Kingsgate Primary School

Cultural capital

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)
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.