Curriculum Statement

This section of our website explains the principles that inform our curriculum. 

Links to related information can be accessed below:

For more information about the academy’s curriculum offer, please contact Mr R. Freeman, Principal info@sheffieldparkacademy.org

 

Our approach to learning and teaching supports our curriculum by ensuring that lessons build on prior learning and provide sufficient opportunity for knowledge retrieval, guided practice and independent tasks. 

We use Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction to develop our teaching practice. At the heart of Rosenshine's Principles is a simple instructional core:

 

  • Demonstration (explanation and modelling) of new material in small steps (I do)
  • Guided practice with prompts and scaffolds (we do)
  • Independent work with monitoring and feedback from teacher (you do)

Intent

Our aim is to provide an excellent education for all our students; an education which brings out the best in everyone and prepares them for success in life.  Our curriculum is designed to provide children with the core knowledge they need for success in education and later life; to maximise their cognitive development, to develop the whole person and the talents of the individual to allow all children to become active and economically self-sufficient citizens.

 

As part of United Learning, we share a common curriculum that has been developed alongside teachers and leaders in other United Learning schools. It is based on the following principles:

 

  • Entitlement: All pupils have the right to learn what is in the United Learning curriculum.
  • Coherence: Powerful knowledge builds term by term and year by year.
  • Mastery: We ensure that foundational knowledge, skills, and concepts are secure before moving on. Pupils revisit prior learning and apply their understanding in new contexts.
  • Representation: All pupils see themselves in our curriculum, and our curriculum takes all pupils beyond their immediate experience.
  • Education with character:  Alongside academic development, our wider school curriculum aims to develop the whole person.'

 

Implementation

Subject specialism is at the heart of our curriculum and you will see differences in the way that the curriculum is constructed and assessed in different subjects. Standardised written assessments, for example, play less of a role in performance subjects such as music, drama and physical education. The stability of our curriculum allows subject expertise to develop over time, and we are careful to provide sufficient time for teachers within the same subject to meet together. Further subject specialism is provided by United Learning’s subject advisors.

As a mastery curriculum our expectation is that we do not move on to the next topic until all pupils have a secure understanding of the current topic.  A 3-year Key Stage 3 provides pupils with the time and space to gain and secure understanding. In our lessons you will typically see all pupils grappling with the same challenging content, with teachers providing additional support for pupils who need it.  Rather than moving on to new content, our learners are expected to produce work of greater depth and flair.

United Learning comprises: United Learning Ltd (Registered in England No: 00018582. Charity No. 313999) UCST (Registered in England No: 2780748. Charity No. 1016538) and ULT (Registered in England No. 4439859. An Exempt Charity). Companies limited by guarantee. Registered address: United Learning, Worldwide House, Thorpe Wood, Peterborough, PE3 6SB.

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