Academy Curriculum

A 21st-century curriculum

The Academy's curriculum will be based on the Opening Minds competence framework.   Students will be taught core life skills through cross-curricular modules, sometimes taught by teams of teachers.  The Academy will specialise in Citizenship and Health, run extended opening hours and work with the local community in order to provide a suitable range of additional facilities for use by them in the evenings and at weekends.

In the classroom

The Opening Minds framework will form the core of the teaching curriculum at the Academy.  Teaching will be organised in two sessions each of three hours. This will give students the opportunity to get really involved in the cross-curricular modules that they are working on. Some of the teaching will be done by teams of teachers working with the whole year group, and at other times the school will use the more traditional model of one teacher working with one class. The curriculum will be complemented by a purpose-built Academy building, opening in 2010, designed with Opening Minds teaching principles in mind.

All academies are unique, specialising in certain areas and fitting their curriculum to the needs of the community.  These priorities will be evident throughout the curriculum and the Academy's structure. Through the Opening Minds competences we will focus on the values and skills young people will need to become active participants in and leaders of a confident and harmonious community.

The Academy Prospectus gives more detailed information about how the teaching day will be organised.  

Extended opening hours

We have already begun a dialogue with the local community about the facilities and learning opportunities that they would like to see available out of school hours.  This dialogue will continue, to ensure we are responding to the needs of parents and the community.