craft ensures that lessons are planned to a high quality and allow pupils to progress and understand where they are within their learning journey.  The Cantonian Craft encourages staff to think about the following when planning lessons:

• Challenge
• Explanation and modelling
• Questioning
• Deliberate practice
• Review of learning (AFL approaches)
• Feedback

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 wellbeing, tackle ignorance and misinformation, and encourage critical and civic engagement. Through our curriculum, we strive to ensure pupils make progress in the four purposes and we support them in becoming:

• 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, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society

Our vision is driven by our ambition to ensure ‘The best for each, success for all’ which will help our pupils in their journeys to successful futures.