Cultural Capital

Cultural Capital and our School Community

Cultural capital is the essential knowledge that children need to prepare them for their future success.  It is about giving children the best possible start to their early education.

Ofsted defines cultural capital as:

… the essential knowledge that pupils need to be educated citizens, introducing them to the best that has been thought and said, and helping to engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement.

As part of making a judgement about the quality of education, inspectors will consider how well leaders use the curriculum to enhance the experience and opportunities available to children, particularly the most disadvantaged.

At Russell Hall Primary School we continuously review how the education we provide contributes to the life-long learning and experiences of all our pupils and their families. We develop strong links with outside agencies, community organisers and projects to model respectable and positive relationships. This also supports children’s cultural capital experiences which prepares them to be decent model citizens as they leave our school and continue to progress into teenage years and adulthood in the community and wider world.

As a school we recognise that there are six key areas of development that are interrelated and cumulatively contribute to the sum of a student’s cultural capital:

1. Personal Development
2. Social Development, including political and current affairs awareness
3. Physical Development
4. Spiritual Development
5. Moral Development
6. Cultural development

Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development is at the heart of our school ethos. British values are promoted through the overarching aims and objectives of PSHE by supporting our children to become healthy and responsible members of society, as well as preparing them for life and work in modern Britain.

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. At Russell Hall, we take every opportunity possible to enhance the cultural capital of our learners and equip them with the knowledge and experiences needed for society.