Curriculum - Bishop Alexander L.E.A.D. Academy

Our Unique Curriculum At Bishop Alexander Academy

At Bishop Alexander L.E.A.D Academy, we aim to provide a curriculum that ‘Brings Learning to Life’ and ‘Broadens Horizons’ for our pupils.

Our curriculum aims to:

Provide a broad and balanced education for all pupils
Enable pupils to develop knowledge, understand concepts and acquire skills, and be able to choose and apply these in relevant situations
Support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
Support pupils’ physical development and responsibility for their own health, and enable them to be active
Promote a positive attitude towards learning which extends beyond their experience.
Ensure equal access to learning, with high expectations for every pupil and appropriate levels of challenge and support
Raising aspiration for children so they are motivated to gain employment in adulthood.
Support pupils to understand and celebrate their own and other communities.
Provide a range of cultural enrichment and experiences broaden their horizons
Provide children with an opportunity to learn about current affairs
Support pupils to develop communication skills that enable them to effectively interact with a range of audiences
To question and challenge learning and encourage children to be involved in future innovation
Promote fundamental British Values
For nursery children: promote the love of learning and enquiry based activities that develop of our youngest children and ensure they are school ready

Organisation

The curriculum approach is planned around themes. The whole school has the same theme, and each term all phases (EYFS,KS1, LKS2, UKS2) work towards a common goal/outcome. These outcomes are aimed at sharing learning (e.g. with parents) or applying learning to real life situations. Each phase may have a different focus that contributes to this goal.

To help children explore and experience subjects in depth, the weeks are blocked and are consistent across the whole school. This allows children to develop the skills and knowledge over the week(s) and gain depth and breadth to their learning.

The two year cycle starts literally ‘On our Doorstep’, in that it is about our local community and Newark itself. We feel that the children need a sense of belonging and pride in where they live, before they learn and appreciate the wider world. Where possible, a ‘WOW’ event launches a new topic to engage and intrigue the pupils. Further trips and enrichment provide children with much needed wider experiences of the world in which they live.

Cycle A	Theme
Autumn 1	This is Me, Who Are You?
Autumn 2	Oh No It Isn’t!
Spring	Long, Long Ago, What Can Time Travellers Tell Us?
Summer	Is This a Wonderful World?

Cycle B	Theme
Autumn 1	Can You Run a Restaurant?
Autumn 2	Is History a Mystery?
Spring	Being my Best
Summer	Where in the World?