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 Ms C Cartledge, Principal at enquiries@sheffieldsprings.org
Intent
Our aim is to provide an excellent education for all our students; an education which brings out the best in all of them and prepares them for success in life. Our curriculum is designed to provide students with the powerful knowledge they need in order to be successful in their education, future study and employment; to maximise their cognitive development; to develop the whole person and the talents of the individual and to allow all students to be environmentally and socially aware global citizens. By drawing on the best that has been thought, said, and done in each area of academy life, we are confident that our curriculum enables students develop into respectful citizens, to achieve excellence, to be ambitious for their future, and to be proud of their academy and community.
Hundreds of United Learning teachers and leaders have been involved in developing the United Learning Curriculum as a core academic curriculum, founded on these key principles:
- Entitlement – We believe that all children have right to learn what is in the United Learning Curriculum; schools have a duty to ensure that all children are taught the whole of it.
- Mastery – We want all students to achieve a full understanding of the knowledge specified in the Curriculum for each year, and teaching should not move on until this is achieved.
- Stability – We won’t constantly amend the Curriculum: while we should make occasional adjustments in the light of feedback and experience, we will aim for stability over many years, so that teachers can develop expertise, and we constantly build assessments and teaching materials to support the Curriculum.
- Concepts not context – The Curriculum is intended as a concise specification of knowledge and content to be taught and learned; it is for schools and teachers to decide how to teach and bring it to life.
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 pupils study fewer topics in greater depth, with the expectation that we don’t 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 this 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 higher attainers are expected to produce work of greater depth and flair.