Shavington Academy Curriculum Statement
Autumn 2022
Here at Shavington our nine Academy Values run through every aspect of the school. They are embedded within the Taught, the Character and the Wider curriculum and help to drive our vision that all pupils will aspire, create and achieve.
We believe that following SPARK & GRIT (the acronym used for our nine values) will help all pupils to develop and grow:
- PRIDE in all aspects of their learning
- their own character with INTEGRITY and SELF-REGULATION within the wider world
- an AMBITION to be prepared for and succeed in an ever-changing future
- an awareness, RESPECT and TOLERANCE of all people’s lives, cultures and beliefs locally, nationally and across the world
- a healthy RESILIENCE in the face of challenges to prepare for the life challenges ahead
- and promote KINDNESS and GRATITUDE in all that they do
More explanation of our Academy values can be found under the SPARK curriculum tab on the website.
Our curriculum provides all pupils with equal opportunities to embrace new learning that will build into the key knowledge that all young adults require as they progress to post 16 education and further.
Taught:
Throughout Key Stage 3, all pupils follow a full and rich curriculum of; core, humanities, language, technology and creative subjects ensuring the breadth of knowledge is delivered in challenging and well-sequenced lessons, preparing all pupils for the choices that they will make at the end of year 9.
In years 10 and 11, pupils select three options to complement our four core subjects (mathematics, English, science and Philosophy & Ethics) as their GCSE and vocational courses. These allow all pupils to create the appropriate pathway for all forms of post 16 education and future employment.
Subject experts across every subject in the whole curriculum identify, teach and embed all KEY KNOWLEDGE to allow pupils to develop a balanced outlook on modern life and help them all to grow into creative and RESILIENT young adults.
The extensive content of the curriculum is delivered through a series of Big Questions that will allow pupils to organise their learning and develop a structure to enhance their depth of their learning and retention of the key knowledge.
Cross curricular learning in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) allowing pupils to link their knowledge from one subject to the application in another and see how skills and knowledge can be developed, manipulated and used in the wider world.
Character:
All of our year groups follow a one-week, 25 period timetable which includes one hour of ‘SPARK’ delivered by a specialist team of teachers promoting all values and also delivering expert exposure to all aspects of inclusion, equality, diversity and PSHE. These lessons, alongside Philosophy & Ethics ensure that our pupils explore all sorts of beliefs and cultures that are followed across the world and provides the awareness and tolerance of these beliefs and how they influence people in all walks of life.
Opportunities to develop leadership skills are open to all pupils. These range from representation on Student Councils, becoming transition mentors to help the younger pupils settle into Academy life, leading their allocated ‘house’ into school competitions through to our School Ambassadors who help to organise and supervise functions within the school including Open Evenings and Parents evenings.
Wider:
Learning beyond the classroom can prove invaluable and providing all young people with life changing experiences, that will further guide their learning of the wider world, is vital to developing young adults. Educational visits to parks, museums, theatres as well as the chance to visit foreign countries can increase all pupil’s cultural capital and help whet all pupils’ appetites for an exciting future in our modern society. Inspirational speakers from professionals from in and out of schooling give fresh perspectives on a range of issues and other motivational experiences are provided to give every child the opportunity to extend their learning and help to drive their aspirational ambitions.
All pupils at Shavington undertake a bespoke and comprehensive careers program throughout all years. We host a Futures Fair and an Employers Conference with external professionals that helps to prepare pupils for the next steps in their schooling and employment.
A wide array of Extra curricular clubs are run weekly allowing pupils to further their skills and experience new activities. The Eco club have been harvesting fruit and vegetables from the school garden and using these to cook and bake during afterschool sessions.
Impact:
ALL pupils will embark on their chosen post 16 career path with a wide range of life skills and be socially aware, tolerant of all values and beliefs, demonstrate equality and be equipped and ready to embrace the multi-cultural society as young adults
The curriculum will have provided all pupils with the opportunities to develop a curiosity for all future learning and be prepared to serve the community beyond formal education.
