At St. Mary's we strive to provide ample opportunities to enhance the children’s learning wherever possible to work alongside the curriculum. Throughout the year, we organise themed days/weeks such as Fairtrade Week, Arctic Alive week, Remembrance Week, Internet Safety Week, STEM week etc. to further develop the opportunities we give our pupils and to enhance our curriculum offer.

Parents and members of the school community are often invited into school to share and celebrate the achievements of the children through collective worships, assemblies, exhibitions and celebration events. 

To help bring learning to life teachers highly value the importance of bringing visitors into school and taking pupils on learning visits for a range of different learning purposes. In addition, we invest in specialist educational providers such as Music Services, ICT based companies and specialist sports coaches to ensure that our learning offer for our children is the best it can possibly be.

At St Mary's we recognise the importance of curriculum enhancement and we make sure that the impact is positive, therefore raising pupils’ enjoyment and achievement.

Most recently, Year 6 have made a special trip to the Houses of Parliament in Westminster to visit the Speaker of the House, Chorley MP, Sir Lindsay Hoyle where they will learn about laws, debating, voting and Parliament’s history - before taking a tour of one of the world’s most famous buildings.

Some other curriculum enhancement includes:

  • Canadian Embassy’s Arctic Alive Map visiting school in 2018 and September 2019 to help children learn about the Arctic and some of the recent issues with climate change and global warming. 
  • Pendle Faith Centre - Building Bridges Programme to bring RE to life and help support community cohesion. 
  • Blackburn Cathedral's Sing Together Project for our school choir in March 2019 and 2020.
  • Bikeability delivered for children in Year 6
  • Balance bikes training for Reception 
  • Chorley Lodge Artists Visitors for Year 2
  • Lancashire Fire and Rescue visits for Year 2 and Year 6.
  • RNLI visit for Year 2, 6 and Reception based on safety around water. 
  • PEAS Art consultant support for the whole school.
  • Hothersall Lodge Outdoor Education Centre for Year 6 residential
  • Domino’s Pizza visit for children in Year 2 to help them learn more about healthy eating and a balanced diet. 
  • Locality Walk based on the History of Chorley Market for Year 2 with Chorley Council
  • Locality Walk to explore the houses of WWI soldiers for Year 2 who left home and did not return. 
  • Chorley School Sport Partnership for KS2 teaching
  • Specialist French teacher for KS2
  • Chorley Council and Edge Hill University Book Bench Project to enhance reading for pleasure and the profile of art in the school. 
  • P4C education visitors to enhance and support elements of P4C used in school. 
  • Money Management classes in partnership with Southlands High School delivered in Year 5 and 6
  • Chorley Swimming Baths lessons for Year 4
  • Pantomime Theatre Trips for the whole school in December every year
  • Chester Zoo visit in February 2020. 
  • Astley Hall visits for various classes and learning opportunities for History and Art.  
  • International school link with Kwa Njenga Primary School in Nairobi, Kenya as part of the British Council - Connecting Classrooms Programme (click here for more information).
  • Rock and River visit for Year 3 
  • Various storytellers and author visits to school organised in partnership with Ebb and Flo Bookshop
  • Music lessons delivered by Lancashire specialists. 
  • Kung Fu, Judo lessons and other specialist sports lessons deelivered as extra-curricular classes. 
  • Lancashire Music Service partnership for musical instrument teaching
  • Viking Day in Year 4

More detail about the curriculum and learning in each class is available in the half-termly curriculum newsletters available on this website here and on the long term plans which can be viewed on the curriculum tab.