Cultural Capital
What does Cultural Capital mean at Archibald First School?
At Archibald First School our aim is for children to join us on a learning journey that will equip them for the future. Every child and family that join the Archibald team will have their own unique knowledge and experience that will link to their culture and wider family. This might include: languages, beliefs, traditions, cultural and family heritage, interests, travel and work. We want our children to leave us in Year 4 with a range of skills, deep knowledge, a love of learning and ambition. We strive to develop children who are curious, caring, creative and courageous.
Cultural capital is the essential knowledge that children need to prepare them for their future success. It is the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours and skills that a child can draw upon and which demonstrates their cultural awareness, understanding and competence. It is about giving children the best possible start to their early education and will give them the ability to be successful in society, their career and the world of work.
Cultural capital empowers children; it helps them to achieve goals, become successful, and supports their aspirations for life. It is about having assets that give children the desire to aspire and achieve social mobility whatever their starting points.
At Archibald First School, children benefit from a broad and balanced curriculum that builds on what they understand and know already. We believe that exposure, not only to culture but also to situations in which the children might not have previous experiences of, is of paramount importance to their ongoing successes. We enhance our curriculum in numerous ways; by inviting professionals and experts into school to work with our children, by taking our children on school trips and visits and by carefully planning a curriculum that promotes rich and engaging learning opportunities. We believe that this will equip our children with the skills that they need to thrive.
Some examples of these experiences include;
- Studying the local area; parks, nature reserves and local walks
- Trips to the quayside and beach
- Visits to different places of worship
- Workshops at museums in Newcastle
- Experiencing the magic of the Tyne Theatre
- Educational visits linked to our topics
- Learning about people and places in our local community
- Taking in part in national event days to help celebrate our differences and keep us safe e.g. Black History Month, Children’s Mental Health Week, Pride month, Refugee week, and Safer Internet day
For further information please see our curriculum break down and ‘The Archibald Experience’ document.
