Curriculum Strategy for Midland Academies Trust
The Midland Academies Trust believes that all children and young people are gifted and talented in their own unique way and that each is capable of being successful in their learning. The Trust continuously strives for excellence within teaching and learning, supported by assessment processes, which enhance pupils’ life chances.
The trust prioritises the development of the whole person as part of an education for wisdom through which our pupils will be enabled to make enriching choices for their lives, for themselves and for others. Our aim is for our pupils to have respect for all, a depth of knowledge and understanding about their world and a commitment to make a positive contribution to their communities and nation, in addition to a love and a desire for further learning.
At The Nuneaton Academy we believe our pupils to be the equal of any child in any school in England. We believe they are entitled to an inheritance of a deep knowledge of the best that has been thought, said and done. We believe that our school should give pupils the knowledge and confidence they need to take part in the important conversations that guide the direction of our country and society. We believe this knowledge, valuable in itself, will empower our pupils to live rich, meaningful lives wherever they find themselves as adults.
Our firm belief in the transformative power of knowledge means we have put a great deal of care and thought into what our pupils learn. What we teach dates back to long before humans appeared on earth, ranges over two thousand years of human history, and is a carefully mapped journey that takes our children to the heart of what it means to be a human living in England in the 21st Century. Each subject, in its own way, shows our children a different version of profound truth and represents a powerful initiation into ancient traditions. Alumni of the Nuneaton Academy will be knowledgeable, confident and proud.
Our curriculum, carefully sequenced and ordered by national experts, is delivered through detailed, interesting booklets and taught from the front by subject specialists. The most important information is placed in one page handy, easy to read summaries which we call Knowledge Organisers. Pupils are supported in the memorisation of this knowledge through daily ‘prep’ sessions in which they work on areas of their own choice while under the supervision of their form tutor.
Courses available to GCSE
GCSE English Language
GCSE English Literature
GCSE Mathematics
GCSE Double Science Award
GCSE French
GCSE Geography
GCSE History
GCSE Religious Studies
GCSE Art
GCSE Photography
GCSE P.E
GCSE Food Technology
GCSE Computer Science
GCSE Design and Technology
BTEC Childcare and Development
BTEC Music
BTEC Digital Information Technology
BTEC Performing Arts
Cambridge Nationals Sport Studies
Knowledge and Mastery Curriculum
At the Nuneaton Academy what our pupils learn is at the heart of everything we do. We relish conversation, challenge and discussion around our curriculum.
Our Knowledge and Mastery Curriculum supports the development of long term memory and learning. This means the following:
· knowledge is deliberately visited and re-visited across a module, across a term and a year, and then across 5 years
· we reinforce the essential 40-50 pieces of subject information in each topic through Knowledge Organisers.
· we shift them from short into the long-term memory that is capable of storing tens of thousands of pieces of information
and, because it is mastered, it will remain long after those GCSE examinations because it has been so deliberately supported and practised that it has become subconsciously stored in our pupils’ brains where it sits, waiting to be retrieved at any time in their lives. It also means that by continuously re-visiting it in short, low-stake quizzes, there’s no panic because there’s no cramming in the final year or weeks leading up to exams. That makes our pupils secure, prepared and surprisingly calm in the face of examination pressure.
Core Principles
1. Ensuring pupils experience a curriculum that gives them the best opportunities for:
• Progression to the next stage of their learning, to include FE and apprenticeship routes post 16/post 18;
• Successful contribution to the economic life of their region and nation;
• Development as active citizens involved in their communities,
2. Ensuring a rigorous academic curriculum that is challenging, enriching and accessible.
3. Ensuring a challenging vocational curriculum in partnership with NWHC, local employers and other partners which is responsive to the economic needs of our region and nation.
4. Ensuring continuity and progression through intelligent assessment which informs learning programmes.
5. Ensuring the promotion of the core values of democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance, with particular regard to the Equalities Act 2010.
6. Ensuring pupils are fully prepared to achieve their maximum potential in national examinations.
7. Ensuring pupils develop and apply work relevant skills through intra-Trust, national and international competition, working in partnership with NWHC and other organisations.
8. Ensuring that high standards of literacy, numeracy and learning behaviour are promoted throughout the curriculum in all areas.
9. Ensuring collaboration across the Trust in order that:
• Specialist staffing is available to all pupils;
• All pupils are able to access a full range of options at KS4; appropriate alternative provision is available as required.
10. Ensuring pupils are able to receive work experience as appropriate and that work related learning is aligned to the priorities of the Local Enterprise Partnership, with each academy offering a specialism in a local priority.
