William Cassidi School offers continuity of education for all pupils aged 3 to 11. We provide a broad, balanced relevant and interesting curriculum, which is matched to children’s abilities, within the framework of the National Curriculum and the Durham Diocese Syllabus for Religious Education. As a church school our ethos is central to all we do fostering values of fairness, equality, tolerance and acceptance which prepares our children for life in modern Britain.
The subject areas taught are English, Mathematics, science, computing, Religious Education, history, geography, design and technology, physical education, music, art and design, personal, social, health, economic education and citizenship. These are taught as discrete subjects and as part of topic based activities.
In both English and Maths children are grouped by their stage of development rather than their age. In English we adhere to the principles of Success For All whereby co-operative skills are developed to engender self-confidence, self-motivation, support, listening and debating skills, and focussed concentration. Children have the opportunity to work as individuals, pairs and groups as they develop their phonics, reading, comprehension, writing and oral skills.
In our Foundation Stage our curriculum is again based on the principles of Success For All and is carefully planned to meet the individual needs of all our children. They base their learning around topics which last two weeks and cover a wide variety of areas to develop skills, knowledge and understanding of the prime and specific areas of learning.
As well as developing academic skills we are committed to providing a happy, safe, secure, challenging and stimulating learning environment both inside and outside, which encourages the development of self-discipline, confidence and independence. Each child is valued as an individual and is encouraged to develop by making the most of every opportunity presented to them. We recognise and encourage breadth of talent and celebrate achievements across all areas including art, music and sport.