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.
At East Dene, 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:
- Personal Development
- Social Development, including political and current affairs awareness
- Physical Development
- Spiritual Development
- Moral Development
- Cultural development
Summary of the key areas of coverage for each area of Cultural Capital Development:
- Citizenship, Personal, Social and Health Education provision;
- The school’s wider pastoral framework;
- Growth mindset support – resilience development strategies;
- Transition support;
- Work to develop confidence e.g. role play, supporting peers;
- Activities focused on building self-esteem;
- Mental Health & well-being provision.
- Personal, Social and Health Education provision;
- Volunteering and charitable work – eg. raising funds for NSPCC; choir singing at Christmas for elderly in Essington residential home
- Pupil Voice –School Council, Digital Ambassadors, Peer Mentors, Sports Council;
- Child and Family Support Worker support;
- Provisions linked to the school’s accreditation of the Mental Health Award
- Pastoral support from all staff
- The Physical Education curriculum;
- Healthy Eating policies and catering provision;
- Anti-bullying and safeguarding policies and strategies, including the child-friendly policy
- The Health Education dimension of the PSHE programme, including strands on drugs, smoking and alcohol;
- The extra-curricular clubs related to sports and well-being;
- The celebration of sporting achievement including personal fitness and competitive sport;
- Activity-based residential visits.
- Design and Technology units related to food preparation and nutrition;
- The Religious Education Curriculum;
- Our collective acts of reflection;
- Support for the expression of individual faiths;
- Inter-faith and faith-specific activities and speakers;
- Visits to religious buildings and centres;
- The Religious Education Curriculum;
- The school’s Behaviour policy;
- Contributions to local, national and international charitable projects.
- Citizenship education through PSHE;
- Arts education including Music and Drama;
- Access to the languages and cultures of other countries through the Geography and MFL curriculum;
- Promotion of racial equality and community cohesion through the school’s ethos, informing all policy and practice.
Each curriculum area makes its own contribution to children’s cultural capital development and supports SMSC across the school.
SMSC and the Curriculum
SMSC is about developing the whole person through Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural experiences.
In our school SMSC is promoted through different subject areas.
We develop our awareness of the power of music by reflecting and expressing our own thoughts and feelings and our willingness to participate and respond to musical and cultural opportunities.
We foster awareness and understanding of a range of believes and practises in our community and the wider world. SMSC within RE, helps pupils develop their sense of identity and belonging in an increasingly diverse society.
We prepare for the challenges of living and learning in a technology enriched world, making clear guidelines about the ethical use of the internet.
We study a variety of genres which develops our awareness of moral and social issues, while increasing confidence and expertise in language which is an important aspect of our individual and social identity.
We appreciate that mathematics contributes to our everyday life and by working together we are able to achieve better results. We explore patterns and mathematical relationships using logical reasoning to help us make decisions and choices.
We are encouraged to reflect on the wonder of the natural world. By showing an awareness of the way science can effect society and the environment, we show respect for different opinions.
We appreciate the achievements of past societies and the motivation of individuals, recognising that actions have consequences, by considering the results of events and decisions made in history.
We create opportunities to reflect on the diverse nature of our world, thinking about changing landscapes and the environment and developing our awareness of issues surrounding climate change.
Art & DT:
At East Dene, our curriculum significantly enriches a child’s cultural capital in Art, Design, and Technology by providing a diverse array of creative opportunities and resources. The curriculum is designed to nurture artistic expression and technical skills through hands-on projects, trips, critical thinking and an exposure to a variety of artistic mediums and design principles. Students engage in activities that stimulate their imagination and critical thinking, such as creating original artworks, exploring cutting-edge technologies, and understanding the historical and cultural contexts of different art forms. This holistic approach not only enhances their artistic abilities but also instils a deep appreciation for the arts and fosters innovative thinking, preparing them for future academic and professional endeavours in a rapidly evolving world.
Through activities involving teamwork, cooperation, competition, rules, self-discipline and fair play, we develop the skills of self-reflection, personal awareness and challenge.