The Big Idea - why the curriculum is at the core of our thinking.

What do we want to achieve through our curriculum?

At Co-op Academy Failsworth we are fully committed to supporting our students to live in a rapidly changing world, where independence and resilience are key to future success. Alongside our academic curriculum, we ensure that students develop cooperative behaviours. These behaviours are promoted through our Academy Values which are rooted in the Ways of Being Co-op. These ways of being are four simple but powerful statements that underpin everything that we do: 

Curriculum Vision

The word curriculum is Latin in origin, descending from ‘currere’, meaning race or a course on which a race is run; and is often used to describe the dynamic movement of a chariot, or ‘careering’. A careering chariot, suggesting dynamism, movement and most importantly, journeying, seems to be a good starting point to reflect on the purpose of a ‘curriculum’ within our academy. With the root of the word in mind, we view our curriculum as our vehicle, it is the way in which our students move on their journey across a range of subjects and disciplines. Our expert teachers guide them through this with their deep, rich knowledge of pedagogy and of the subject that they teach. The vision for our curriculum is therefore to provide students with a dynamic journey of learning, guiding and supporting them to progress from novice to expert, achieving excellence together.

Intent

We believe all our students are entitled to an excellent quality of education- this belief is at the core of everything we do. To achieve this, students need to experience a curriculum that challenges their individual abilities, is relevant to their experience and present needs; is inclusive and has application and value in the world outside the academy. Our students experience a curriculum that is knowledge rich, is taught by expert teachers who have a deep understanding of pedagogy, of the subject that they teach and the way in which students learn and remember. 

The recognition of students as individuals demands the application of appropriate pedagogical approaches, a clear understanding and knowledge of cognitive frameworks and theories, in particular how best to strengthen and deepen the knowledge, memory and understanding of the subjects they study in order to engage all students, including those with additional needs. 

Our curriculum is carefully crafted with all our students in mind; the expectation is that it is studied by all. Responsive Teaching is at the heart of our approach, adaptations are made through expert selection of pedagogical approaches- how we teach all the concepts, not selecting which concepts to teach. This ensures all are fully immersed and no narrowing for any of our students occurs. 

An excellent quality of education is our priority within the academy; with this in mind we provide a curriculum which is broad, balanced, has clear progression in subject expertise and knowledge and is filled with rich first-hand purposeful experiences. Through careful sequencing our KS4 builds seamlessly on the foundations developed throughout KS3, allowing for success in terminal examinations and future destinations.

We want our students to be challenged to think about why they are learning as well as what they are learning. Therefore, we see the development of the whole person: how to be safe and healthy, how to understand and thrive in  the world in which they occupy, and how expertise, knowledge, understanding and attitudes contribute to their success, as our core moral purpose. Teaching our students about the following, through our specialist Citizenship Department, and alongside the other subject disciples, allows us to realise our vision of ‘Achieving Excellence Together’ and embodies our Academy values:

• Healthy relationships and sex education
• E-safety and the responsible use of technology
• Developing economic understanding, 
• Understanding our British values
• Developing physical, creative and artistic intelligence
• Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural development through a unique Citizenship and RE offer
• Character Education through a values-driven approach

The intention of our academy curriculum is to provide a framework on which to build a world-class educational experience. Success in examinations and assessments is important and we strive for the very best progress and attainment for our students. We achieve this by providing a structured and supported approach, whereby:

• Year 7, 8 and 9 the focus is on the development of expertise, through exploration of big ideas and core concepts. This is knowledge rich, empowering experience which is in line with the national curriculum.
• Year 10 & 11 provides a knowledge and expertise rich curriculum to secure the very best exposure to learning necessary for examination success.

Implementation

How is our curriculum delivered? Core Concepts and Pedagogy

We believe that to gain conceptual understanding students need to experience expert teaching. Through careful lesson sequencing, excellent cognitive knowledge, subject knowledge and pedagogical knowledge of our teachers, students receive a knowledge rich approach to their learning. Each step in the design and the delivery of our curriculum is informed by educational research and cognitive science. At the heart of our curriculum implementation is the development of the knowledge required for each subject and the most effective pedagogy. The process of memory underpins our pedagogical approaches, with the idea ‘if nothing in the long-term memory has changed then nothing has been learned’ underpinning our approach. 

Our curriculum is our progression model; cementing and solidifying the expertise and mastery developed at KS3, moving to deeper learning and understanding of the core concepts at KS4. This approach encourages and embeds the expertise required to learn, whilst developing an understanding of the learning process through: deliberate practice, development of cognitive and metacognitive strategies. Reflection of the learning process and extension of new learning leads our students to a greater depth of subject expertise.

The focus on Pedagogical Subject Knowledge allows for a rich experience; excellent subject knowledge is expertly delivered through a deep understanding of pedagogical approaches and learning theories. Consequently, students know more, remember more and ultimately can do more. They experience a shift in long-term memory, are able to recall knowledge with fluency, leading to success in academic, personal achievements and progression. 

Impact

What difference is our curriculum making?

Our curriculum is the progression model. We believe assessment should be meaningful and support our students to progress. Summative assessment is used at key points throughout the curriculum but we believe that formative assessment provides the most effective and powerful impact on student progression. Our approach to assessment is progressive, relative and formative, allowing for the development of expertise. Gaps are identified, understood and addressed through a deep understanding of pedagogy and generative learning. We also understand that examination and assessment outcomes alone are by no means enough. As a forward thinking academy we have a strong careers education focus throughout our curriculum. Through our unique offer, that is co-operative and inclusive in its approach, students receive a curriculum that is rich and relevant, challenging and
rewarding, enjoyable and exciting.

We understand that not all learning takes place within the classroom and offer a wide range of enrichment experiences, including Duke of Edinburgh, trips and visits linked to the curriculum, student leadership, peripatetic music lessons, musical ensembles, choir, sporting clubs and teams, large whole school drama/music productions and language clubs, Enterprise, DT,  ICT and Computing clubs.