Curriculum Approach

At Furness Academy our curriculum is driven by our values. Our Mantra is, ‘Building considerate, kind, confident and committed learners through high expectations and opportunities.’

Our core values of respect, responsibility and relationships underpin our school curriculum

Knowledge and assessment

Our curriculum provides a broad and balanced learning experience, underpinned by research and the latest educational thinking, harnessing technology where it has the greatest impact. It is coherently planned and carefully sequenced: building on the foundations of KS2 it ensures that students develop strong subject knowledge, regardless of their starting point. It enables pupils to develop knowledge, understand concepts and acquire skills, and be able to choose and apply these in relevant situations. At both KS3 and 4 our curriculum is broad, encompassing a range of arts, sports, STEM and vocational opportunities alongside a strong academic core of subjects, such as those offered in the EBACC. We provide subject choices that support learning and progression and this ensures our students are equipped to be successful beyond school, serving both the needs of the local community and the world beyond. Our curriculum is framed by a clear assessment structure which is used to measure impact, inform implementation and provide appropriate challenge.

Developing the individual

Promoting self-esteem and raising aspirations are at the centre of our curriculum philosophy and we aim to ensure our students have a desire to learn. Our curriculum is accessible to all and has high expectations for every pupil and appropriate levels of challenge and support. Personal Development plays a key role in our curriculum and we believe that all students should develop as rounded citizens, who value kindness, humanity and are able to develop positive relationships. The curriculum actively supports pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development as well as their physical development and responsibility for their own health – both mental and physical. We actively seek to develop resilience, ensuring that students are exposed to strategies which develop independence, promote memory and create self-regulated and positive learners who are equipped for further/higher education, employment and the world beyond.

Broadening horizons: building skills

Crucially, our curriculum must seek to broaden cultural capital through explicit teaching, as well as providing opportunities to learn outside the confines of the classroom, at local, national and international level. Linked to this, we actively seek to develop the skills necessary to succeed in the world beyond. We place a high value on literacy, ensuring that the development of reading, writing and oracy runs across all areas of the school, producing confident communicators with a broadened vocabulary. In the same way, numeracy is a core thread ensuring our students possesses the necessary mathematical confidence to succeed in life.

Accessible Curriculum 

At Furness Academy we are committed to promoting equality of opportunity, eliminating discrimination and harassment, valuing diversity and promoting positive relationships. We provide an inclusive education and curriculum which enables all students to develop their full potential meeting the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and the Special Needs Educational Needs and Disability Regulations of 2014.

At Furness Academy teachers set high expectations for all students. They will use appropriate assessment to set ambitious targets, plan challenging and make the curriculum work for all groups, including:

• More able students
• Students with low prior attainment
• Students with disabilities
• Students from disadvantaged backgrounds
• Students with SEN
• Students with English as an additional language (EAL)

Teachers will plan lessons so that students with SEN and/or disabilities can study every National Curriculum subject, wherever possible, and ensure that there are no barriers to every student achieving.

Teachers will also take account of the needs of students whose first language is not English. Lessons will be planned so that teaching opportunities help students to develop their English, and to support students to take part in all subjects.

Further information can be found in our statement of equality information and objectives, the Furness Academy Accessibility Plan and in our SEND policy and information report.