KS3 & KS4 Curriculum

Curriculum

Our curriculum is designed to provide a broad and balanced education which raises aspirations and prepares students for adult and working life in the 21st century.

Aims of the Curriculum.

At Cleethorpes Academy we see education as a journey which begins when children start school in Reception, and continues with them throughout life.

Our curriculum has been produced to ensure the physical, mental, spiritual, cultural and intellectual health needs of the students are met. This is achieved by providing a varied curriculum with a strong focus on literacy and numeracy, we believe these are the foundations to enable our students to succeed.

Our curriculum is designed to enable students to develop the knowledge, skills and qualifications required to progress onto the next stage of their education.

We encourage participation in our comprehensive extended curriculum timetable to ensure students take a full and active role in the life of the academy, as well as ensuring we are supporting the development of interpersonal and team building skills.

Cleethorpes Academy provides a wide range of enrichment activities, and works in partnership with outside agencies such as NCOP, SHINE and Young Enterprise to provide additional opportunities to develop students' communication and personal development.

The Academy aims to provide students with the fundamental skills they require to enable them to progress into further education, apprenticeships and job opportunities. Beginning in Year 7, students start working towards meeting the Gatsby benchmarks. Students will look at career aspirations and work on their 'Start Profiles' to help provide a student focused careers programme. Opportunities are given, in all subjects to relate the curriculum content to the world of work. Students are given a range of opportunities to meet educational providers and employers. Independent, individual careers advice is given to support and guide their future choices.

High expectations for behaviour and achievement

The Academy promotes positive behaviour in relation to students personal, social and moral development. We prepare students for the demands of further education, employers and society in regard to expected standards of behaviour and presentation.

We regard it as a highly important aspect of our student’s education and development, that they behave well towards each other and are valued members of the community in which they live. Good behaviour underpins effective learning, and students need good personal and social skills in order to live fulfilling and rewarding lives as adults.

Behaviour which, in any way, disrupts learning, is unacceptable in our academy, and, through the constant promotion of positive behaviour, we seek to minimise, if not eliminate any such behaviour. However, we endeavour to meet the needs of all students, including those with social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8 and 9)

In Years 7, 8 and 9 we offer a rich, broad curriculum with students studying a range of subjects

• The Arts – Art and Music
• Languages – English, French and Spanish
• Mathematics
• Science
• ICT
• Technology – Resistant Materials and Textiles
• Humanities – Geography, History and RE
• Physical – Physical Education
• Careers and Personal Development

This broad and rich curriculum gives students the skills and a strong academic grounding in preparation for further study and training.

Key Stage 3 Provision

• Lincolnshire Gateway Academies Trust ensures that students receive an all-through education as they move from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3. Working with our colleagues in primary schools, our broad and balanced curriculum is designed to build on Key Stage 2 without any lag in learning and progress. It creates a passion for learning in individual subject areas.
• The curriculum at Key Stage 3 is designed to give students the foundation, knowledge and skills to access and achieve at Key Stage 4.
• Key Stage 3 is planned carefully to be completed across three years, ensuring breadth and depth. The Key Stage 3 Schemes of Work are based on the national curriculum, ensuring all aspects are fully included.
• By the end of Year 9, students are ready to transition to Key Stage 4. The timing of the options process ensures students remain focused until the end of the Key Stage. This is fully supported by our careers programme which ensures that before making option choices students have considered their future beyond school. Students will have had an experience with an external educational provider and been given access to independent careers information.

Key Stage 4 Provision

• Students are given the opportunity for deeper learning. This allows for greater stretch and challenge, differentiation and personalised learning.
• Students are motivated by starting their own personalised education programme and this increases their personal investment in their education.
• Students have more time to have encounters with employers and further education providers to guide their education.

In Years 10 and 11, we offer high quality courses which meet the needs and raise the aspirations of all our students. The three year GCSE course structure ensures that all students can experience, in depth, their chosen subjects. The three year GCSE courses allow students to develop an interest and passion in their chosen subjects which gives them the skills to achieve their potential.

At Cleethorpes Academy we encourage all students, regardless of ability to study a wide range of courses beyond the core subjects and the EBACC. From September 2019 all students will be required to study a practical subject such as Technology, Art, Music or Performing Arts to ensure that their curriculum is broad and balanced.

Students are offered the opportunity to study a wide range of subjects, regardless of their ability level, and are actively encouraged to take part in the wider school community. This allows them to enter courses at post 16 which meet their needs, ambitions and prepares them to become the citizens of the future.

Example Curriculum

The Academy has six periods a day, with each lesson lasting 50 minutes.

The Academy models the curriculum to the needs of individual students. This means the Academy will adjust the curriculum plan for different groups of students to meet their needs.

The Academy endeavours to meet the option choices of all students. However, courses may not run if there are insufficient numbers.

Special Educational Needs/Disabilities.

We operate with a whole academy ethos of inclusion, and all students with SEND are fully integrated into all aspects of Academy life.

Assessment

Students are placed into bands when they first join the Academy based on their Key Stage 2 SAT Scores and Cognitive Ability Tests. There are three data collection points each year, up to and including, Year 11.

Using this quantitative data, and teacher’s qualitative information about the student including student effort, teachers will set realistic but aspirational targets. Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 are reviewed regularly to ensure they receive the correct level of support and stretch and challenge.