Curriculum Overview
We believe that all students, whatever their background, have a right to access the best education possible.
The curriculum ensures that students are knowledgeable enough about the world around them to transform it in the future.
How?
- Our academy values underpin the curriculum ‘ways of being’.
- Our academy ‘shows it cares’ by ensuring students will be co-operative, safe, responsible young people who exceed their potential both academically and socially within an open, fair and diverse community.
- Students and teachers ‘succeed together’ by delivering excellence in the classroom that drives a love of learning and high standards of achievement. Through an enriching experience, students will be able to communicate in different ways, work in partnership, be self-reliant and world ready.
- The academy teaches students to ‘be yourself, always’ by ensuring they are happy, healthy, resilient and independent. Students at Co-op Academy Swinton will have the confidence to be a force for good in society.
- The culture of high standards and expectations set by the academy ensure they always ‘do what matters most’. Our students will be knowledgeable, competitive, entrepreneurial citizens, with a commitment to participate responsibly and develop informed views of complex issues.
We see the curriculum as the mastery of a body of subject-specific knowledge defined by the school. Skills are generally considered to be an outcome. It is the knowledge that provides students with the power to open doors and explore the curriculum in more depth. Knowledge develops a love for learning. Students are enthused by knowing more and remembering more. This enthusiasm raises attainment and aspirations for all students.
As a result of our knowledge-rich curriculum and the process of curriculum planning in small steps:
- Concepts are broken down into granular items of knowledge to be mastered, which ensures a deeper understanding of the content being studied.
- Teachers have a clear overview of the precise knowledge students will learn, which allows teachers to focus on deciding the most effective way to explain the content to their students, as well as adapting their teaching in response to feedback.
- Teachers are able to identify specifically how to support those who need further challenge.
Measure
By the age of 18, we want every student to have the choice of university or a high quality apprenticeship.
Regardless of setting, streaming or mixed ability classes, children of all abilities are entitled to the most powerful knowledge they can retain and to the highest expectations they can meet.
Children are entitled both to be prepared thoroughly for national assessment and to acquire sufficient knowledge of the wider domain to fully enable further study.
Students are entitled to high currency qualifications which improve their life chances.
All students make good progress with an added focus on those eligible for Pupil Premium funding and those with special educational needs.
The proportion of our students not in education, employment or training is below the national average. We strive for a 0% NEET figure.
Every student, staff and parent/carer respond positively to our annual survey question ‘I am happy at the academy’.
Curriculum Principles Overview
The PDF below shows our Curriculum Principles Overview in full detail: