We believe strongly that in our context we must equip children with the necessary basic skills in Mathematics and English so that they have the tools to succeed as they move through secondary school and beyond. It is for this reason that “standards” in these essential areas are developed as a thread throughout our curriculum. Related to this is the need to ensure that children have a broad curricular knowledge that equips them for life in 21st century Britain. As an academy within the Forge Trust we have identified key drivers which inform our curriculum at every stage. These drivers are explored through each of the core and foundation subjects and in addition to “standards” include “aspiration” and “cultural diversity.”
Aspiration has been identified as a curriculum driver as a way of impacting on social mobility. It was also noticeable that while parents and the wider community are highly ambitious for their children, in line with the values of The Forge Trust, children were not always aware of the opportunities open to them. For this reason, the curriculum has been developed to specifically highlight these for pupils across a range of varied curricular content with particular emphasis on visits and visitors into our academy. It is our intention that by developing children’s awareness of options and opportunities they are able to develop ambition based on a real-life understanding of the many and varied paths they could follow into the world of work. Similarly, our choice of “cultural diversity” as a driver was chosen to highlight for children the rich fabric of British society over time and the achievements of cultures from around the world. Our curriculum has been designed to support children to develop understanding and appreciation of the value and contributions of a range of cultures so that they are prepared for life in 21st century Britain.
A further important element of our curriculum is speaking and listening. This emphasis is reflected in planning at all stages with a focus on the constituent skills of speaking, listening, non-verbal communication and awareness of audience, giving our pupils the skills to perform well in a range of social situations
For general enquiries please contact Mrs A Taylor or Miss R Dawes
