How we… Curriculum

Our Victoria Academies Trust curriculum is one that is broad, balanced and meaningful.

Many of our pupils come from disadvantaged and minority backgrounds. Starting points are often low and prior to beginning school a significant proportion of children have not had access or exposure to an appropriate range of social and cultural experiences. As a result, pupils have gaps in their existing knowledge, vocabulary, personal development and cognitive skills that may prevent them from reaching their potential. Our curriculum therefor serves to enrich and empower them. Enabling them to not only achieve academically but also to become good citizens and future employees of this changing world.  

Our curriculum is driven by our 5 key values:

• Unity
• Integrity
• Courage
• Curiosity
• Excellence

These values unite our schools in their approach to curriculum design, its purpose and aspirations for developing our young people as pioneers of their learning and their futures, as curious and courageous citizens.

We have agreed 5 key drivers for our curriculum. They are:

• Knowledge and experiences
• Personal wellbeing and social responsibility 
• Curiosity and inquisitiveness 
• Challenge and ambition
• Inclusivity and representation

How (Implementation)

The key drivers are instrumental in the way we design and deliver our curriculum in all Victoria Academies Trust schools. Information on how these drivers can be used practically is outlined below:

Our curriculum is driven by…	…so that our learners…	This translates into our curriculum through…
Knowledge and experiences: Our curriculum develops deep, powerful knowledge within and between subjects. Rich and varied experiences for children connect memories to developing knowledge.	…are critical thinkers, who can make links and apply their knowledge to the world around them.	– Spiralling, powerful knowledge in all subject disciplines, creating building blocks for learning and understanding.  – Interleaving, cross-curricular learning opportunities.  – Mapped learning and life experiences, contextual to school and community.  – Some children may need a flexible, tailored and personalised approach to their learning, including a low arousal and reduced demand approach that supports their sensory processing differences and intuitively responds in the moment to their window of tolerance.
Personal wellbeing and social responsibility:   Our curriculum promotes development of the whole child, establishing healthy attitudes, behaviours and interpersonal skills.	…are aware of their own emotions and those of others, building positive relationships.   …are motivated and empowered to make a difference to the world.	– Contextualised personal, social, health and economic education, developing learners’ mental health and wellbeing. – A range of opportunities for pupil leadership.  – Well established community links, partners and experiences. – Questions and inquires that challenge learners to make a difference. – Questions and inquires that promote  education for sustainable development (people and planet). – Environment and structure tailored to meet the sensory processing needs of the pupils e.g. the need for more frequent sensory and regulation breaks and the need for mental health and wellbeing to be a high priority. – Outdoor learning (inclusion of forest schools, horticulture and animal based therapy will promote the wellbeing of all pupils).
Curiosity and inquisitiveness:  Our curriculum promotes interest and excitement. Children are encouraged to be pioneering, through child-led inquiry and questioning.	…engaged and motivated;  intrigued by their new discoveries.	– Questions and inquiries designed throughout the curriculum. – Learning that promotes oracy, collaborative and independent learning opportunities. – Purposeful opportunities to share learning, demonstrating how inquiries or challenges have been investigated, answered or achieved.
Challenge and ambition:  Our curriculum promotes excellence; developing learners to be the best that they can be.	…are motivated and aspirational, resilient and persevering; going beyond their comfort zones to achieve and succeed.	– High expectations across all subjects and for all pupils. – Effective questioning and challenge. – Teaching strategies that develop independent and collaborative learning. – Connections to careers, aspirational people, further education, business and the world of work. – Purposeful opportunities to share learning, demonstrating how inquiries or challenges have been investigated, answered or achieved.
Inclusivity and representation: Our curriculum considers and represents the challenges and differences that exist for our pupils.  It is meaningful and relevant to our learners.	…feel valued, are heard and recognised by others, and are well prepared to contribute to society.	– Learning opportunities that are inclusive of all needs and appropriately scaffolded. – Learning that is engaging for all pupils.  – Recognition and celebration of a wide range of cultures, individuals, stories and histories. – Learning is engaging, connected to locality and interests; it builds upon pupils’ current realms of experiences.

So What (Impact)

The impact of our curriculum will be evidenced through the extent to which each academy fulfils the curriculum aims. Namely, that every child will be able to:

• Demonstrate that they are effective learners with a depth and breadth of powerful and transferrable knowledge, understanding and skills;
• Achieve well across the full range and breadth of the curriculum, including reading, writing and mathematics, and;
• Continue to flourish because they are well – equipped and empowered to become the best they can be.

In order to measure impact, all children will answer carefully constructed key questions which relate to the knowledge children have gained throughout a particular topic.

Subject leaders, alongside senior leaders, are responsible for collating, analysing and evaluating the data from these key questions along with other data which may include:

• Pupil progress conversations
• Book looks and learning walks
• Trust wide and local authority moderation
• Leadership networks
• Professional learning conversations
• Internal quality assurance checks, including peer review
• Monitoring and review conversations
• Academy council and board monitoring
• External challenge partner visits

Leaders will use this data to monitor coverage to ensure all pupils have access to the full depth and breadth of the curriculum and that any barrier to doing so are removed.