Cultural Capital

Cultural capital is the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours, and skills that a child can draw upon. It is one of the key ingredients a child will draw upon to be successful and it promotes social mobility. It helps children achieve goals and become successful without necessarily having wealth. Cultural capital is about enabling children to aspire and achieve, whatever their starting point. We recognise that for children to aspire and be successful, they need to be given rich and sustained opportunities to develop their cultural capital. We recognise six key areas of development that are interrelated and cumulatively contribute to the sum of a child’s cultural capital:

Personal development:

  • Careers Information;

  • Personal Finance Education;

  • Citizenship, Personal, Social and Health Education provision;

  • The school’s wider pastoral framework;

  • Growth mind set and metacognition - Resilience development strategies;

  • Transition support;

  • Work to develop confidence e.g. public speaking;

  • Activities focused on building self-esteem;

  • Mental Health and well-being provision.

Social Development:

  • Citizenship, Personal, Social and Health Education provision;

  • Volunteering and charitable works;

  • Pupil voice;

  • Provisions linked to the school’s Healthy Schools’ Accreditation;

  • Provisions linked to the school’s accreditation as a Mental Health Champion School and its participation in the NHS Mental Health Trailblazers’ programme;

  • Wider community engagement programmes;

  • Access to Listening Ear.

Physical Development:

  • The Physical Education curriculum;

  • Healthy Eating policies and catering provision;

  • Anti-bullying and safeguarding policies and strategies;

  • The Health Education curriculum;

  • The extra-curricular programme related to sports and well-being;

  • The celebration of sporting achievement including personal fitness and competitive sport;

  • Bike Ability and Scooter Ability training;

  • Activities available for unstructured time, including lunch and break times;

  • Activity-based residential visits;

  • The curricular programme related to food preparation and nutrition;

  • The promotion of walking or cycling to school.

Spiritual Development:

  • Religious Education;

  • Our collective acts of worship and reflection;

  • Inter-faith activities and speakers;

  • Visits to religious buildings.

Moral Development:

  • Religious Education;

  • Behaviour Management policies;

  • Contributions to local, national and international charitable projects;

  • Social action.

Cultural Development:

  • Citizenship Education;

  • Access to the Arts;

  • Access to the languages and cultures of other countries through the curriculum and trips and visitors;

  • Promotion of racial equality and community cohesion through the school’s ethos, informing all policy and practice.