Whole School Curriculum

Curriculum Statement

Our Core Values are embedded across the curriculum at Halewood Academy. You can find more about our curriculum offer below and on the subject pages.

Curriculum Intent

Staff at Halewood Academy are committed to providing a high quality, inclusive curriculum that enhances the life of every pupil. 

Our curriculum aims to inspire and challenge all learners. It builds on the knowledge, skills and experiences developed in the primary phase and enables pupils to deepen their understanding of a broad range of subjects. We aim to provide opportunities for all pupils to fulfil their potential, setting ambitious goals and developing their capacity to be successful life-long learners, as well as building their cultural capital through a breadth of dynamic curricular, cross curricular and extracurricular opportunities. At Halewood, we pride ourselves on the provision of personalised learning to support every pupil.

Halewood Academy is committed to:

• providing the core skills, knowledge and understanding that are required for the 21st century.
• developing a sense of social and moral responsibility; encouraging pupils to be respectful of others, mindful of their role in their community, in society at large and in the global environment.
• providing subject choices that support pupils’ learning and progression, ensuring that our vision, mission and values are realised, thus enabling pupils to have the cultural capital they need to succeed in life.
• providing every child, regardless of social background, with the opportunity to succeed.
• developing pupils’ independent learning skills and resilience; with coherently planned and sequenced curricula enabling the development of knowledge and skills for further/higher education, training and employment.
• embedding fundamental British values and social, moral, spiritual and cultural purpose.

Our curriculum is designed to cater for all students regardless of their colour, race, nationality, disability, beliefs, sexual orientation or gender identity and we are committed to providing equal opportunity for all children. We insist on a curriculum that removes the notion of disadvantage, encourages resilience, provides equity and equality of opportunity and instils independence and aspiration in our students, so they can become hard working, respectful, tolerant and compassionate citizens who are ready to make a difference.

School Curriculum Review – 2019-20

We are confident that our curriculum gives Halewood pupils an education that prepares them for their next steps effectively. However, in line with our commitment to excellence, school leaders across the Wade Deacon Trust take a rigorous approach to on-going evaluation.

During this academic year, a review is being undertaken to consider how our curriculum offer can be made even stronger. As part of this process, leaders are investigating:

• Whether pupils can be provided with more opportunities to develop key knowledge and skills at even greater depth in Key Stage 3
• How we can further strengthen the teaching and sequencing of our curriculum across the school
• Ways to improve our GCSE Options process to ensure it continues to meet the needs of our pupils
• Opportunities to provide further develop pupils’ cultural capital and their social, moral, spiritual and cultural education
• Our pupils’ views on what and how they learn
• Parents’ and carers’ perceptions of the education we provide to their children

Key Stage 3: Year 7 & 8 

We currently provide a two-year Key Stage 3 curriculum so that students are able to engage more deeply with crucial concepts in Key Stage 4, thus helping them to achieve stronger outcomes in GCSE examinations. Our programmes of study are informed by the Key Stage 2 curriculum and our students’ outcomes at this stage, so that we are in a position to be able to accelerate progress in Year 7 and capitalise on gains made in a demanding primary curriculum. 

Key Stage 3 is designed to teach students the skills that are crucial for their development as learners. Students will be prepared, academically and socially, during this time to enable them to achieve their potential in their GCSE years. We aim to build on the skills of literacy, numeracy, interpretation, deduction, analysis and evaluation to create learners who are independent and who can approach their studies with creativity and originality.

The curriculum contains the subjects required for the English Baccalaureate (Ebacc) and includes: English, Mathematics, Science, a Language, History and Geography and prepares students for the rigours of GCSE, as well as providing a broad range of opportunities to access creative and practical subjects.

Key Stage 4: Years 9-11  

In Key Stage 4, we provide a varied curriculum, depending on the needs of the students. In addition to the core subjects, students can access a wide range of option subjects so that: 

• all students can have the opportunity to achieve the Ebacc 
• students can select a curriculum that provides a range of choices and opportunities for post-16 study
• we can provide a vocational and career-focused pathway, incorporating technical courses and a personalised curriculum. 
• there is an opportunity to support some students with extra Mathematics, English lessons.

From Year 7 to Year 11, every child’s progress is continually monitored. Students receive detailed feedback in lessons, and parents and carers receive regular updates about their child’s progress during the academic year.