The National Curriculum defines Cultural Capital as "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".
The concept of cultural capital is associated with sociologist Pierre Bourdieu who used the
term to explain why some children achieve better educational outcomes than others.
Bourdieu defined cultural capital as the various assets that people have including the way
they speak, their level of education and their hobbies and interests. He noted that children
from less advantaged backgrounds were less likely to achieve academically than their better
off peers and concluded that the education system and wider society values certain aspects
of cultural capital more than others.
This, he believed, influenced social mobility, wellbeing and life outcomes.
Examples of cultural capital at our school:
- The quality and variety of our school’s curriculum
- ensuring children have the knowledge and skills for what comes next (eg getting ready for
Y1)
- the exciting and stimulating activities that teachers do with children every day
- "awe and wonder" of the world
- vocabulary development (word aware)
- promoting physical activity (EYFS PE lessons, scooterbility)
- exploring the world around them (trips, visitors)
after school clubs
- reading children high quality books
- listening to music
- teaching children emotional literacy (Take 10, meditation, PSHE, our behaviour
policy)
- teaching children how to be confident
- insisting that children speak in standard English, full sentences, grammatical
- teaching children how use a fork
- teaching children about clapping at the right place in the interval
- teaching children manners (thank you, good morning, making eye contact)
- giving children responsibilities – eco committee, mini health champions
- coaching & leadership sessions
- sports competitions
- extended opportunities for learning eg DT days.
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