The Leigh Academy aims to ensure that all students gain a wide and extensive knowledge base which combined with co curricular opportunities build students’ cultural capital. We have a curriculum that is broad and balanced ‘Opening Minds to Success’ through delivery of the ‘Healthy Minds’ programme ensuring that the IB MYP learning profiles are fully embedded through the Key Stages. Students become resilient learners and are well prepared and successful in the next stage of their education or career pathway. The curriculum clearly identifies the most important knowledge students need to know and knowledge organisers are produced on a modular basis to reinforce this and support student understanding and retrieval of the key facts and concepts. We also recognise that reading is the gateway to learning and pupils who cannot read well are not able to access the curriculum and are disadvantaged for life. Reading is therefore a key component of both English lessons and the tutor time programme, with strategies in place to ensure all students have the opportunity to bring their reading age in line with (or beyond) their chronological age.
Our curriculum is structured in to the 3 Key Stages to achieve these aims in the following way:
- Key Stage 3 (Year 7, 8 and 9): The Middle Years Programme (MYP)
- Key Stage 4 (Year 10 and 11): GCSE and equivalent qualifications
- Key Stage 5 (Year 12 and 13): The IBCP, A-Levels and BTEC qualifications
As an IB World School, the MYP curriculum we implement at Key Stage 3 seeks to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. The MYP is designed to teach students in Key Stage 3 to become independent learners, who can discover the links between subjects and the real world. The IB MYP emphasises the study of 8 subject groups:
- Language Acquisition
- Language and Literature
- Individuals and Societies
- Sciences
- Mathematics
- Arts
- Physical and Health Education
- Design
The MYP places great emphasis on international-mindedness, interdisciplinary learning and service to others. The programme also offers opportunities to be actively involved in the community and promotes environmental responsibility in an ever changing global society.
In Year 8, students choose 2 subjects to study in depth through Year 9. This is a deliberate action to further engage students and enable them to really enjoy their subject whilst learning the depth of the content over a three year course. The curriculum model allows students to choose 2 subjects in addition to the core maths, English, science, PE, computing and Healthy Minds lessons taking place within the MYP framework. This approach helps lay the foundations for study at KS4, with the GCSE curriculum choices taking place in Module 3 of Year 9.
Key Stage 4 at The Leigh Academy is a 2 year programme of study in line with DFE expectations. When making their choices, pupils are guided to follow one of our Baccalaureate pathways. At Key Stage 4, all pupils study a core curriculum comprising the following subjects;
- English
- Mathematics
- Science
- Physical Education
- Computing and RE (delivered within the tutor time programme)
There are two Baccalaureate pathways at The Leigh which consist of the following:
- The EBacc Pathway – The English Baccalaureate groups together a range of qualifications identified by the Government as a measure of a pupil’s performance. In addition to the core curriculum of English, maths and science, pupils choosing to follow this pathway are required to study a foreign language and either history, geography or computer science.
- The LeighBacc Pathway – The LeighBacc enables pupils to study a combination of traditional GCSE subjects alongside vocational subjects. This pathway is unique to The Leigh Academy and is tailored for those pupils who would enjoy some of the EBacc subjects but not study them all. For example, a LeighBacc Pathway pupil may choose to study a foreign language but not wish to study either history or geography
Post-16 is a thriving aspect of the life of The Leigh Academy, led by a dedicated team of staff, all sharing the same determination to open doors for the young adults in our care. We believe that our role is to help our pupils to become the best versions of themselves that they can be and, in so doing, to ensure that they are ready to enter further education, an apprenticeship or employment. Key Stage 5 at The Leigh Academy is a two year programme. Applicants to Post-16 are given guidance meetings to help them choose the pathway upon which they will pursue Level 3 courses. We provide a choice of 35 courses of study on four distinct pathways:
- Academic Pathway – a combination of A levels and/or IB Diploma courses
- Vocational Pathway – a combination of vocational qualifications, such as BTECs
- Mixed Academic and Vocational Pathway – a combination of A levels, IB Diploma courses and vocational qualifications
- International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme (IBCP) Pathway – a suite of one double or two single qualifications or one single vocational qualification, two IB Diploma courses and a Core Programme of Personal and Professional Skills, Language Development, Service Learning and Reflective Project
The implementation of the curriculum content is centred around five evidence-informed pedagogical approaches that are considered the most effective practice:
- Retrieval Practice
All lessons begin with a Do Now activity that is retrieval based. Retrieval tasks must aid students to draw on prior learning that is relevant to their learning in the lesson in order to develop their schemas. Retrieval should be embedded into the whole lesson with reference made to prior learning and the importance of links made explicit. - Clear Explanation and Instruction
The teacher understands the need for there to be direct instruction in the lesson. This might involve explaining a concept, describing a process, introducing a topic etc. The core focus for the lesson will be covered in this section. Teachers will demonstrate the need to break material into small steps to take into account the limitations of working memory. - Modelling, Scaffolding and Worked Examples
Procedural knowledge will be explicitly modelled to students to support metacognition. Teachers will narrate each stage of their modelling process and use questioning to check for understanding specifically focusing on ensuring students understand each stage of the modelling process.
Visualisers will be used to support the modelling process. - Formative Assessment
Teachers will check for understanding multiple times a lesson. This may involve cold calling, probing questioning, process questioning, mini white boards, Google forms and choral response. The teacher will use these checks to adapt their lesson as necessary. - Independent Practice
Students must have the opportunity to engage with independent practice in the lesson. Teacher must have explicitly modelled their thinking and expectations prior to this. It is essential that students already have relevant declarative knowledge as well as procedural knowledge in order to be successful.
The curriculum will make a positive impact on the outcomes of every child. We will know that this is true as we are delivering a high standard of education, quality assured through qualitative and quantitative measures. Leaders at all levels review learning, talk with our students and provide feedback to move practice forward. The impact of the school’s curriculum is measured through several means:
- Outcomes for students across all key stages and groups
- EHCP Objectives
- Progress and attainment data for current year groups
- Destinations data
- Attendance data
- Behaviour and inclusion data
- Engagement in co-curricular activities
- Stakeholder feedback
- Progress towards the Gatsby benchmarks.
Curriculum Model 2022-23
Lesson allocation – 24 x 1 hour lesson plus 30 minute daily tutorial/assembly (1 week timetable)
The Post-16 curriculum is determined by the options and pathway students follow in Year 12. Students have 2 x 2 hours lessons per week for each subject they choose. More details on the Post-16 curriculum can be found on the Post-16 page here.
International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (Each subject group taught over at least 50 hours per annum)
Subject
Hours per week
English Language and Literature
3
Language Acquisition
2
Maths
3
Sciences
3
Arts
3
(1 Art, 1 Drama, 1 Music)
Design
3
(1 D&T, 2 Computing)
Individuals and Societies
3
Physical and Health Education
2
Healthy minds and Reading
1
International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (Each subject group taught over at least 50 hours per annum)
Subject
Hours per week
English Language and Literature
4
Language Acquisition
2
Maths
4
Sciences
3
Design
3
(2 D&T, 1 Computing)
Individuals and Societies
3
Physical and Health Education
2
Healthy minds
1
Subject specialist choices
(2 Choices: Arts, PE, Drama or Computing)
2
English Baccalaureate or Leigh Baccalaureate
Subject
GCSEs
Hours per week
English Language & Literature
2
5
Maths
1
4
Sciences
(Combined or separate)
2/ 3 dependent on pathway
4 (or 7 if separate science)
Individuals and Societies
(History, Geography, Ethics, Health & Social Care or Travel & Tourism)
1 per option chosen
3 per option
Language acquisition
(French or Spanish)
1
3 per option
Arts
(Fine Art, Graphics, Music, Drama, Photography, Media Studies or Business Studies)
1 per option
3 per option
Design
(Engineering, Food and Nutrition or Design and Technology)
1 per option
3 per option
Physical and Health Education
(Core PE, GCSE PE, NCFE PE or Healthy Minds)
1 per option
1 core PE
1 Healthy Minds
3 per option
English Baccalaureate or Leigh Baccalaureate
Subject
GCSEs
Hours per week
English Language & Literature
2
5
Maths
1
4
Sciences
(Combined or separate)
2/ 3 dependent on pathway
5 (or 8 if separate science)
Individuals and Societies
(History, Geography, Ethics, Health & Social Care or Travel & Tourism)
1 per option chosen
3 per option
Language acquisition
(French or Spanish)
1
3 per option
Arts
(Fine Art, Graphics, Music, Drama, Photography, Media Studies or Business Studies)
1 per option
3 per option
Design
(Engineering, Food and Nutrition or Design and Technology)
1 per option
3 per option
Physical and Health Education
(Core PE, GCSE PE or NCFE PE)
1 per option
1 core PE
3 per option