Intent

Whole-School Curriculum Intent

We provide a curriculum that is accessible and enjoyable. It is a curriculum which fully engages our students, encouraging excellent attendance (supporting those whose attendance is affected by school-based anxiety); it secures powerful knowledge and facilitates academic success.

Our curriculum promotes equality for all students regardless of special educational needs (SEN), race, gender, sexuality or socio-economic background. We support families where access to curriculum resources (such as revision material and music tuition), equipment (such as ingredients for Food practical learning), uniform (such as PE kit) and enrichment may prove to be a financial challenge. The delivery and implementation of our curriculum is structured through the learning techniques of The Barrington Way. The techniques provide challenge and accountability for students, whilst promoting inclusivity for all. The curriculum is carefully planned and implemented to meet the special educational needs of students (most common need being social, emotional and mental health), including our students who access our Enhanced Learning Provision. 

Our RISE values are threaded throughout our curriculum; they are intrinsic to everything we do. This is because we want our students to be well-rounded and responsible citizens who can fulfil their potential, play a positive part in society and lead a life lived well. 

RESPECT | Valuing yourself as well as the feelings and rights of others. How everyone should treat each other regardless of their differences.

INSPIRATION | Instilling in others the motivation, enthusiasm and courage to be the best they can be and achieve more.

RESILIENCE | Demonstrating the ability to persevere and adapt to change in the face of adversity

EXCELLENCE | High performance in achieving goals; it is created with determination, self-belief and hard work. Continual improvement results in success.

Our curriculum is designed to be broad and ambitious reflecting national curriculum aims and expectations, enabling students to further develop and hone literacy, communication and numeracy skills and deepening their subject knowledge across their 5-year curriculum journey. We carefully design our English curriculum and Reading intervention to ensure our students, whose access to reading and fluency of vocabulary may be limited by their socio-economic background, make rapid progress. 

Our schemes of learning work are carefully crafted to ensure logical and effective sequencing of learning. The curriculum overview of each subject clearly identifies what students should know and be able to do by the end of each unit, term, year and key stage in preparation for their next steps within Bishop Barrington Academy and beyond. The breadth of the curriculum allows our students to access future employment in industry areas that are thriving the most in the north east, from manufacturing, food, drink and fashion, to sport and healthcare (https://www.durham.ac.uk/job-vacancies/relocating/partner-support/major-employers/#d.en.839205)

Assessment is used to address gaps in students’ Knowledge and understanding to best sustain and secure key concepts, core knowledge and key skills and progress learning forward.

Our curriculum offers a rich experience; one which equips students with the vocabulary, knowledge, skills and character to overcome barriers and open doors to the future.

Curriculum Aims

The theory behind the intent. Through achieving the intent of the curriculum we aim to ensure:

• a curriculum that is accessible, enjoyable, and ensures academic success.
• RISE values are threaded throughout, resulting in students becoming well-rounded and responsible citizens who fulfil their potential and lead a life lived well.
• a rich experience, equipping students with the knowledge, skills and character to overcome barriers and open doors to the future.

The aims are underpinned by six curriculum pillars. Each pillar represents a characteristic which current and leading national and international curriculum leaders and theorists identify as necessary for a high-quality curriculum. The pillars represent the ideologies of curriculum  theorists and national and international curriculum leads, including: Michael Young, Mary Myatt, Ruth Ashbee, Tom Sherrington and Ed Hirsch.

The six curriculum pillars are:

1. A balanced curriculum
2. Integrated progression
3. A coherent curriculum
4. A rigorous curriculum
5. An appropriate curriculum
6. A relevant curriculum

At the foundation of these pillars lay ‘reading’ and ‘assessment’. Without the scope and opportunity to develop reading prowess and fluency across the curriculum and without well planned, timely and effective assessment, there is instability and variability in the strength of the curriculum.

Please find the Bishop Barrington Academy Curriculum Handbook here.

Each subject area, within the curriculum, has set out their long-term curriculum plans which clearly outline the essential elements of the curriculum for each topic taught in each year group. These elements are, in turn, clearly sequenced and mapped to pre-requisite and future learning. Schemes of learning provide further, finer details of the curriculum being taught in each subject area. Below is a summary overview of the key topics taught in each subject across the 5 year curriculum.