Curriculum

Curriculum intent

Knowledge has the power to transform and enrich lives. It helps us to make sense of the world, to appreciate human creativity and achievement and to become educated citizens who contribute to society. We therefore believe that every one of our students, regardless of background, is entitled to encounter the best that has been thought, said and done through a broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum. Our academy curriculum is therefore built on six guiding principles which inform all of our practice:

Broad and Balanced - Students study the full national curriculum and beyond, only specialising in GCSEs Option Subjects in Year 10.
Ambitious - Students are highly challenged with demanding schemes of learning that include the best that has been thought, said and done in each subject area and go beyond the national curriculum.
Big Ideas - Students receive coherently sequenced learning that develops ‘Big Ideas’ throughout their time in a subject.
Knowledge Rich - Students are taught key vocabulary, concepts, facts and skills and are given multiple opportunities to retrieve and embed them so that they know more and can do more over time.
Supported - Students who struggle to access our ‘Big Ideas’ curriculum for whatever reason are able to access a range of effective pastoral and academic support to help get them on track
Relevant - Students are offered a curriculum that connects with their ambitions and aims for the future.

Curriculum implementation

We aim to create a culture where teachers and students can take a journey of continuous learning and improvement.

Our teachers are always improving their subject knowledge and are trained in evidence-informed teaching practices. Our professional development programme includes both time for subject knowledge development and training in evidence-informed teaching practices. Training has included sessions on building positive relationships, questioning, retrieval practice and the use of knowledge organisers.

Our curriculum is accessible to all. Our teachers use a range of strategies to support all students to access the curriculum and experience success. We believe that mixed ability provides the best opportunity for progression for the majority of students and all subjects, apart from English, maths, science and PE teach exclusively mixed ability classes. Where classes are set, students can move between groups as their knowledge, skills and abilities improve.

We believe that reading is one of the most important skills our students can learn. We therefore have a number of initiatives to support students to develop confidence and enjoyment in reading. These include bi-annual reading age tests for ks3 students, library lessons, the ‘Accelerated Reader’ programme, additional support in phonics for struggling readers, book give-aways, a ‘student librarian’ programme and much more.

Curriculum impact

We ensure that our students are equipped with the skills and qualifications they need to purse their interests and aspirations when they leave the academy.

Academic qualifications. We offer GCSEs in academic subjects such as English, maths, triple science, computer science, modern foreign languages, history and geography.

Work based qualifications. We also offer work based BTECs in subjects such as sport, information technology, drama and dance.

Careers advice and guidance. We run a comprehensive programme of careers advice and guidance that starts in Year 7 and that includes ‘careers cafes’ (where students get to meet people working in local industries), university visits, assemblies etc.

Curriculum Offer

The broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum offer at the St Leonards Academy comprises of six pillars that together ensure that students receive a varied and holistic education. Careful thought is put into each pillar so that it contributes to our vision of creating a vibrant, inclusive community, transforming lives and broadening horizons through excellent teaching and learning.

Character Curriculum

A person's character is a set of personal traits or 'virtues' that determine how they will act in various situations. The aim of character education is to help our students to develop positive virtues so that they will choose the right course of action in difficult situations and, ultimately, have a happy and fulfilled life.

In consultation with students, teachers, parents and governors, as an academy community we have chosen 5 virtues to focus on. These are;

Respect - Recognising that other people and the environment are important and deserve to be treated fairly
Self-discipline - Being in control of myself and my behaviour
Kindness - Caring for others and myself
Honesty - Being truthful to others and true to myself
Resilience - Recovering quickly when things go wrong

In consultation with the student parliament, we developed a student charter of behaviours that helps to normalise the kind of behaviours that help to develop these five virtues. This student charter is displayed prominently in every classroom and around the academy.

At the St Leonards Academy we believe that good character should be taught, caught and sought.

Taught – Every student at the academy will have lessons and assemblies that explicitly teach the five virtues. The virtues are taught in personal development and religious education lessons and in the weekly assemblies that all students attend. The school’s character education and virtues are referenced in job descriptions and all lesson observation feedback includes a section on how well teachers explicitly and implicitly teach and model our five virtues.

Caught – All staff at the academy role model the five virtues during their interactions with students and as outlined in the ‘Staff Charter’ that we developed and agreed as a staff body. In addition, examples of people whose lives and actions exemplify and embody the five virtues are shared and discussed in assemblies and during the tutor time ‘theme of the week’ discussion. Our rewards system is explicitly linked to our five virtues and students earn ‘pride pounds’ for demonstrating them. If students fail to live up to our expectations, they are asked to complete a behaviour reflection sheet where they consider how they could have acted differently by demonstrating one or more of the virtues.

Sought – All students are able to further develop their character through a wide range of after school sports and enrichment clubs, as well as through student leadership opportunities such as student parliament, student librarian club, and anti-bullying ambassadors. There are opportunities throughout the year for students to support charities and/or undertake social action. During their time at the academy, there will be numerous occasions where students will encounter employers, business leads and representatives from further and higher education.

Core Curriculum

KS3

Our aim is that every student possible at the St Leonards Academy studies the full national curriculum including a modern foreign language (MFL) and a range of arts subjects, only specialising when students make their GCSE Options choices in Year 10.

Our key stage 3 curriculum offer is therefore broad and balanced with a dedicated 50% of allocated teaching time to the core subjects of English, maths and science and ensuring that each student can study 2 hours of MFL a week so that they graduate key stage 3 GCSE-ready and prepared for the rigorous study of our key stage 4 curriculum offer.

Curriculum Area	Subject(s)	Allocated Teaching Time
English	English	4 Hours Per Week
Mathematics	Mathematics	4 Hours Per Week
Science	Biology	3 Hours Per Week
	Chemistry
	Physics
Humanities	Geography	2 Hours Per Week
Humanities	History	2 Hours Per Week
Modern Foreign Languages	French	2 Hours Per Week
Modern Foreign Languages	Spanish	2 Hours Per Week
Arts & Design Technology	Art	1 Hour Per Week
	Drama	1 Hour Per Week
	DT, Food and Textiles	1 Hour Per Week
	Music	0.5 Hours Per Week
Physical Education	Physical Education	2.5 Hours Per Week
Personal Development	Religion and Philosophy	1 Hour Per Week
Personal Development	Personal Development	1 Hour Per Week

KS4

At key stage 4, students can specialist in three GCSE option subjects which include a range of academic, vocational and professional qualifications so that all students can study an ambitious curriculum connected to their goals and aims for the future. Like key stage 3, a significant portion of the curriculum is dedicated to the core subjects of English, maths and the sciences to recognise that these subjects are the foundations of all learning and the gateway subjects to many higher education courses, apprenticeships and careers.

Curriculum Area	Subject(s)	Allocated Teaching Time
English	GCSE English Language	4.5 Hours Per Week
English	GCSE English Literature	4.5 Hours Per Week
Mathematics	GCSE Mathematics	4.5 Hours Per Week
Combined Science	GCSE Combined Science	4.5 Hours Per Week
Option Subject 1: Ebacc	GCSE Geography OR GCSE History OR GCSE French OR GCSE Spanish	3 Hours Per Week
Option Subjects 2 & 3 A second Ebacc subject OR	GCSE Art	3 Hours Per Week
	GCSE Computer Science
	GCSE Design & Technology
	GCSE Drama
	GCSE Food Preparation & Nutrition
	GCSE Music
	GCSE Photography
	GCSE Physical Education
	GCSE Religious Studies
	GCSE Sociology
	GCSE Triple Science
	Tech Award Dance
	Tech Award Digital ICT
	OCR Sports Science
Physical Education	Physical Education (Non-Examined)	1 Hour Per Week
Personal Development	Personal Development (Non-Examined)	1.5 Hours Per Week

Care Curriculum

KS4 SEND Pathways

At the St Leonards Academy we have a culture of high expectations and aspire for all of our students to access our core curriculum. However, we also recognise that some students with SEND may need additional support and intervention in order to make progress. We therefore offer 2 additional pathways at ks4 in order to provide that additional support.

Pathway 2

Curriculum Area	Subject(s)	Allocated Teaching Time
English	GCSE English Language	4.5 Hours Per Week
English	GCSE English Literature	4.5 Hours Per Week
Mathematics	GCSE Mathematics	4.5 Hours Per Week
Combined Science	GCSE Combined Science	4.5 Hours Per Week
Option Subject 1	Any option subject from our core curriculum	3 Hours Per Week
Option Subject 2	Any option subject from our core curriculum	3 Hours Per Week
SEND Support	NA	3 Hours Per Week
Physical Education	Physical Education (Non-Examined)	1 Hour Per Week
Personal Development	Personal Development (Non-Examined)	1.5 Hours Per Week

Pathway 3

Curriculum Area	Subject(s)	Allocated Teaching Time
English	GCSE English Language	4.5 Hours Per Week
English	GCSE English Literature	4.5 Hours Per Week
Mathematics	GCSE Mathematics	4.5 Hours Per Week
Combined Science	GCSE Combined Science	4.5 Hours Per Week
Option Subject 1	Any option subject from our core curriculum	3 Hours Per Week
Functional Skills	English and Maths	3 Hours Per Week
SEND Support	NA	3 Hours Per Week
Physical Education	Physical Education (Non-Examined)	1 Hour Per Week
Personal Development	Personal Development (Non-Examined)	1.5 Hours Per Week

Boost

Some students that are part of our mainstream offer need specialist intervention to support them successfully accessing education. We always work closely with students and parents to target support where it is needed and students access this support on a short-term basis with regular reviews and goals. The length of this intervention depends on the needs of the student and their progress and entry to these is via an internal referral system.

The therapies and sessions offered include:

Nurture provision

We offer an accredited nurture provision for students that are not able to successfully access mainstream lessons and need a small, therapeutic space to develop key skills that they need to manage the school day. We have a trained team of nurture practitioners that deliver this carefully planned intervention to years 7-9 as part of a soft landing early in the school day. Student’s access this provision across the year and move back into mainstream on an individual basis overseen by the director of the provision.

Believe in You

This is a teen mentoring service that offers group work focused on a need specific intervention including self-esteem, anxiety, self-regulation and peer conflict. The sessions are a mix of therapeutic and active work like boxing.

Place2Be

We have a full-time on-site counselling service which offers either 1:1 intensive sessions or a daily drop in session, referral to this service comes via the safeguarding team or students can self-refer via the designated email address advertised in the building and via the website. This service is led by a qualified registered counsellor.

Me and my mind

This is a service run in conjunction with the local authority and offers 1:1 CBT based sessions for students suffering with low mood or specific types of anxiety. Referrals come via the safeguarding team and are screened for suitability but any staff can refer to the team.

1:1 or small group tuition

We offer 1:1 and small group tuition with NTP registered tutors to provide intensive catch up in core subjects. The tutors will needs-assess all students and target their sessions to address gaps in their learning quickly in order to support accessing mainstream lessons. All tutors will gradually follow the same curriculum model as mainstream to ensure a smooth transition when students are ready.

Education Futures Trust (EFT)

EFT are an off-site accredited provider that offers students outdoor learning opportunities in collaboration with Plumpton agricultural college. Provision is in age groups and bespoke for students but with a focus on resilience, emotional regulation and social skills. Students and parents receive regular progress reports and students’ achievements are celebrated in school.

Reboot

This is an internal provision run by a team of staff that are trained in supporting young people that are experiencing barriers in accessing our big ideas curriculum offer. Reboot is located in its own designated area of the Academy and has its own facilities that allow students to access a range of interventions including art and Lego therapy, cooking and catering courses, basic skills tuition and zones of regulation work. This provision is accessed via a referral from the senior leadership team and is for student’s at risk of permanent or frequent exclusion. It is reviewed weekly and students access the centre flexibly alongside a reintegration programme.

Catch-Up Curriculum

Jump Start

Our aim is that every student accesses the full curriculum at both key stage 3 and 4. However, we recognise that some students find coming to school a real challenge for a variety of reasons; for students that have experienced long periods of absence or very low attendance we have a supportive intervention in place to ensure that their reintegration into the mainstream Academy is successful and swift. This curriculum is called ‘jump Start’ and is a supportive offer that ensures that alongside enhanced, therapeutic pastoral provision students receive intensive catch up in core subjects to enable a smooth transition back into mainstream lessons.

Students accessing Jump Start are in a bespoke pastoral group overseen by their own inclusion leader who directs and reviews their provision and takes a keyworker role in ensuring all communication with parents and external agencies is coordinated and streamlined.

They follow a clear timetable which has a focus on improving attendance and reintegrating into the mainstream curriculum.

Jump Start is located within its own designated area of the Academy to offer a ‘soft landing’ for students accessing school after a period of absence.

The Jump Start curriculum is a ‘menu’ offer and tailored to meet the needs of the students. It is a phased escalation which each phase designed to be reviewed with students and parents before moving on. Every phase has a full-time offer to make sure that students build up the resilience and stamina needed for the school day.

Clubs Curriculum

Cultural Curriculum

Cultural capital is defined as the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours and skills that a student can draw upon; it is one of the key ingredients a student will draw upon to be successful in society, their career and the world of work. At the St Leonards Academy we recognise that our students deserve to be given rich and varied opportunities to develop their cultural capital and we do this through our core curriculum, extra-curricular activities, trips, visits and careers activities. We recognise that there are six key areas of development that are interrelated and contribute to building a student’s cultural capital:

1. Personal Development: Students at the St Leonards Academy study a unique personal development curriculum that includes taught units on character education, safety, sex and relationships education, careers and healthy living. Outside of the classroom all students are given opportunities for careers advice and guidance (both in groups and one to one), encounters with business owners and employers, encounters with members of the local community such as the school nurse, local police officers and the fire brigade and learning about important concepts such as metacognition during their weekly assemblies.

2. Social Development: At the academy there are lots of opportunities for student to work together outside of the classroom and we have an extensive range of enrichment clubs, including student parliament, Duke of Edinburgh, pride club, chess club, coding club, culture club performing arts clubs etc. Issues around mental health are taught and discussed in tutor time and assemblies and there are mental health support groups that students can be signposted to if necessary. Every tutor group elects a tutor captain to represent them at the student parliament and each student is a member of one of our 5 ‘teams’ (Tweddle, Moore, Farah, Agbeze and Hoy) and can collect ‘team points’ for their team through exceptional effort or behaviour.

3. Physical Development: All students at ks3 have weekly lessons of physical education and food preparation and nutrition. The St Leonards Academy is well known locally for the broad range of extra curricular clubs we run. There are sports clubs running everyday after school, including futsal, table tennis, climbing, basketball, rugby and trampolining. In addition, the St Leonards Academy sports teams participate in a wide range of local competitions and tournaments, including football, basketball and netball leagues as well as rugby, rounders, cricket, table-tennis, gymnastics, dance and athletics competitions.

4. Spiritual Development: Students in years 7-9 have an hour a week of Religion and philosophy lessons and the curriculum covers a range of worldviews and faiths including Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. The subject is available as an option at KS4 and all students learn about religious festivals and practices during their weekly assemblies.

5. Moral Development: Several units of the religion and philosophy curriculum explicitly teach ethics and morality, while the personal development curriculum explores issues raised by human rights, sustainability, consent and living together in a community. Outside of the taught curriculum, the tutor time ‘theme of the week’ discussion gives students the opportunity to discuss things such as British values, democracy, mental health and current affairs while our character curriculum supports students to become better people through the development of five virtues.

6. Cultural Development: Heads of Faculty collaborate to design a programme of enrichment that combines cultural capital experiences, sports participation and rewards for our students. Examples include our cross-curricular enrichment opportunities such as English and history’s trips to the battlefields in France to support the study of WW1 history and WW1 poetry/ Journey’s End; science, technology, engineering and maths workshops organised by the maths and science faculty; and cultural experiences abroad to support students in their study of modern foreign language and geography. In addition, we run annual reward experiences for students with outstanding character values and attendance, and students who have made significant efforts to make progress. Examples include: reading intervention reward trips to Waterstones for our ks3 students and attendance reward cinema experiences.