At Abbotswood Primary School, we are passionate and committed to providing the children in our care with outstanding learning opportunities. Our aim is to enrich every child’s school experience and create an environment where they are encouraged to succeed and be the best they can be.
Cultural experiences are about preparing children with the knowledge and skills for what comes next. We realise the exploration of new skills and experiences helps to nurture resilience, curiosity, and creativity. Ultimately, this leads to the growth of new forms of cultural experiences that make a difference in individual mindsets and shape the future.
Every child and family who joins our school brings their own knowledge and experiences that link to their culture and wider family. This might include languages, beliefs, traditions, cultural and family heritage, interests, travel, and work. Cultural experiences encompass the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours, and skills that a child can draw upon, demonstrating their cultural awareness, knowledge, and competence. It is one of the key ingredients a pupil will draw upon to be successful in society, their career, and the world of work.
Cultural capital gives power. It helps children achieve goals, become successful, and rise up the social ladder without necessarily having wealth or financial capital. Cultural experiences provide assets that give children the desire to aspire and achieve social mobility, whatever their starting point.
At Abbotswood Primary School, children benefit from a flexible 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, is of paramount importance to their ongoing successes. Gradually widening children’s experiences as they progress through school is an important step in providing rich and engaging learning across the curriculum. We plan carefully for children to have progressively richer experiences in school and beyond.
Please see the attached booklet of the cultural capital experiences your child will encounter throughout our school.