Curriculum overview

Our curriculum is intended to prepare students for university and to be leaders in their community.

The Ark Globe Curriculum encompasses the total experience of the student, from what is learnt in the classroom, to our expectations of how students should carry themselves, and make decisions, outside of it. For us, education is much more than a qualification; it is a way of being that results in an empowered young person who is able to secure a life of purpose and meaning.

We recognise that attending university is often key to this as, we believe, it provides young people with more choices. As such, we have designed an academic, pastoral and cultural curriculum which prepares students for university and to be leaders in their community. We also recognise that there are high quality alternatives to university and we help students to secure these too. Whatever choice a student makes, we want it to be an informed one, where they feel empowered to determine their own future.

We have a mastery approach to learning, with additional time given to English and maths. This involves planning backwards from the point of university readiness and starting with the fundamentals. By mastering the fundamentals, students are better able to grasp more complex knowledge and understanding, as well as make connections between subjects. Our longer school day allows us to facilitate both depth as well as a broad and balanced curriculum.

The implementation of our academic curriculum rests on five key principles:

1. Content: Curriculum leaders chose content that provides students with meaningful knowledge and understanding, and which gives a strong introduction to the subject as a discipline.
2. Communication: The curriculum is delivered in an accessible and challenging way that builds students’ literacy and oracy so that they are able to effectively communicate their ideas and understanding.
3. Checking understanding: Regular checks for understanding are built into lessons, with regular testing to ensure misconceptions are identified and that students are able to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding in both informal and formal settings.
4. Critical thinking: Students are taught to analyse and evaluate knowledge to make informed judgements as well as distinguish between facts and opinion.
5. Child-centred: The needs of the child are at the heart of the curriculum and this may mean, if appropriate, that some students have a more bespoke curriculum in order to address specific needs.

At Ark Globe Academy, we believe that learning and assessment are a constant process. We conduct assessment of every lesson and of every unit of work, and use this information to enhance the quality of teaching and learning experiences for our young people.

We regularly assess pupils’ academic potential and progress. We place importance on accurate and thorough assessment so that pupils are given appropriate challenge and support when necessary. Our rigorous assessment progress and target-setting model supports this and contributes to the development of exemplary lesson planning informed by a detailed knowledge of every child. We provide our pupils with regular feedback on their learning so that they understand what they need to do to develop and improve further.

We formally discuss individual pupil progress with parents and families twice a year, through written reports and academic review meetings. We share strengths in learning and review future targets, and together strive to raise standards for all our children and move them to the next level of success.

The aims and objectives of assessment in our academy are:

• To enable our children to demonstrate what they know, understand and can do in their learning
• To help our children understand what they need to do next to improve their learning
• To allow teachers to plan learning that accurately reflects the needs of each child
• To provide regular information for parents/guardians that enables them to support their child’s learning
• To provide the Heads of School, Principal and governors with information that allows them to make judgements about the effectiveness of the academy
• Help us to plan highly effective learning opportunities