Secondary Curriculum Intent
Covid-19 Recovery and Adaptation
The Covid-19 pandemic has instigated unprecedented disruption and change in our children’s schooling. COVID-secure practices continue to be implemented across all our schools supporting the national approach to managing education through the pandemic. As we continue to experience the constantly changing landscape of the COVID pandemic we regularly review our practice and curriculum provision to ensure our students continue to receive a quality education. Where appropriate, we have made both short- and long-term alterations to our curriculum architecture, subject delivery, and interventions to ensure our provision best supports our students’ changing needs and enables equitable access. Due to the fast-changing nature of current times not all of these adjustments are reflected on our website curriculum pages. Our academy websites provide information on Remote Learning, guided pathways information, transition information and Catch-Up provision plans etc.
Our ̨Íåswag Curriculum Experience
Across our academies we have a shared articulation for our ̨Íåswag curriculum experience which follows the journey of a child from Early Years to Post 16. Our curriculum provision maps our Intrinsic Curriculum - which builds our inclusive, caring culture and ethos; our Enhancement Curriculum - which fosters personal development and social understanding; our Academic Curriculum - which sequences knowledge, understanding and skills to aid learning; and our Elective Curriculum - which offers enriching opportunities and experiences for all. Together, these elements provide not just a broad and balanced academic experience but also a wealth of treasured and enriching experiences for all the children and young people we educate.
Our Secondary ̨Íåswag Curriculum Experience
Our Academy Curriculum Rationales and Curriculum Models
Across our Trust we localise our secondary academies’ curriculum rationales and models ensuring their curriculum architecture is bespoke to the academy whilst reflecting Trust best practice. The architecture of our curriculum models how each of our academies structure and allocate time across year groups and key stages to best deliver their subjects, tutorial, breaks, lunches, assemblies and wider curriculum delivery. Our curriculum models are designed to ensure our academies effectively deliver our Trust’s shared curriculum intent by providing a broad and balanced curriculum and rich educational experience. Our academies’ curriculum models are individually designed to best meet the needs of their students and locality for example by reflecting upon courses that support the local and national job market and those that have been positive destination subjects for their students etc.
Our academies provide a clear rationale for their curriculum model explaining how its design for example it may promote specific values and skills or meet important local and national agendas such as health and wellbeing. This local flexibility allows academies to personalise their provision to their school community for example the delivery of modern foreign languages may differ in terms of the languages taught; the number of languages offered, the provision of literacy and EAL additional English provision and the subject time allocation for each year group. Across the Trust our academies will bespoke the subject offer in their Level 2/ GCSE Guided Pathways and Post 16 subject provision etc. Details of academy curriculum models and their rationales can be found on our academy websites in their curriculum pages.
Our Curriculum Entitlement
Our curriculum reflects the ambitious intent of the National Curriculum. Students begin their secondary experience studying a rich programme of English, maths, science, geography, history, one or two modern foreign languages, physical education, computer science, religious education and citizenship studied through our RE/Life programme and a range of expressive arts including art, music, drama or dance and technology subjects such as food, textiles, resistant materials etc.
Students study a broad range of subjects and learning opportunities to deepen their educational experience and build a solid foundation of subject knowledge and skills. Academic & technical study at Level 1 / Level 2 (including GCSE) are studied across two years offering a wide entitlement to subjects including those which make up the Full English Baccalaureate* i.e. GCSE in one English (Literature or English Language), mathematics, two sciences (including computer science), one humanities subject (geography or history) and a modern foreign language. There is opportunity to study triple or combined sciences and a wide selection of open subjects are offered including a range of expressive arts subjects, religious education, technology subjects, physical education, social sciences including Business Studies etc. Each academy has a bespoke open element offer. We design time and flexibility for large numbers of students to choose creative subjects for study up to 16 years old. Opportunity is also constructed to facilitate additional English and Maths study for those students who require this support.
* To achieve the Full English Baccalaureate students must achieve a Grade 5 in each of these subjects.
Student Engagement
Opportunities for students to experience achievement and choice are maximised and promoted across our five-year secondary curriculum. Effort and success are recognised and encouraged. Students become motivated and engaged by their improving subject fluency and achievement and their right to choose how to deepen their studies as they progress across key stages. Advice and guidance underpin our curriculum modelling ensuring our students have regular points of discussion with senior leaders and parents/ carers about their current and future study choices, changing interests and developing aspirations.
We provide points of flexibility and personalisation within our broad and balanced offer to enhance student engagement and success. At Level 1 and Level 2 (including GCSE) every subject/qualification is open to every student. There are no pathways that prevent students from studying certain subject combinations. We build our timetables around our students’ choices removing the restriction of option blocks to create greater freedom for students to deepen their selected study. Level 2 courses are all studied across 2 years however some academy curriculum models may choose to operate a limited selection of courses across Year 9 and 10 as well as Year 10 and 11 to personalise our students’ study portfolio. Where this occurs it will be explained in the academy curriculum model rationale as this decision is localised to best support our students’ needs and reflect the academy’s journey.