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Curriculum: Overview

Our curriculum is aspirational and builds on prior learning experiences. Individual targets supports the expectation that all students make maximum progress, with the acquisition of knowledge and cultural capital necessary for success in life clearly mapped and prioritised. Our curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced to ensure students’ learning is both secure and sufficient for the next steps in future learning, and ultimately employment.

The guiding principles of our curriculum are that:

it is both broad and balanced
enables students to be successful, both in exams and more widely
it is relevant to the needs of our students and appropriate to the context in which they are being prepared to succeed
it develops the whole child, going beyond academic outcomes to encapsulate both ‘soft’ skills and desirable personal attributes, especially a growth mindset
it encourages and lays the foundations for a life-long love of learning
it has clear progression pathways from Key Stage 3 through Key Stage 4 and on to Post 16

Personal Development

Core Values

These are the deeply held beliefs that will provide the foundation for our school and guide every decision within it. These will not change over time and will underpin and inform our approach to all significant issues within the school. They should be ‘lived’ not just words on a website or letterhead, so should influence the way we do things on a day-to-day basis. The chosen core values strongly reflect feedback from staff, students, and parents, they are:

Respect
Excellence
Responsibility

Core value	What this means at SSA
Respect	We show respect for ourselves and each other in everything we do; diversity is celebrated; we respect the environment, we respect learning
Excellence	We aim for excellence in everything we do – teachers teach excellent lessons; students produce excellent work; we maintain a growth mindset and challenge ourselves and others to constantly strive for excellence
Responsibility	We all take responsibility for our actions, owning both our successes and those times we fall short; as a community we recognise our responsibilities to each other and the wider community and environment

Mission Statement

At SSA our mission is:

“To serve our local community by providing every child with the knowledge, qualifications and wider experiences they need to develop to their potential and to participate in and make a positive contribution to society."

Motto

Sapere Aude ‘Dare to be wise’

We have chosen this for 3 key reasons:

Although originating in the works of the Roman writer Horace, dare to be wise is usually associated with Emmanuel Kant and seen as the ‘motto’ of the Enlightenment, a key movement in the development of knowledge and learning and central to the development of modern society.
The owl is a long-established symbol of the school and represents wisdom in western culture.
The idea wisdom suggests not only being knowledgeable, but also using that knowledge in a sensible, judicious manner. Thus the motto embodies two of the most crucial elements of education, ie. the development of knowledge and understanding alongside the notion of using that knowledge positively and thus is consistent with our core values.

The SSA student

Our main objective is that the typical student at SSA will be highly motivated, fully engaged and committed to doing their best. They will have excellent attendance and punctuality to school and exhibit behaviours that are in accordance with the school’s ethos of respect, excellence, and responsibility. They will be proud of their school and will always represent us positively. They will be able to appreciate the principle of deferred gratification, and hence they will work hard at school, knowing that the benefits of developing good learning habits and attitudes towards self-improvement which will serve them well beyond their school years.

The SSA student will be flexibility and adaptability to an ever-changing environment will be strong, as will be their resilience, purpose, and ambition to be the very best that they can be. They will be competitive and want to win, but equally recognise that winning with humanity and losing with grace, good sportsmanship and self-reflection are important to our school ethos. They will play a strong role in society, being keen to be good and responsible citizens; proactive and solution focused. They will show good leadership, being strong when required, but always being kind and caring when dealing with others.

In terms of key qualities, the SSA student will be:

Ambitious
Hard working
Happy
Confident
Solution-focused
Knowledgeable
Independent
Organized
Motivated
Honest
Determined
Competitive
Creative
Responsible
Positive

Our aim is that students will exhibit the behaviours and attitudes reflective of a growth mind-set where they are:

Strong believers in their ability to improve though application and hard work.
Able to treat setbacks and disappointments as learning opportunities.
Inspired by the success of others rather than being threatened by it.
Responsive to all useful feedback (positive or negative), not limited or discouraged by it.

Our students will exhibit the SSA core values of respect, excellence, and responsibility in everything that they do.

Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9) Curriculum Overview

In KS3 the curriculum will be broad and balanced, remaining true to our principles of giving students a wide range of experiences that are theoretical, technical, practical, experiential and aesthetic. The curriculum is organised around subject areas and students will study:

English
Maths
Science
History
Geography
French
Computer Science
RE
Art
Drama
Music
Design & Technology
PE
PSHE
Cooking

Key Stage 3 Curriculum Allocation per fortnight 2024-2025

Subject	Number of Periods
Art	2
Cooking	2
Computer Science	2
PSHE	1
Drama	2
English	8
French	3
Geography	3
History	3
Maths	8
Music	2
Physical Education	2
Religious Education	3
Science	7
Technology	2

Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11) Curriculum Overview

In KS4 we run a differentiated curriculum tailored to individual needs. The compulsory core curriculum will ensure that all students have the knowledge necessary for future progression in education and beyond. Beyond the core students will also have the opportunity to take 3 ‘option’ subjects of their choice.

The KS4 core curriculum consists of:

English (both Language and Literature)
Maths
Science (double)
PE
Religious Education

Students can also choose:

Facilitating subject options (from French, History, Geography, Computer Science, Triple Science, Community Language)
Up to two further option choices (from Art, Drama, Music, Product Design, Physical Education, Digital Technology, Statistics)

A small number of students may study a differentiated curriculum tailored on their individual needs.

Key Stage 4 Curriculum Allocation per fortnight 2020-2021

Subject	Number of Periods	Education Beyond the School Day (ESBD)
English Language and Literature	10
French (Optional)		4
Maths	10
Physical Education (Not examined)	2
Religious Education	5
Combined Science	12
Option A	6
Option B	5

Key Stage 4 Options 2022-2023

We have arranged our options process to ensure all students are enabled to have access to work towards achieving the EBACC and study a broad-range of subjects through KS4 leaving a wide range of options open to our students when they leave secondary education.

Every Year 9 student receives guidance around their options choices through a meeting with an Academy Leader and a parent/guardian. The role of the Academy Leader is to guide students and support them in making the choices right for them. Alongside this, our in-school Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance package support students with looking to their futures and tracking back to the GCSE options process.

SSA Key Stage 4 Options Prospectus 2022-2023

SEND Curriculum Overview

At Stratford School Academy, our Wave 3 curriculum is personalised to an individual’s SEND needs. We ensure that all pupils have an appropriately personalised and challenging curriculum.

SEND Curriculum Overview - 2022-2023

Education Beyond the Classroom Overview

At SSA it is our mission to give students access to the knowledge, qualifications, and wider experiences they need to develop to their potential and to participate in and make a positive contribution to society.

Extra-curricular activities are an integral part of the ethos of the school. They provide students with opportunities to enhance their learning, develop wider knowledge in real world contexts, their personal development, and their wellbeing.

Extra-curricular activities are planned as an opportunity to extend the students wider experience outside of the formal curriculum. These opportunities are available to all students in all subjects and beyond.

Aims

Encourage students’ participation in a wide range of extra-curricular activities.
Develop and encourage experience and expertise in areas not provided for within the formal curriculum.
Provide opportunities for students to develop their performance skills through oratory, dramatic and musical performances.
Provide opportunities for students to represent SSA at school, region and national level in a wide range of activities and sports.
Encourage the positive use of leisure time by recognising and celebrating students’ achievements outside of school.
Offer valuable opportunities for visits and residential experiences in a variety of extra-curricular areas.
Encourage students’ social development by making a positive contribution to their community and wider society.
Enhance the ethos and image of the Academy in the community.