INNOVATE . FOCUS . ACHIEVE

At Boldon School, all aspects of the school ethos, ‘Innovate, Focus and Achieve’ are underpinned across each subject area. In English, we strive to embed these principles within our curriculum:

Innovate: To create innovative and progressive schemes of work which are well-sequenced to ensure excellent student outcomes.

Focus: A clear drive and focus key threads for reading, writing and spoken language;
A relentless drive to sharpen key knowledge concepts and ensure understanding of portable themes.
To ensure that all lessons widen the scope and appreciation of grammar, vocabulary and subject content.

Achieve: The aim is to ensure proficiency in reading, writing and oracy; this is key to social mobility. Our robust curriculum is designed to build strong foundations in knowledge and understanding which lead to academic and personal success. We want our students to enjoy the subject, and be inspired to be innovative in their responses, to focus on skill acquisition and implementation and, ultimately, to achieve their true potential. Students will be well-skilled to succeed in their next steps, whether it be education, further training or the world of employment.

Each of our curriculum areas are carefully designed with the students at the heart of our thinking. The intent is for the framework for each programme of study in the National Curriculum to be well planned and sequenced to enable all students to build their knowledge and skills towards the agreed end points at each key stage. We consider how this is taught in order to support our students and ensure this is implemented effectively. For the desired impact to be reflected in the outcomes that students achieve through the education they have received.

This is embedded across each subject area: Sport Studies

Intent:

The Sport studies curriculum is delivered through creative and effective ways to equip pupils with the tools and knowledge needed to reach their full potential within the Cambridge Nationals Sport studies course. With robust and adaptable materials and resources and outstanding lesson plans, the content is delivered effectively and in an engaging way. Students are challenged to gain an understanding of sport in the modern world.

Inspiring our pupils to become actively involved in sport and to appreciate the constant and ever changing world of sport we aim to have an everlasting impact.

Our priority is to ensure all pupils gain the recognition they deserve when results are released. We strive to inspire pupils to develop a love for sport and a curiosity and determination to learn and compete. Each lesson focuses on an aspect of contemporary issues within sport, the relationships between sport and the media and developing practical skills within team and individual sports. A practical leadership module allows students to gain invaluable and transferable skills such as communication, resilience and adaptability; skills that can be interwoven into daily life. We encourage our students to develop the skills needed to listen to other people’s opinions, be led and to lead and to make thorough and justifiable decisions that will be invaluable for life as a member of society.

Implementation:

The sequencing of the Sport Studies scheme of work is structured in a way that develops lifelong learning skills and increased long term memory due to the crossover of taught topics in different modules. The Faculty Leader oversees the delivery of the course content and supported by the Faculty Coordinator they ensure the scheme of work is being implemented efficiently and effectively. In turn, the success of the course is supported by a faculty of dedicated staff who are experts in the key concepts delivered on the course, creating engaging lessons and robust resources to support learning. All staff have access to regular professional development and training to ensure the needs of the pupils and the curriculum are met. Staff members are reflective and reflexive in their practice, using multiple teaching methods and assessment materials to monitor the progress of individual students. Intervention is then put in place to accurately target and identify specific students. Formative and summative assessments are designed to assess the students capabilities to retrieve knowledge and embed prior learning as well as giving them an understanding of their current progress and taking ownership for learning. These assessments are varied in their implementation and follow different formats to mirror the course requirements and also to encourage a deeper thinking. In Sport we encourage the use of oracy and the skill to adapt to feedback to shape the students for the future. Members of the faculty meet frequently to standardise practice and ensure consistency throughout the department and to evaluate the schemes of work and plans, all of which is endorsed by the Senior Leadership Team.

Impact:

Exam results are analysed and discussed to monitor the effectiveness and impact of our well-taught scheme of work. Progress meetings are held termly with the Faculty Leader and Faculty Coordinator to evaluate the data outcomes following each assessment period. Staff are well aware of the faculties key priorities, and regular monitoring is complete through learning walks and student voice. Student voice is a valuable planning tool used to inform leaders about the enjoyment of lessons and the impact of the scheme of work on learning. Feedback is used to make alterations and enhance the course going forward. As well as the Senior Leadership Team, external review by school improvement officers ensure we are delivering a diverse and challenging course tailored to the needs of students as individuals. This allows our students to leave school with the qualifications, drive and ambition to enter further education, training or employment and have ambition and determination to have a lifelong love for sport.