Our Cynefin - Our Curriculum 

The new curriculum for Wales offers schools the opportunity to build a curriculum which reflects the diverse needs of each school across Wales. For us at Bishopston Primary School, this means we have the creative freedom to build a curriculum which is relevant to us being based here in the Gower as well as members of Wales and the wider world.

We have carefully considered what is important to our pupils and how this connects with their ‘cynefin’. Cynefin is a Welsh term defined by Curriculum for Wales as ‘the place where we feel we belong, where the people and landscape around us are familiar, and the sights and sounds are reassuringly recognisable.’ As a school we feel this is so important as it allows us to personalise the curriculum for our pupils so that they can find meaningful connections within their learning made through their immediate surroundings. Bishopston Primary has a wealth of opportunities for pupils exploring cynefin. Indeed, many of them exist in the history and beauty of our local Gower beaches and woods.

Our learners will have the opportunities to become enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work, as well as opportunities to become responsible citizens, as they engage critically with local, national and global challenges and opportunities past and present, and seek to imagine possible futures. All the while, they will be encouraged to think about how they themselves can take positive action to improve the lives of people in their cynefin, in Wales and in the wider world.

Learners will have the safe space for discussion and reflection which allows time to explore their personal perspectives on religious and non-religious world views, ethical challenges and social inclusion issues. They will also be asked to explore the natural world, locally, across Wales and beyond, which will nurture a sense of place and well-being. These experiences will help support the development of healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society in Wales and the wider world.