Our Curricula

We intend to give our children the best possible education that we can offer, so that we can achieve our vision:

‘To ensure that all the children and young people in our care have the opportunity to fulfil their potential through achieving highly, regardless of their ability or background.’

We want the children in our care to be successful, to enjoy learning and to move on to secondary school with the skills, knowledge and understanding that will enable them to thrive as citizens of the 21st century.

We want them to be enthusiastic about learning and to be given the skills and knowledge that will open doors to their future educational and life success. We want our children to be caring, resilient and honest with a personal ambition to aspire to do their very best.

Primary

Our children are all taught the three core values of the Trust, which are to ‘work hard, be kind and choose wisely’.

Our curriculum has, at its core, the National Curriculum, which is the basis on which we have built our Trust curriculum. We passionately believe that an exciting, engaging, and effective curriculum is essential to enable high quality teaching and learning to take place.

We have designed our curriculum to ensure that it is based around acquiring knowledge and developing skills, leading to understanding. As a result, concepts become embedded in children’s long-term memory, enabling them to apply them across the curriculum.

Our design allows for cross-curricular teaching, as we believe that this ensures that the content is relevant to pupils and this puts their knowledge into context.

Secondary

Our curriculum is:

  • ambitious for all
  • coherently planned and sequenced
  • successfully adapted, designed and developed for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

All our learners experience a three-year Key Stage 3 that provides them with opportunities to engage with a wide range of subjects and experiences. This enables them to access Key Stage 4 provision that is rigorous and includes a broad range of academic, vocational and creative subjects alongside values education.

For our Post-16 provision at both The de Ferrers Academy and The Pingle Academy, we are proud of our thriving and exciting environments in which to study. Students are able to learn in a friendly and supportive environment where we have the highest expectations for all of our students. We provide a diet of both academic and vocational courses to set our students on the pathway to  success to university, employment or higher level apprenticeships.

Granville Academy

The curriculum is designed to ensure all our learners experience a holistic education that includes a broad range of academic, vocational and creative subjects alongside values education. The curriculum should inspire and challenge all learners and prepare them for their future in order to become successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens.

All our learners will experience a three-year key stage 3 that exposes them to a wide range of subjects and experiences that will stimulate their love of learning and provide opportunities to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding.

In key stage 4 our learners will select 4 ‘option’ subjects to study alongside Maths, English, Science, Physical Education, and Values Education. We encourage all our learners to make aspirational choices that challenge them and enable them to progress to the next stage of their educational journey.

The de Ferrers Academy

The de Ferrers Academy curriculum has been developed alongside the agreed Affinity Learning Partnership curriculum and our shared values. It has been designed to help provide the best platform for achievement for the young people in our care, as outlined in the Trust mission statement: “To ensure that all the children and young people in our care have the opportunity to fulfil their potential through achieving highly, regardless of their ability or background.” 

Our education ethos is based on:

  • Placing positive relationships at the heart of what we do
  • Having high expectations of our students at all times
  • Ensuring that excellent learning and teaching is our core activity
  • Promoting independence, equality, resilience and consideration to others
  • Valuing the support and contribution to all members of our community

We believe that excellent academic achievement comes from motivating students through respect and positive relationships to engage in lessons, challenging their knowledge and encouraging the fulfilment of academic potential. Our extremely dedicated team of specialist teachers has strong subject knowledge and understands our students’ learning needs. We deliver a broad and balanced curriculum that inspires and motivates students, making learning engaging and enjoyable.

Our core Trust values “Work Hard, Be Kind, Choose Wisely” are the foundation of our academy and the communities that we serve, to ensure that all students enjoy high quality learning experiences, enabling them to achieve their full potential and go on to lead successful, happy and healthy lives

For our students we aim to:

  • Create excellent learning and enrichment experiences 
  • Provide a broad and appropriate curriculum, offering multiple pathways to achieve the  knowledge, skills, attitudes and ultimately qualifications required for successful and fulfilling futures.
  • Support every student to be the best they can be

We believe in the importance of providing appropriate learning experiences for all students of all abilities. High quality teaching, which is differentiated and personalised where appropriate, should be available for all students. At the heart of the work of every class is a continuous cycle of planning, teaching and assessing which takes account of the wide range of abilities, aptitudes and interests of students. The majority of students will learn and progress within these arrangements, but where relevant, additional support and planning will inform these cycles.

The Pingle Academy

  • To provide a broad and balanced curriculum which is rich in knowledge and skills and meets the needs of all students.
  • To ensure that students aim to “work hard, be kind and choose wisely” and in so doing, to help all students to raise their aspirations and exceed expectations.
  • To ensure that students are resilient and respectful citizens who go on to make a positive contribution, both locally and in wider society.

Academy curriculum aims

  • To plan for a clear progression route in each subject area, through their 3, 5 or 7 year curriculum.  Each lesson will have a purpose and fit into a sequence of lessons over time.
  • To address social disadvantage through the curriculum, ensuring it is truly equitable and challenging for all students, regardless of background.
  • To address gaps in literacy and numeracy at the earliest opportunity, to ensure all students can access all areas of the curriculum as they progress through the school.
  • To encourage and inspire students who read for pleasure to do so for life
  • To ensure students in Years 7, 8 and 9 experience a full curriculum, before specialising in Key Stage 4.  This is important for the long term achievement and well-being of our students.
  • To ensure students in all Key Stages have full access to the arts, Physical Education, Computing and a range of Design and Technology subjects.
  • To ensure that the Key Stage 3 curriculum content for each year is not seen as a stepping stone to GCSE, but rather an opportunity to provide students with the knowledge and skills required to be successful in Further Education, employment or training and life.
  • To provide students in Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11), with access to a curriculum appropriate to their individual needs.  In addition to the English Baccalaureate and a range external qualifications, the Key Stage 4 curriculum aims to provide wide ranging opportunities for creativity, employability and life skills.