Curriculum Intent
The curriculum offered at Denewood Academy is centred on ‘learning for life’ and is carefully constructed to allow pupils to experience success and confidence in learning. It promotes the essential academic composites, behaviours and attitudes that will enable pupils to be successful in their next educational step. Learning is broad, varied and designed to engage with creative approaches to National Curriculum objectives.
Our curriculum brings to life the Trust-wide values; building Confidence, providing Challenge, and promoting Curiosity, Character and Creativity. These resonate throughout the curriculum and the school ethos is built firmly on these foundations.
Denewood Academy is dedicated to understanding the needs of every pupil and ensuring pupils experience their own personal success
.
Implementation
Upon arrival at Denewood Academy, pupils complete baseline tests:
- CATS assessments- to help determine aspirational academic targets.
- Reading assessment – to determine the reading programme band
- THRIVE profiling – to establish SEMH needs.
The results of these tests signpost pupils towards a suitable educational pathway tailored towards their needs. The Academy has mixed-age classes of children, many of whom are not working at age-related expectations. It is therefore crucially important that our curriculum is flexible enough to enable us to meet a wide range of needs. Each educational pathway is guided by National Curriculum objectives but delivered in alternative ways to engage all learners.
Impact
The impact of our curriculum is measured through pupil achievement and attainment (academic and SEMH). An understanding of individual circumstances is vital in understanding personal success.
Curriculum opportunities are planned into schemes of work where possible. PSHE workshops occur on a half-termly basis that responds to the current issues in society or the local community.
Across all phases, literacy Intervention is provided for pupils working below age-related targets. THRIVE is also on offer for pupils struggling with well-being and resilience.
Across key stages 2 and 3 the curriculum provides all the core subjects of English, Maths and Science as well as Humanities, PE, Art, PSHE and Computing. Teachers deliver content that is relevant, interesting and engaging.
Pupils have the opportunity to take part in Music, Food Tech, Gardening, Citizenship projects and Careers workshops (KS3). External partners, such as YMCA, other local charities or local support groups also work with KS3 every week embedding communication and interaction skills.
Context
A high proportion of our pupils attending the academy have experienced trauma and have a wide range of previous learning experiences. These have led many to associate schooling with a sense of failure and a negative view of the school. The pandemic has led to significant periods out of school for all children and disrupted their sense of ambition and connectivity to societal norms. These barriers to child development are heightened for complex learners with social, emotional and academic needs, which further impacts their mental health and well-being and ability to access learning.
All children are unique, and their uniqueness requires our academy to develop curriculum models that respond to these differences, in addition, children are responding in different ways to their disrupted education over the last two years. Forest, the academy’s induction/assessment class allows staff to develop a greater understanding of the pupil and their needs, before assigning them to the most appropriate curriculum, assessment and support pathway.
The quality of each curriculum is set out on the diagram below; school leaders hold the autonomy to ensure their carefully designed curriculum meets the contextual needs of their settings. The impact will be evidenced through internal quality assurance, Trust activities (see MAT assurance framework guidance), published school performance measures, and external validation exercises (Ofsted).
This guidance sets out the principles and expectations established by the trust board.
