Although ‘cultural capital’ is a term which is a relatively new addition to the educational landscape in Britain, the ideas behind it have, for many years, underpinned our Belle Vue curriculum. As it is a term originally coined in the early 1970s in the field of sociology, it’s definition, when applied to the National Curriculum, remains a source of some debate.

Ofsted define cultural capital as…

“As part of making the judgement about the quality of education, inspectors will consider the extent to which schools are equipping pupils with the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life.

Our understanding of ‘knowledge and cultural capital’ is derived from the following wording in the national curriculum: ‘It is the essential knowledge that pupils need to be educated citizens, introducing them to the best that has been thought and said and helping to engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement.’

How is ‘cultural capital’ approached in Belle Vue Primary School?

In Belle Vue Primary School, we start by acknowledging that all pupils already have ‘cultural capital’. Our pupils’ knowledge, experiences, backgrounds, skills, interests, and beliefs are valued and celebrated.

Our curriculum aims to build upon these starting points, by providing children with rich and varied learning experiences.

Our curriculum has the highest expectations of all pupils and is rich in knowledge and skills. Underpinning this is our 'Belle Vue Passport' which sets out some of the experiences that all pupils will experience whilst they are with us.

We aim to expand on our pupils' cultural capital in a number of ways: