Curriculum

Curriculum Intent and Strategic Aims

At The East Manchester Academy we are extremely proud of the ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum we offer to all of our students. Our curriculum is underpinned by our academy vision ‘To ensure all students are equipped with the; knowledge, skills, abilities, attributes and qualifications to pursue a fulfilling career, contribute positively to their communities and be active global citizens.’ We are committed to providing students with the best life chances possible, irrespective of their background or starting point.

We deliver the most powerful knowledge to our students with the view to their development as global citizens able to make a positive contribution in the communities of the future. We want to empower our students to make decisions within an ever-changing world so they are able to lead successful and happy lives.

The curriculum itself places knowledge that is cumulative at its heart and support is provided to those students with special educational needs or disabilities to access the full range of curriculum subjects. The science of learning has underpinned our professional development programme, alongside domain and subject specific pedagogy ensuring staff continually improve their teaching ability and understanding of how students learn effectively.

Our ambitious curriculum is constructed to take account of the local context of the community the academy serves. This is evident within the contextualised personal development curriculum including a focus on knife crime, county lines and also within the TEMA offer which is based on a detailed evaluation of the experiences and cultural capital which will bridge gaps within our students’ experience. Both the ‘TEMA Offer’ and subject provision are underpinned by our REACH values and fully supported by our drive to provide the absolute best for our students. The two strands ensure the academic and personal development of all students.

Our approaches aim to inspire curiosity and creativity through engaging content and inclusive teaching with a focus on developing students as life-long learners. The content of our curriculum is based upon the most powerful knowledge within each subject which is then sequentially planned to build upon the prior knowledge and experience of our students. Additionally, classroom practice is built around the effective use of retrieval practice in order for students to remember knowledge over time. Finally, student language acquisition and fluency (both spoken and written) are prioritised by our teachers and students are afforded the opportunity to read for pleasure each day through our TEMA Reads Programme.

Our Curriculum:

• is ambitious and both rich in academic rigour and student development
• is designed to diminish gaps and reduce educational inequality
• is appropriate and relevant to our students
• is progressive, interleaved and sequenced to develop knowledge and understanding which provides deep, sustainable and valuable learning for all students
• provides opportunities to develop levels of academic language and fluency across all curriculum areas
• recognises the increasing importance of demands placed upon young people in order to keep them safe in a digital age
• promotes opportunities across the curriculum for the development of good student health and wellbeing
• provides a wide range of courses that challenge, engage and raise aspirations of our students
• promotes learning across a wide range of contexts and experiences
• promotes reading and the development of vocabulary knowledge as an explicit focus

Our aim, through our curriculum is to develop young people who can contribute positively to future communities:

• who are not disadvantaged by the social context in which they live
• who have the confidence, resilience and knowledge to stay mentally healthy
• who have high expectations of self and an ambitious vision for their future
• who have a work ethic in them achieving, and exceeding, their academic potential
• who are happy and have a desire to pursue a healthy, active lifestyle
• who are respectful, tolerant and empathetic towards the values and beliefs of others
• who are self-aware and know their own strengths through reviewing and evaluating their progress
• who are capable of making informed decisions and are aware of their rights and responsibilities