What is Cultural Capital?

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; it is one of the key ingredients a student will draw upon to be successful in society, their career and the world of work.

Cultural capital promotes social mobility and success in our stratified society.

Cultural capital gives a student 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 students the desire to aspire and achieve social mobility whatever their starting point.

Personal development:

1. Careers and Information, advice and guidance provision;
2. Personal Finance Education;
3. Employability skills, including work experience;
4. Citizenship, Personal, Social and Health Education provision;
5. The school’s wider pastoral framework;
6. Transition support;
7. Work to develop confidence e.g. public speaking and interview skills;
8. Activities focused on building self-esteem;
9. Mental Health & well-being provision.

Social Development:

1. Citizenship, Personal, Social and Health Education provision;
2. Student volunteering and charitable works;
3. Student Voice – House, Year and School Parliament;
4. Nurture Group Access;
5. Provisions linked to the school’s Healthy Schools’ Accreditation;
6. Provisions linked to the school’s accreditation as a Mental Health Champion School
7. In school and wider community engagement programmes;
8. Work experience and business engagement programmes;
9. Access to counselling.

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 dimension of the PSHE programme, including strands on drugs, smoking and alcohol;
5. The extra-curricular programme related to sports and well-being;
6. The celebration of sporting achievement including personal fitness and competitive sport;
7. Activities available for unstructured time, including lunch and break times;
8. Activity-based residentials;
9. The curricular programme related to food preparation and nutrition;
10. Advice & Guidance to parents on all aspects of student lifestyle;
11. The promotion of walking or cycling to school;

Spiritual Development:

1. The Religious Education and Philosophy Curriculum;
2. Our collective acts of worship and reflection;
3. Support for the expression of individual faiths;
4. Inter-faith and faith-specific activities and speakers;
5. Visits to religious buildings and centres;
6. Classes and seminars with speakers focusing on spiritual issues;
7. The Assembly programme.
8. P4C programme

Moral Development:

1. The Religious Education and assembly programme
2. The behaviour and justice framework underpinning the school’s Behaviour for Learning  policies;
3. Contributions to local, national and international charitable projects.
4. House-specific charities locally, nationally and internationally

Cultural Development:

1. Citizenship Education;
2. Access to the Arts;
3. Access to the languages and cultures of other countries through the curriculum and trips and visits;
4. Promotion of racial equality and community cohesion through the school’s ethos, informing all policy and practice.