E-ACT Blackley Academy ‘Our Approach to Learning’
At E-ACT Blackley we offer a “knowledge-rich” curriculum which maintains high expectations for all learners and deliberately and explicitly builds knowledge and vocabulary. We believe that knowledge and vocabulary are the nourishment on which learning behaviours depend. Each school subject area carefully considers the substantive, disciplinary and procedural knowledge required to grow excellent learners.
Our curriculum has been organised in a way which enables pupils to developing schema and patterns of repeated behaviour and tasks which allow them to explore and express developing ideas and thoughts through their play, exploration and work. This allows them to build depth of knowledge and understanding.
Curriculum topics provide pupils with vocabulary and communication skills to effectively communicate with peers and adults in different situation. Scaffolding enables all children to gain knowledge and progress throughout the curriculum regardless of starting points.
We comply to the Equality Act 2020 and the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014.
Our Curriculum Tree
Using research by Dylan Williams, we visualise our curriculum as a tree.
Four ‘roots’ anchor our curriculum with equality and inclusion at its heart: Personal Empowerment, Cultural Transmission, Preparation for Citizenship, Preparation for Work are rooted deep in everything we do.
To provide subjects with the nutrients required to build a robust curriculum we include, Powerful Knowledge, Explicitly Taught Vocabulary, Research-based Practise and Developing Schema.
Strong values act as the core of our curriculum and our children grow and blossom, creating the fruits for future learning and life.
Our approach to the curriculum prepares children for future life challenges by promoting resilience, critical thinking, empathy, reflection, collaboration, independence and confidence. These lifelong learning behaviours are taught throughout the curriculum as declarative knowledge is built and procedural knowledge practised.
Through problem solving activities, addressing misconceptions, closing gaps in learning and fluid interventions we aim to increase learner resilience and promote a positive attitude to learning.
At E-ACT Blackley Primary Academy we are passionate about ensuring that the learning environment is inclusive and meets the needs of all of our pupils. Careful consideration is given to the curriculum in order to maintain high aspirations and expectations for all learners whilst ensuring that the right support and scaffolding is in place so that success is achieved by all. For some children this is in class and for other children this learning takes place in our SEND provisions (Willows and Hazel Hub). These provisions are in place to help ‘fast track’ children to their age expected levels in a nurturing environment with specialist adults. There is a heavy focus on Reading, Writing and Maths within these groups and alongside personalised learning plans, the curriculum helps all pupils to achieve the best of their abilities, despite any difficulty or disability that they may have.
