What is ‘Cultural Capital’?

Cultural capital is the essential knowledge that children need to prepare them for their future success. It is about giving children the best possible start to their education.  

The original phrase came from the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu in the 1970s, believing the more ‘capital’ you had, the more powerful your position was within society. This concept has continued to develop and research now shows that when a child’s cultures are valued, both their experience of learning and their progress can benefit (Husain et al., 2018, p. 4 and Gazzard, E. 2018 in Chalmers, H. and Crisfield, E. 2019).

Cultural capital is the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours, and skills that a child can draw upon to be successful in their education, society and the world of work. It helps children achieve goals and become successful no matter their starting point.

Cultural Capital at Aughton

At Aughton Junior Academy pupils benefit from a creative and ambitious curriculum that builds on what they understand and know already. We believe the exposure to valuable, long-life experiences is important to their ongoing successes.

We recognise that for our pupils to aspire and be successful academically and in the wider areas of their lives, they need to be given rich and sustained opportunities to develop their cultural capital. We do this in many ways, for example, through our curriculum, extra-curricular activities, workshops, visits, enrichment days and community links.

 

Collaboration with Rotherham Children's Capital of Culture 2025

Did you know that Rotherham will be the Children's Capital of Culture in 2025? It is a commitment to empowering children and young people to have a voice and play an active role in the borough's future. The organistaion are committed to changing the fortunes for our younger generations and making Rotherham a place they are proud to call home.

We been one of the lucky schools who have worked closely with the team who are leading the Children's Capital of Culture 2025 for Rotherham who have delivered music workshops, art workshops and our Year 4 visited the Museum of the Moon, which was funded by the organisation. 

https://www.childrenscapitalofculture.co.uk/

 

AppeaR Visual Art Workshops for the children to explore media and create something unique. 

AppeaR song and music workshop for each class in the school. Each class wrote their own song about Aughton to showcase the community we live in with the singer-song writer Sam. Each class wrote their poem together and performed it to the tune on the guitar. 

Year 4 visited the Museum of the Moon as part of the Children's Capital of Culture and took part in a Science and art workshop where the children designed their own moon. 

 

Event	Aims
Class Council Elections with councillor	Social, moral and cultural • For children to understand democratic processes • For children to understand that we live in a democracy • For children to understand that not all global citizens have the same rights
Harvest Collection Class councillors to help create food parcels for the food bank.	Spiritual and moral • To understand the importance of harvest • To understand how we can support those in need • To promote collaborative partnerships with the local community.
Remembrance Day learning and assembly	Spiritual, moral, social and cultural • To help children understand the importance of commemoration
Anti-Bullying Week	Social and moral • To reinforce our school anti bullying ethos • To ensure children understand the specific issues children with SEND may face • To ensure all children are equipped to recognise and challenge bullying behaviours
KS1 Christmas Performance	Spiritual, moral, social and cultural • To reflect upon and understand the true meaning of Christmas within the Christian faith • To understand how Christmas is celebrated in another country
KS2 Christmas Performance	Spiritual, moral, social and cultural • To reflect upon and understand the true meaning of Christmas within the Christian faith • To understand how Christmas is celebrated in another country
Safer Internet sessions	Social and moral • To reinforce our e-safety message so that children are empowered to make safe moral choices in their internet use
Open the book assemblies	Spiritual, moral, social and cultural To explore the beliefs and values of Christians.  To promote collaborative partnerships with the local community.