Castle Academy Astrea Academy Trust
Curriculum Drivers
At Castle Academy we believe that our curriculum should offer children not only the National Curriculum but life skills and experiences beyond this. With this in mind; we have worked to prioritise the things we want our children to experience during their time with us. We use these ‘drivers’ to underpin all the work we undertake in all areas of school life and to ensure our curriculum offer is enriched and personalised to our children and their families. We have 5 drivers that underpin every decision we make regarding our children’s learning and experiences in school, these drivers are personal to our school and reflect the social and educational needs of our local area.
Our drivers are: Scholarship, Curiosity, Tenacity, Empathy and Aspiration.
Scholarship:
We will be informed by the best academic and organisational thinking and research, using this where we can and expanding it where possible.
Curiosity:
We will ask searching questions; not take things on face value, seek out the best of what is known and engage in appreciative enquiry.
Tenacity:
We will deliver on our promise and see things through to completion. We will embody pace, urgency and determination in our focus on improving outcomes for children and our own performance.
Empathy:
Empathy means the ability to share another person’s feelings or experiences by imagining how it would feel to be in their situation. We aim to develop children’s empathy by encouraging them to talk about and express their emotions in a positive manner. Throughout the curriculum we aim to shine a light on other people’s feelings and situations.
Aspiration:
Aspiration is the hope or ambition to achieve something. We believe that the development of aspirations encourages children to take pride in themselves and be the very best they can be. It is essential that our children are made aware of the range of possibilities that are available to them during their time with us, and beyond. We therefore seek to understand, recognise and promote the skills, qualities and capabilities of each child.
Castle Curriculum Aims and Intent.
We are proud to be a primary academy which has firm roots in the local community. Many of our children’s parents and grandparents attended Castle Academy and there is a rich history surrounding the school.
We believe that our curriculum should educate children about their role within the community and the positive impact they can have on their own lives and those around them. Therefore our curriculum is built upon a foundation which aims to develop a strong sense of self, of the local and wider history.
We believe that our children should have access to as many opportunities as possible so that they develop a broad knowledge and understanding of the world and what is possible. We tell our children to aim high- they are the future and they can make a difference.
We believe that our children should be exposed to activities and situations where they develop a broad range of skills, an understanding of diversity and tolerance. Team working is a vital skill as is the confidence to stand proud – our curriculum aims to develop both of these aspects.
Our curriculum is underpinned by Astrea’s Core Values and these are taught on their own and through other areas of the curriculum, including assemblies. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our pupils and their understanding of the core values of our society are woven throughout the curriculum. Each week at our celebration assembly we highlight children who have demonstrated their understanding of these values.
Specialist teachers and instructors support music, physical education and the teaching of French.
All subject leaders are given training and opportunities to keep developing their own subject knowledge, skills and understanding so they can support curriculum development and their colleagues throughout the school.
Theme weeks, whole school activities and opportunities within and outside school all enrich and develop the children’s learning. After school clubs and events extend these opportunities further. Additional whole school programmes and approaches support quality teaching and learning.
Our Curriculum Implementation.
- The curriculum at Castle Academy is built upon the primary National Curriculum 2014.
- The school is also developing areas of the curriculum which aim to extend pupils learning further including: We Are Conisbrough, Astrea Promise, Forest School and Enterprise.
- In order to ensure effective progression of subjects across the primary phase our Curriculum Teams have developed skill/knowledge progression maps for all subjects over the year.
- Termly plans are created and knowledge organisers are shared with parents. These highlight key skills, knowledge and vocabulary which the children will learn as part of the subject. These are placed on our website.
- We also invite parents to share in the curriculum by attending key events and activities such as an Art gallery or a performance.