Whole School Curriculum

Transform lives

Our curriculum is highly ambitious for all. We offer a broad, balanced and diverse programme of study for every child; all children have the opportunity to explore both academic and vocational courses. Through this curriculum, we ensure that every child has the foundations to surpass their potential. Our curriculum supports children to engage with the most challenging concepts and academically rigorous topics, to provide the very best for every child. We are committed to offering an ambitious curriculum, which transforms the lives of the children in our school. 

Provide choices for the future 

At the heart of our curriculum are core & powerful knowledge and skills, which we are committed to helping every child secure so that they have a breadth of choices for their future, beyond Whitworth Park Academy. Our curriculum has been carefully planned to consider what knowledge and skills will empower children to thrive in the world beyond school. Our teaching ensures that we encode this knowledge in our children’s long-term memories so they can take it with them into their future steps. We ensure our curriculum seamlessly intertwines the knowledge rich focus with skill development, and we clearly identify where and how children can apply the knowledge they acquire. We are committed to securing and supporting all children with Literacy, Numeracy and Oracy skills as we know they are foundations of success in school and beyond. We focus on honing and developing these skills in all subject areas and support all children to be articulate in their knowledge and display their skills without barriers. 

Support the whole child and every child 

Our curriculum is truly inclusive. We support the whole child and every child to thrive in our curriculum, fostering a culture where they grow and develop their character alongside the knowledge and skills they acquire. We place a significant emphasis on character development and through the teaching of our curriculum, we explicitly teach the traits and characteristics of diligent, kind and respectful learners, with examples demonstrated in all subject areas. Our curriculum is holistic and we tailor it so that every child is able to thrive and grow; extending beyond solely academic rigour to enrich every learner fully. 

Maximise time 

Every subject area carefully sequences their curriculum in order to ensure that understanding of key concepts and the core and powerful knowledge is developed over time. We always begin with the core knowledge but we are committed to expanding on this, ensuring we secure the fundamentals of the subject/discipline’s knowledge before extending further. The careful mapping of our curriculum secures both rapid and sustained progress for all children, in acquiring the core and powerful knowledge they need. Importantly, we regularly revisit key aspects of our curriculum with regular recall and spaced repetition. We are committed to maximising lesson time. By working collaboratively with our feeder primaries, we ensure our KS3 curriculum carefully builds on what they have previously learnt. This ensures a seamless transition into secondary education. We live out our vision around the importance of time and strive to never waste a moment. 

Provide extraordinary opportunities 

Learning extends beyond the classroom and the experiences curriculum is a core part of our offer for our children. We offer opportunities which ensure that all children can experience their subjects in a range of different contexts and from a range of different perspectives. Each subject area offers trips and visits which enable the children to explore worlds beyond their own. We are unwaveringly committed to delivering a curriculum which enriches the cultural capital of the children in the classroom and use learning itself as an explorative tool.

Year 7

The Year 7 cohort begin their Whitworth Park Academy curriculum journey in teaching groups based prior academic attainment. We work very closely with our feeder primary schools, to ensure we utilise a breadth of data to ensure all children are placed into appropriately streamed teaching groups to all them to maximise their time at Whitworth Park Academy. Importantly these teaching groups are continuously reviewed and amended to reflect their progress in school; these streamed teaching groups are carefully considered to ensure we maximise progress of every child.  

The curriculum at Whitworth Park Academy, is precisely sequenced in every subject, to ensure learning from primary school is systematically built upon and knowledge and skills are developed to prepare children for the next stage.  

Alongside English, Mathematics, Science, Geography, History, French, PSHE and Religious Studies, all Year 7 students will study a broad range of non-core subjects including Art, Design & Technology, IT/Computing, Music, Performing Arts and Physical Education that expose children to creative, technical and vocational aspects of learning. 

Years 8 and 9

As with Year 7, children continue to be taught in teaching groups based on academic attainment; notably, these are continually reviewed and carefully considered, but are in place to ensure we have the highest expectations and offer appropriate levels of challenge and support for every child. In Year 8 and 9 all children continue to study English, Mathematics, Science, Geography, History, French, PSHE and Religious Studies, and furthermore they continue to study a range of non-core subjects including Art, Design & Technology, IT/Computing, Music, Performing Arts and Physical Education. 

The programme of study in the National Curriculum is completed in Years 7, 8 & 9 and we pride ourselves on offering a truly ambitious curriculum, which often extends beyond simply the national curriculum.  

Years 10 and 11 

Through the Options process, we meet the statutory national requirements and aim to provide a more bespoke and personalised curriculum for Years 10 and 11 children. This means giving our children as much choice and flexibility as possible, whilst ensuring they follow examination courses that lead to positive outcomes and provide them choices for the future to access to aspirational post-16 opportunities at the appropriate level.  

Our curriculum is truly ambitious. All children will study the core subjects, English Language, English Literature, Mathematics, Science, IT and an option from either Geography or History (Humanities). Optional subjects include can include GCSE qualifications such as: French, Triple Science, Computer Science, Music and a suite of Art qualifications, including Photography, 3D Design, Textiles. Vocational options are also available including Business Enterprise, Health and Social Care, Child Development, Performing Arts and Sports Studies.  

Each child will be supported to plan their own personalised pathway depending upon their interests, talents and aspirations. Support and guidance will be given to each child in a 1:1 meeting with a member of the Senior Leadership Team.  

In addition to their assessed curriculum, children’s’ physical, religious, moral, and spiritual education continues across all subjects as well as in PHSE, RS and PE lessons and through dedicated days and learning opportunities.  

Summary

As a close community, we celebrate and recognise differences. Every child in our school is treated as an individual and we aim to develop their unique and specific aspects that each child possesses. We place the ‘Child at the Heart of Everything we do’ and we constantly provide additional experiences and opportunities to engage learning so that it is challenging, relevant, purposeful and secure. The children’s ability to learn is underpinned by the teaching of basic skills, knowledge, concepts and values. We actively promote positive attitudes to learning which reflect the values and skills needed to promote responsibility for learning and success. Children leave the Whitworth Park Academy with a sense of belonging where they have the confidence and skills to make decisions, reflect and self-evaluate to become lifelong learners. 

For further information regarding our curriculum please contact Mrs Rachel White, Assistant Headteacher or Mr Stuart Dixon, Headteacher.  

Courses Available to Key Stage 4 pupils 

GCSE 

• English – AQA
• Maths – Pearson Edexcel
• Science (Dual Award) – Pearson Edexcel (separate Sciences are available as an option choice)
• Geography – OCR A
• History – AQA
• French – AQA
• Music – WJEC EDUQAS
• Art and Design – Art, Craft and Design – AQA
• Art and Design – 3D Design – AQA
• Art and Design – Photography – AQA
• Art and Design – Textiles – AQA

Vocational Qualifications 

• Business Studies – Enterprise – Pearson BTEC
• Computing – Digital IT – Pearson BTEC
• Child Development – Pearson BTEC
• Health & Social Care – Pearson BTEC
• Sports Studies – OCR
• Performing Arts – Eduqas Level 1&2 Technical Award