Enrichment

Cultural capital is the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours, and skills that a student can draw upon and which demonstrates their cultural awareness, knowledge and competence; it is one of the key ingredients a student will draw upon to be successful in society, their career and the world of work. Cultural capital gives a pupil power. It helps them achieve goals, become successful, and rise up the social ladder without necessarily having wealth or financial capital. Also, it is having assets that give pupils the desire to aspire and achieve social mobility whatever their starting point.

At Marden Lodge, we recognise that for children to aspire and be successful academically and in the wider areas of their lives, they need to be given rich and sustained opportunities to develop their cultural capital.

The school recognises that there are six key areas of development that are interrelated and cumulatively contribute to the sum of a child’s cultural capital:

Personal development

1. Citizenship, Personal, Social and Health Education provision;
2. The school’s wider pastoral framework;
3. Growth mindset support – resilience development strategies;
4. Transition support;
5. Work to develop confidence e.g. role play, supporting peers;
6. Activities focused on building self-esteem;
7. Mental Health & well-being provision.
8. Our Global Curriculum offer

Social Development

1. Personal, Social and Health Education provision;
2. Volunteering and charitable work – eg. raising funds for Charities
3. Pupil Voice –  Pupil Parliament, Star Ambassadors, Play Leaders
4. Child and Family Support Worker support;
5. Provisions linked to the school’s accreditation of THRIVE
6. Pastoral support from all staff
7. Our Global Curriculum offer

Physical Development

1. The Physical Education curriculum;
2. Healthy Eating development and catering provision;
3. Anti-bullying and safeguarding policies and strategies, including the child-friendly policy
4. The Health Education dimension of the PSHE programme, including strands on drugs, smoking and alcohol;
5. The extra-curricular clubs related to sports and well-being;
6. The celebration of sporting achievement including personal fitness and competitive sport;
7. Activity-based residential visits. 

Spiritual Development

1. The Religious Education Curriculum;
2. Our collective acts of reflection;
3. Support for the expression of individual faiths;
4. Inter-faith and faith-specific activities and speakers;
5. Visits to religious buildings and centres;
6. Our Global Curriculum offer

Moral Development

1. The Religious Education Curriculum;
2. The school’s Behaviour policy;
3. Contributions to local, national and international charitable projects.
4. Our Global Curriculum offer

Cultural Development

1. Citizenship education through PSHE;
2. Arts education including Music and Drama;
3. Access to the languages and cultures of other countries through the Geography curriculum and extra-curricular activities
4. Promotion of racial equality and community cohesion through the school’s ethos, informing all policy and practice.
5. Our Global Curriculum offer
6. Extra-curricular clubs

At Marden Lodge, we are committed to the broadest educational offering, and that can mean looking beyond the National Curriculum. We offer an enrichment programme that draws upon a wide range of adult skills and is offered through school trips, visiting specialists and themed days and weeks as well as a range of extra-curricular clubs. Trips are directly linked to our topic work with residential visits taking place for children in Year 5 and Year 6. The children take part in a variety of workshops throughout the academic year which again link to the curriculum, as well as enterprise activities at the local market and events in school. When we can, we share dance, song and drama productions which are greatly appreciated by all.