St Nicolas consistently promotes the extensive personal development of pupils. We go beyond the expected, so that pupils have access to a wide, rich set of experiences. Our aim is for all children to be courageous advocates; life-long learners; respectful, compassionate and empathetic; knowledgeable and talented; change-makers and leaders of the future; safe, happy, confident and resilient.

We have carefully considered the local context and have coherently planned our Aspirational, Creative and Engaging curriculum and wider offer to teach them the characteristics to become successful and responsible citizens of the future.

Further information about our curriculum including trips and community projects can be found here: 

Our Great Eight Commitment to our children at St Nicolas.

Every child will:

1. Be given the opportunity to play a musical instrument in each year group

“My idea is that there is music in the air, music all around us; the world is full of it, and you simply take as much as you require.” – Edward Elgar, English composer

Each year group learns to play different musical instruments including violin, keyboard, drums, ukeles and recorders. Further information can be found on the music page here

2. Develop a love of different sports

 “I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan, American basketball superstar “Do you know what my favourite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.” -Mike Singletary, American professional football coach

We offer a range of sports for children to learn including football, rugby, dance, tennis, hockey, dodgeball and badminton. We include the use of local experts to deliver specialist provision including gymnastics and swimming. Further information can be found on the PE page here

3. Perform to others

“Actors are agents of change. A film, a piece of theatre, a piece of music or a book can make a difference. It can change the world.” Alan Rickman, British actor and director.

There are a variety of performances across the school years including Nativity, Easter and Harvest. This accumulates in an end of year 6 production held at the local Abbey Theatre.

Further information can be found in our oracy document here 

4. Visit exciting places to enhance their learning experiences

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”  Maimonides, Jewish philosopher

We ensure pupils get the opportunity to visit an assortment of different places throughout their time here including local walks, castles, museums and outdoor parks. Our oldest children have the chance to participate in a residential visit and we use visitors to further enhance learning. Further information can be found in our trip document here

5. Develop an awareness of environmental changes in our ever evolving planet

“The only way forward, if we are going to improve the quality of the environment, is to get everybody involved.” – Richard Rogers, British architect and Former Member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom

Children get the chance to make a real change to our world. We use our Eco-council to make a real difference to our school environment and enhance our curriculum with outdoor learning opportunities. Further information can be found in our outdoor learning page here

6. Be given opportunities to speak out with their own views

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” Maya Angelou, American poet and civil rights activist.

It is important for our pupils to feel they have a voice that is listened to using a range of forums including school council and eco-council. Our curriculum ensures children have the opportunity to develop their oracy skills through speaking and listening activities. Further information can be found in our oracy page here as well as our School parliament and Eco Council here

7. Understand the dynamic beliefs and values of different cultures so that they start supporting cultural differences and embrace new ways to get along in society.

“We may have different religions, different languages, different coloured skin, but we all belong to one human race."  Kofi Annan, Ghanaian diplomat and the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Our curriculum has a rich diversity golden thread going through it ensuring pupils have chances to learn about others and gather respect for all people. We celebrate all backgrounds and ensure there is representation for families. Further information can be found on our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion page here

8. Develop empathy and compassion to create lifelong philanthropists through community projects.

“You want to be the pebble in the pond that creates the ripple for change.” Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc.

Community is a really important part of helping pupils feel a part of the world and we have service projects linked to our Rights Respecting School including supporting charities such as Water Aid and Earth Rainforest as well as more local work including Le Monts Hedgehog Rescue and Longlea Residential Home. Further information can be found on our community project document here