“It started with a picture of a tree on a wall and now it is alive and growing.”
The Journey of St. Mary’s BREW Curriculum
At St. Mary’s, we embarked on a journey to create a bespoke curriculum rooted in four core values: Belief, Rights, Environment, and Wellbeing (BREW). These values, in alignment with our Mission Statement—Growing, Loving, and Learning in the Arms of Mary—form the foundation of a curriculum designed to meet the needs of the next generation.
Our four values are deeply embedded in both the school’s enrichment activities and the wider curriculum:
- Belief: As a Catholic school with strong Marian traditions, our faith is central to everything we do.
- Rights: We are proud to be a United Nations Rights Respecting School, promoting children’s rights as a core part of our ethos.
- Environment: We hold the Green Flag Award, reflecting our commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.
- Wellbeing: St. Mary’s is recognised for its leadership in mental health, having authored the Gold Charter Mark for Wellbeing, now used across Sunderland and within our Trust.
Our aim was to use these strengths as key drivers to develop a character-based curriculum, focusing on “why” we teach rather than just “what” we teach. The starting point of this journey was a simple yet vital question: “What kind of child do we want to see leaving St. Mary’s?”
From this reflection, the BREW Curriculum was born—an innovative approach designed to nurture well-rounded, thoughtful, and resilient pupils ready for the challenges of the future.
These four drivers are linked to Catholic teachings and, following consultation with our Parish priest, Fr. Chris, we have made the connection to Vatican documents:
Belief – Dei Verbum (Word of God) sets out how we worship, pray, interpret and share the word of God. Prayer and liturgy are at the heart of life at St. Mary’s. Governors, leaders and staff have high expectations and a shared vision with regard to the Catholic mission and ethos of the school, while also respecting the beliefs of other people.
Rights – Gaudium et spes (Hope and joy) speaks of the dignity of the human race and identifies the church’s social teachings. As a rights respecting school, we are a community where children’s rights are learned, taught, practised, respected, protected and promoted. We hold the Unicef Rights Respecting Gold Award.
Environment- Laudate Si (Praise be to you) confers an environmental message about the stewardship of the Earth. At St Mary’s we aim to inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world around them. We are committed to raising awareness of issues such as global citizenship, diversity, human rights and sustainable development. We promote environmental awareness, supporting our children to understand the fragility of our environment and the importance of its protection. We hold the Environmental Green Flag award.
Wellbeing – Fratelli tutti (All brothers) speaks of caring for each other as in the parable of the Good Samaritan. At St. Mary’s, we place a high emphasis on the welfare and wellbeing of teachers and pupils. We are committed to supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of all members of our school family. We understand that everyone experiences life challenges which can make us vulnerable, and at times everyone may need additional emotional support. We actively promote positive mental health, resilience and aspirations for all members of our community. We hold the Gold Mental Health Charter Mark, which involves supporting other schools and childcare settings.
The Development of the BREW Curriculum
After the initial staff meeting where the BREW values (Belief, Rights, Environment, and Wellbeing) were established, our Curriculum Lead, a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), was given the responsibility of collaborating with each subject lead to redesign the curriculum. The goal was to seamlessly integrate opportunities to meet BREW objectives across all subject areas.
This initiative was successful because staff were given dedicated time away from the classroom to focus on this important task. The process, which began in 2019, continued through and beyond the challenges of the lockdowns.
The BREW values are woven into the curriculum through enquiry-based learning, encouraging pupils to actively engage with and live out these values. For example, in Year 6, pupils explore the concept of rights by studying World War II and Nazi Germany, engaging in an ethical debate on whether the use of the atomic bomb was justified.
The impact of the BREW Curriculum is evident in both the pupils’ work and their conversations, demonstrating a deep understanding and thoughtful application of the values in their learning.
“At St Marys we commit ourselves to living through BREW. Our B stands for belief, which is central to our life. Our commitment to our beliefs involved making a conscious decision to follow Jesus Christ.” Nathaniel, Year 6.
The Family Tree and the BREW Curriculum
As the BREW values were developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, we officially introduced them to the whole school community once we were able to come back together. We gathered the pupils in the hall to unveil our Family Tree, a central piece of artwork symbolising the BREW values. The tree’s trunk represents Belief, Rights, Environment, and Wellbeing, feeding into the branches and leaves, which symbolise each individual child in our school.
We also actively involved parents in this journey through coffee mornings, newsletters, the school website, and open evenings. BREW has since become a core element of all school communications, and our community understands how central these values are to St. Mary’s identity.
Additionally, St. Mary’s Reading Canon is aligned with BREW. The books and texts chosen for our curriculum are selected to explore and reinforce these values, fostering meaningful discussions around character and ethics. This approach extends to the secondary school transition, ensuring continuity in the challenges and values pupils will face as they move forward in their education.
Beyond the Classroom: Enriching Character Development at St. Mary’s
At St. Mary’s, character development extends beyond the taught curriculum. In addition to our Environment and Wellbeing Awards, pupils are offered a range of enriching opportunities to develop their character through initiatives like Wellbeing Weeks, our Careers Programme, and the Forest School.
The Forest School complements our BREW values by engaging pupils in activities such as planting, growing, cooking, and environmental conservation, as well as promoting wellbeing. During Careers Week, we focus on the value of Rights by inviting professionals—including barristers, solicitors, and engineers—to inspire pupils and help them explore a wide range of future career paths.
Everything we do at St. Mary’s is deeply connected to the BREW values, including our pupil leadership bodies:
- BELIEF: Journey in Faith, Mini Vinnies
- RIGHTS: School Council
- ENVIRONMENT: Eco Action Team
- WELLBEING: Wellbeing Champions
This has been, and continues to be, a long-term process that operates on many levels. We are confident that this is the right approach for our school. Our bespoke curriculum is designed with one key goal in mind: to shape the type of children who leave us at the end of Year 6. At St. Mary’s, BREW is at the heart of the entire school experience.
