Cultural Capital

What is Cultural Capital?

Cultural capital is the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours, and skills that a child can draw upon and which demonstrates their cultural awareness, knowledge and competence; it is one of the key ingredients a child will draw upon to be successful in society, their career and the world of work.

Cultural capital promotes social mobility and success.

Cultural capital gives a child power. It helps them achieve goals, become successful, and rise up the social ladder without necessarily having wealth or financial capital.

Cultural capital is having assets that give children the desire to aspire and achieve social mobility whatever their starting point.

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:

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

Here is a summary of the key areas of coverage for each area of Cultural Capital Development. This is just an idea of what we do! WE do so much more.

Personal development

1. Personal, Social and Health Education provision
2. The school’s wider pastoral framework
3. Transition support
4. Work to develop confidence e.g. role play, supporting peers
5. Activities focused on building self-esteem
6. Mental Health & well-being provision
7. Nurture group
8. Nurture mentors

Social Development

1. Personal, Social and Health Education provision;
2. Volunteering and charitable work – e.g. raising funds for Mental Health charity, and many more which are all child initiated; choir singing at Christmas events;
3. Pupil Voice –School Council, Peer Mentors, Sports Council, reading ambassadors
4. Provisions linked to the school’s UNICEF Rights Respecting
5. Pastoral support from all staff
6. Nurture group
7. Nurture mentors
8. PSHE scheme

Physical Development

1. The Physical Education curriculum
2. Healthy Eating policies and catering provision
3. Anti-bullying and safeguarding policies and strategies
4. The Health Education of our Keeping Ourselves Heath and Safety Curriculum
5. The extra-curricular clubs related to sports and well-being