Curriculum at Greenwood Academy

Our academic curriculum is delivered through 5 x 60 minute lessons each day, plus 30 minutes tutor lessons at the start of each day. This tutor lesson is structured and includes 2 days tutor reading, FBV/SMSC through Votes for Schools and an assembly day. Once a week students in all years have a 60 minutes PSHE lesson delivered by their form tutor.
To support a broad and balanced curriculum we run the timetable over two weeks. However we are committed to minimal differences between the 2 weeks. Lessons for English, Maths and PE are always in the same timetable periods in both weeks.

At Greenwood Academy we deliver a  curriculum which supports not only our pupils’ physical and mental health and wellbeing but also extends their social and moral development.  Through the use of in school and home learning, working closely with families, we ensure that they continue to achieve their personal and academic best and are well prepared to adapt in  this ever-changing world

There is a strong focus on the cultural capital of the whole child including civic understanding and citizenship in the community. Supported by our pastoral programme/lessons which delivers British Values, SMSC and guided reading during form time. Votes for Schools are also incorporated.  

Our approach is driven by our beliefs that our curriculum should:

• Be reflective and flexible
• Rigorously support the ‘crunch’ moments such as the transition  from Year 6 into 7 and Year 9 into KS4.
• Ensure that every student has access to  careers interviews to ensure they receive independent careers  advice.  
• Have clear and ambitious endpoints for all students across all  subject areas.
• Be planned, sequenced and aligned so that new knowledge and  skills build on what has been taught before moving students  towards ambitious endpoints.
• Reflect our context addressing gaps in knowledge and skills.  Mastery of the core with English and Maths forming 40% of  curriculum time.  
• Be broad and balanced. Pupils study a 3 year KS3 with a large proportion of students able to access the EBacc subjects
• Be ambitious for all enabling pupils to engage in a varied diet of  academic/vocational qualifications

Key Stage 3 (Year 7-9) curriculum

All subject curricula are modelled on the national curriculum and we do not narrow the curriculum for our students. They can all access a broad and balanced curriculum regardless of their starting point.

Pupils are taught a breadth of subjects in line with the National  Curriculum. To ensure that every student is challenged at a level and  pace appropriate to his/her ability and needs, the core subjects (English  and Maths) are taught in groups arranged according to pupils’ ability  with science being taught in mixed ability.  

Physical Education is compulsory.  

All pupils study one modern foreign language: currently, we offer  Spanish.  

Key Stage 3 Subjects - number of lessons taught across the fortnight

Our curriculum and assessment vision is to provide our pupils with  the qualifications and attributes needed to thrive in life.

Assessment is a continuous process, which is integral to teaching  and learning, allowing children to reflect on and improve their  learning.

At Greenwood, the main aim of assessment is to recognise the strengths and talents of our students and to identify and support  their areas for development through adaptive teaching and  intervention. Assessment information will be used to:

• Inform pupils, parents and teachers of where they are at and  where they need to develop
• Allow us to judge current attainment and progress in relation to  expectations from their pupils
• Allow our school and Trust leaders to benchmark the performance of individual pupils, subjects and schools
• Inform leaders and teachers about the potential future performance of pupils.

At Key Stage 3, every  subject curriculum is underpinned by Age Related Expectations (A.R.E), which defines the knowledge, understanding and skills which pupils are  expected to achieve in Years 7, 8 and 9.

Year 7 content builds on the knowledge, understanding and  skills from primary education. A.R.E’s in each subsequent year  build on those from the prior year with progressively increasing  challenges.  Teachers make judgements on students progress in relation to their Age Related Expectations, in the form of Working Towards,  Working At or Working Beyond A.R.E

A.R.E are set up to year 9 and form the minimum knowledge, understanding and  skills required to begin year 10. The A.R.E’s for each subject includes a bespoke balance of  knowledge, skills and understanding objectives 

KEY STAGE 4 (Year 10/11)  - number of lessons taught across the fortnight

All pupils study a core curriculum offer of

Key Stage 4 options - pupils study 4 options. Each option class has 5 lessons a fortnight.

 (Number of pupils study each subject)

The options process is run by the Head of Key Stage and Head of Year, under the leadership of the  Associate Principal. The process starts in Spring with a future careers programme delivered by form tutors, an academic parents evening and option information evening. The aim is that pupils and families make an informed choice. Pupils are encouraged to choose Spanish and a Humanities subject.

ASDAN is not a free choice, pupils are selected for this by the SEND team.

Extended Curriculum

Greenwood Academy offers a diverse and enriching extended curriculum to complement students' academic journey. The extended curriculum is as much an entitlement as any other aspect of school as we promote both academic and personal growth for all our students.

Our Character Curriculum is designed to develop well-rounded, responsible individuals. Each week, a key virtue is highlighted and shared with the school community via the Community MUGA, acting as a focal point for reflection and discussion. This virtue is woven into assemblies, PSHE lessons, and incorporated throughout the wider curriculum, helping students to see its relevance and give opportunities to demonstrate the virtue. To encourage the embodiment of these virtues, we reward students who consistently demonstrate positive character traits with the prestigious Gold Card Lunch.

Our educational visits program is a vital extension of the curriculum, providing students with enriching experiences beyond the classroom. We offer a range of trips to support academic learning, such as theatre visits to see performances of set texts in English, helping students bring literature to life. Residential trips also provide opportunities for personal growth, team-building, and resilience.

Our enrichment program continues to grow. For those with a passion for mathematics, options like the "Mathschet" (Crochet in Maths) provide a creative twist, while the Axiom Maths Circle, challenges keen mathematicians. History enthusiasts can engage with the History Magazine, diving deeper into historical events and analysis. On the sporting front, students can join a plethora of PE clubs and teams, to stay active and the PE Department are spearheading ‘The Greenwood Games’ this academic year, to bring some healthy competition into the academy rooted in physical activity, but also innovatively weaving in effort, participation and attendance elements to drive improvements across the academy. The Greenwood Grub Club offers hands-on experience in Food Technology, while the Drama Club and a variety of music-related activities like the GWA Voice, Keyboard Club, and Band Club cater to the artistically inclined. Additionally, the SEND Department fosters an inclusive environment with activities like the Lego Club and Chat and Chocolate, designed to build social skills. Practical clubs like the STEM Club, Engineering Club, and Gaming Club also encourage teamwork and innovation, while the Study Club provides a quiet space for students to focus on their homework.

We are committed to providing life-changing, immersive opportunities that support personal growth, and community engagement. Our highly anticipated and award winning annual school productions, engage a large proportion of our academy on stage and behind the scenes and serve as a focal point for the entire community, attracting thousands of spectators from local primary schools, parents, and families. In addition to these major productions, we offer platforms such GWA Live, our monthly open mic night, and Castle Vale's Got Talent, a community-wide talent showcase, where students can express their creativity and build confidence.

We highly value the wider pupil experience and go above and beyond to build cultural capital through a rich program of events. These include engaging activities like the hugely popular Scare Maze, which promotes teamwork and creativity, and our Be Proud Day, which celebrates individuality and pride, we also honour important cultural moments such as Black History Month and Pride Month, providing students with opportunities to learn about and appreciate diverse histories and identities through lesson content, interactive displays and guest speakers who we engage to offer valuable insights into given areas of expertise, industry and career paths, supporting our careers program by helping students make informed decisions about their futures, while inspiring them with real-world experiences and opportunities.

Lift Schools Curriculum

We want all our pupils to acquire the knowledge they need not only for academic success but also to be able to live rich and productive lives.  

We believe that all our pupils are entitled to:

• a rigorous and knowledge-rich academic curriculum for all national-curriculum subjects; and
• a wide-ranging extended curriculum, enhancing pupils’ personal development and helping them towards a successful future.

We know, however, that context is everything, and that our principals and teachers are the experts when it comes to their own pupils. So each school is free to supplement our curriculum in response to its pupils’ particular needs.

Every curriculum decision we make is underpinned by our four core principles:

• Ambition: We want the very best for all our pupils.
• Breadth: Every child is entitled to a varied academic and extended curriculum.
• Why this? Why now?: We select and sequence curriculum content precisely and thoughtfully.
• Teaching: Talented teachers help pupils access the curriculum and achieve their full potential.

In addition, all Lift Schools align around the Lift Base Curriculum and our Lift Specifications

What is the Lift base curriculum?
‍At school level, our core entitlements are set out in our Lift Base Curriculum. This establishes clear minimum standards for the whole-school curriculum and includes entitlements for pupils around curriculum breadth, minimum learning times for each subject and key curricular provisions.

We review the base curriculum annually, in consultation with our school leaders. Similarly, we ask individual schools to review their curriculum once a year, benchmarking their offer against the entitlements of the base curriculum. This allows us to support schools in making considered curriculum choices and to identify future opportunities for collaboration across our trust.

What are the Lift specifications?
‍At subject level, our Lift specifications set out the minimum knowledge that every pupil should acquire in every subject. Divided by age group, these are precise lists of content each child in our schools should be learning.

Because all our schools teach the content of our aligned specifications, it is easy to share teaching resources, classroom approaches and professional learning across the trust.

Our schools are free to determine their own curriculum sequencing and teaching approach. They can also supplement the Lift specifications with additional content that caters to their pupils’ needs.

Who develops and monitors the curriculum?
‍With 57 schools across the country, we have an impressive array of talented teachers to draw on for subject expertise.

We choose a subject leader with a proven record of excellence and innovative thinking to lead each of our subject networks. They are joined by subject representatives from each of our schools.

There are more than 20 of these groups, meeting every half term to develop and monitor curriculum and curriculum strategy, working alongside the trust’s curriculum groups.

They also deliver subject-specific professional development throughout the trust. And they examine what’s working – and what isn’t – across the country. The aim is to be able to incorporate innovative, clearly proven practice into our own schools.

Our central education team, with sector-leading experts in curriculum and subject teaching, is also on hand to support all our teachers