Cultural Capital

It is our aim at Moss Lane School that all our children leave us well-prepared for the next stage in their education; it can be very tricky for our staff to say goodbye as our children leave us to go into junior school, so the readier they are the better!

 

We define cultural capital as the knowledge needed to fully appreciate and participate in all aspects of life. Cultural capital, promotes the idea that schools should support the modern definition of what ‘cultural capital’ means. That is an individual who is knowledgeable about a wide range of culture, is comfortable discussing its value and merits, and has been given a vast array of experiences and access to skill development.

Bourdieu identified three sources of cultural capital – objective, embodied and institutionalised.

In Moss Lane this comprises:-

 

  • Objective: cultural goods, books, works of art;
  • Embodied: language, mannerisms, preferences;
  • Institutionalised: education credentials, high expectations and achievement .

We aim to realise cultural capital through all aspects of our  curriculum – exposing our children to a large variety of subject areas and arts; promoting character-building qualities that lead to creating well-rounded, global citizens, and of course the more typical expectation of education, to provide young people with recognised and meaningful qualifications that will open up doors to paths in later life. 

Our Moss Lane values are very important to every member of our school and we expect all our children to behave in a way that reflects this. We expect our children to understand what each value means and what it looks like in practice. We have high expectations for behaviour and our children’s behaviour at Moss Lane is exemplary.
 
We have a robust Behaviour Policy which is used consistently by all our staff; our children leave us knowing what is acceptable in and out of school and how to take responsibility for their own learning. We aim to support children in overcoming any barriers they may have to learning, including behaviour that can challenge us. Our curriculum is ‘tilted’ towards our vulnerable groups, for example, children in receipt of pupil premium funding or those who are new beginners in English. All staff members are aware of the vulnerable children and they are a focus for tracking and pupil progress; our children develop resilience and the independence they need to take risks and learn from their mistakes.Our children learn to be ‘the best they can be’; along with all of our staff as we strive to be the ‘best we can be’ to!
 
Our aim is for all our children to leave us ‘Junior School Ready’; this means we have prepared them for the next stage in their learning journey. For some children our focus will be to ensure they are working at Age Related Expectations, for others we will support them to develop their self-confidence, their independence or their ability to manage their emotions. Some children need help to find a ‘voice’; our greatest SEND need is for Speech and language Support. Some of our children will need help with physical resources, such as uniform or PE kit, or an extra-curricular club.
 
All our children are known well by the teachers and learning support staff as well as the leadership team; we know what their needs are and what we have to do to plug gaps and raise attainment and self-confidence. We are proud of each and every one of our children because we know they are trying the best. We want each child that leaves us with a desire to know more, an ability to talk about themselves and ambitions to be successful in their future. We want them to know that they can, even if they have to keep on trying!
 
Our children care for and respect each other; we celebrate our differences and learn from others. We support local and national charities and the children learn why it is important to take responsibility for our actions and to try to instigate change. Our school councillors chose to support guide dogs as one of our local charities and  the Meath. We now raise money each year to continue this relationship. Our children know we have made a difference. We never place a glass ceiling on any of our children; we teach them to ‘Reach for the Stars’.
 
T. 01483 417214 E. info@moss-lane.surrey.sch.uk