Cultural Capital is the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours, and skills that a child gains over time through different experiences and opportunities. They draw upon these to demonstrate 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 gives power. It helps children 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.

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.’ 

At Wrockwardine Wood Infant School and Oakengates Nursery federation, children benefit from a curriculum that builds on what they know and can do. We believe that exposure, not only to culture but also to situations in which the children might not have previous experiences of, is of paramount importance to their ongoing successes.

Gradually widening children’s experiences as they progress through school is an important step in providing rich and engaging learning across the curriculum. We plan carefully for children to have progressively richer experiences in nursery and beyond. These include educational visits to local places of interest, shops, places of worship, museums and sports venues to name just a few. Children in Year 2 also attend a residential visit to Edgmond Hall and the theatre to see a Pantomime at Christmas time.