Park Academy West London Curriculum Statement
Curriculum Intent
Our vision is to deliver an authentic education for the 21st century for children from the age of 11 -18. Our aim of the curriculum is to ensure all students are inspired with a passion for learning and achieve high levels of academic success in a broad range of subjects whilst at the same time equipping them with the knowledge and skills required to play an active and successful role in today’s highly competitive and fast-changing world. All students at Park Academy West London learn in a challenging, engaging and supportive environment through a well-thought-out curriculum which encourages creativity, celebrates diversity and utilises knowledge, skills and cultural experiences of the local community to be active citizens in modern Britain. At Park Academy West London we follow the Aspirations three guiding principles: self-worth, engagement and purpose which are central to our curriculum.
Also, our core values underpinning our curriculum are:
- Empowering students through building confidence and resilience
- Promote equality and leadership through opportunities for all in order to develop cultural capital
- Embed high aspirations so students are able to achieve their dreams.
Park Academy West London’s curriculum aims are:
- To deliver a broad, knowledge rich curriculum which considers the starting point of all learners;
- Plan and deliver a well sequenced and progressive curriculum that allows students to revisit learning;
- Ensure all learning is challenging and engaging;
- Enhance knowledge acquisition by effectively applying to real-life situations and problems;
- Develop transferrable future skills which enable our students to be successful in a fast changing world;
- To prepare students for life, further education and employment;
- To enrich and equip students to become culturally rich and active citizens in modern Britain;
- Ensure high rates of progress for all students.
Curriculum Implementation
At Park Academy West London, the curriculum is organised into a 48 period fortnight with lessons being 60/65 minutes long. The delivery of the curriculum is crucial for the success of our students. Planning of the curriculum is frequently reviewed to ensure the needs of our students are being met, with SLT and Coordinators taking joint responsibility for reviewing and evaluating its content. Joint planning is a key feature of our curriculum implementation, with specific time allocated for this each week. Staff are encouraged to plan jointly not only within departments, but also with other Trust schools and also cross phase to ensure sequences of learning build and secure substantive knowledge.
At Park Academy West London the curriculum for each year group is reviewed and adapted to ensure all students make progress and are highly successful learners. We acknowledge the individual learning needs and styles of our students, as well as their own starting points. Lessons are planned to ensure these needs are met and there is challenge for all. A wide variety of methods and approaches are used in the curriculum delivery to encourage high levels of student engagement. This is underpinned by a strong pedagogical approach to CPD ensuring that teachers can be flexible in their approach to teaching and respond to the needs of the students. Teachers are encouraged to take risks in their classroom as well be highly reflective practitioners.
September 2019, saw the introduction of the No Limits Curriculum in Year 7 which ensures that students are exposed to a unique learning experience that challenges students and takes them outside their comfort zone, in order to achieve great outcomes. The development of links with a range of business, industry and university partners has provided opportunities for students to experience learning in a variety of settings away from the classroom. Applied Trandisciplinary Learning allows students to acquire and draw on knowledge from a wide range of subjects and develop transferable skills, such as computing, enabling them to be successful in a fast changing world. As the current Year 7 students move through the Academy, their curriculum will continue to build on the knowledge and skills developed through the No Limits Curriculum.
Students are provided with opportunities to study PSHCE, RS and Computing through Academic Mentoring, the No Limits Curriculum as well dedicated lessons in Years 8 and 9. All students participate in Deep Learning Days where specific aspects of the curriculum are explored in greater depth, and include elements of Citizenship, Religious Education, Sex Education and PSHCE as well as subject based opportunities.
A strong literacy focus throughout the Academy enables all teachers to be teachers of literacy and is a key feature in all classrooms. Literacy and independent learning is further encouraged by each School having its own subject library so that literacy and research skills can be embedded into curriculum areas. Students who identified as requiring additional literacy and numeracy support in Key Stage 3, have access to the Fresh Start programme as part of their curriculum.
A clear assessment framework that is strategically planned into schemes of learning ensures that students are assessed frequently and this information is used to check understanding and inform teaching moving forwards. It also enables teachers to give high quality feedback to students to improve their learning. Students also complete termly assessments which ensure the development of cumulative knowledge, and this information is shared with parents to develop a greater partnership to support the development of the students. From this, students are able to access their performance against their Flightpath.
Since the curriculum of Park Academy West London is seen as being the total educational experience offered to our students, it therefore includes the wider curriculum which contributes to enrich and equip students to become culturally rich and active citizens in modern Britain. Lunchtime and after school activities such as sporting activities, Art, Construction and Book Clubs, Student Council, prefecting serve to extend our students fully. There are also a wide range of other opportunities such as visits to museums, galleries and sporting events as well as entering external competitions such as the Jack Petchey Speak Out Competition.
Students at Park Academy West London are provided with opportunities to prepare themselves for life, further education and employment. Careers education begins in Year 7 through the No Limits Curriculum and continues as students move through the Academy in the academic and wider curriculum. Education visits as well as visitors who are regularly invited into the school enrich the curriculum and support students to make informed choices. Visitors include the Police and other emergency services, employees from a range of companies as well as representatives from a range of Further Education providers.
Curriculum Impact
At Park Academy West London we believe that a well-though-out curriculum which meets the needs of students/students should lead to at least good results for students which reflect what they have learned. The impact of the curriculum is evaluated through the following measures:
- The percentage of students who achieve at least expected academic progress and high levels of attainment in national assessments and examinations such as GCSE, KS2 SATS, GCE A level
- Progress and attainment of current students across key stages
- Reading Test data
- ‘Cultural Capital’ for all students
- The range of high level 21st century skills developed by students
- Destinations data – The percentage of students entering skilled employment or higher levels of study
- The percentage of learning that is challenging and engaging
- Attendance data
- Engagement in enrichment activities
- Student Voice