Curriculum Overview

A curriculum that delivers an education of excellence for all.  The Halley Academy aims to equip students with the knowledge, skills and experiences so that they can play an active and informed role in modern 21st Century Britain. 

We believe passionately in the mastery of the core within a broad, balanced and coherent curriculum that develops the whole child holistically. 

The curriculum is shaped by, and deeply rooted in, the strongest available evidence about how students learn and retain knowledge in the long term. We value the uniqueness of each subject we offer. We are committed to students engaging deeply and comprehensively with both substantive and disciplinary knowledge so that they achieve strong outcomes throughout each phase of the curriculum: the Middle Years Programme (MYP), a two year Key Stage 4 and the International Baccalaureate Careers Programme (IBCP).  

Our curriculum prepares students to lead fulfilling and successful adult lives: inquisitive, articulate and internationally engaged, our students are defined by their boundless thirst for knowledge, self-improvement and learning. 

We have a deliberately planned and sequenced 7 year curriculum journey.  We have identified and considered the knowledge, skills and values that enable academic excellence and develop quality of character.  Directors of Learning and teachers then plan backwards from this point, to ensure that at each phase of their journey they receive a rigorous, coherently and intelligently sequenced curriculum.  

Our robust assessment practices carry real meaning: they explicitly challenge the  misconceptions of students, so that our lessons are unapologetically focused on removing the barriers to learning for all learners. 

Students have deep and substantive knowledge precisely because this is deliberately planned, honed and mastered. Our schemes of learning are interleaved, providing ample and timely opportunities to purposefully practice skills and retain knowledge in the long term. 

We strive towards our students increasingly making progress at or above national standards. We do this precisely because they have engaged deeply and meaningfully with a broad and balanced range of diverse and challenging academic and vocational disciplines.  Students can make informed post-18 decisions, most suited to their interests, abilities and future career goals due to the quality of the qualifications and character development they have received at our academy.

Subjects

VALUES

  • Physical and Health Education – P.E.
  • Individuals and Societies – Geography, Global Citizenship and History
  • Language Acquisition – French and Spanish
  • Arts – Art, Drama and Music
  • Design – ICT and Technology
  • Curriculum Phase –  International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP)
  • Language and Literature – English Literature and Language
  • Mathematics – Mathematics
  • Sciences – Science

VALUES

  • Physical and Health Education – Physical Education (non-examined) and BTEC Sport
  • Individuals and Societies – Geography, History and Religious Studies
  • Language Acquisition – French and Spanish
  • Arts – Art, Drama and BTEC Music
  • Design – BTEC Business, Creative iMedia, Design Technology, BTEC Engineering and BTEC Food Technology
  • Curriculum Phase – GCSE and Vocational Qualifications
  • Language and Literature – English Literature and Language
  • Mathematics – Mathematics
  • Sciences – Combined Science and Triple Science

VALUES

  • Physical and Health Education – BTEC Diploma Sport
  • Individuals and Societies – BTEC Criminology, IB Geography, IB History and IB Psychology
  • Language Acquisition – IB French and IB Spanish
  • Arts – IB Art and BTEC Performance Art
  • Design – BTEC Business, BTEC Diploma Engineering and OCR ICT
  • Curriculum Phase – International Baccalaureate Careers-related Programme (IBCP) and Vocational Qualifications
  • Language and Literature – IB English Language & Literature and GCSE English Resit
  • Mathematics – IB Mathematics and GCSE Mathematics Resit
  • Sciences – IB Biology, IB Physics and BTEC Diploma Applied Science

Teaching and Learning

At The Halley Academy, student learning is at the heart of everything we do. We use the strongest possible evidence of how students learn best, work hard and remember more to ensure that all students enjoy meaningful, challenging and successful learning experiences. 

We have 6 core teaching and learning principles which drive forward the learning that takes place in lessons at the Academy. 

We…

So that students…

Promote active participation

Engage in thinking hard about their learning

Reward effort and recognise effort

Understand the connection between effort and achievement

Ensure consistent application of our behaviour policy

Can think hard about their learning free from distraction

Have clear routines and effective classroom management

Do not waste valuable lesson time due to distractions from others

Every lesson has…

So that students…

Clearly defined outcomes

Know what they are learning and how to do it during the lesson

Highly effective explanations

Can understand new ideas and tasks quickly

Activities where new knowledge is founded upon previous knowledge

Learn new knowledge by referencing the knowledge they already know

Independent practice

Apply their knowledge to different questions, make mistakes and learn from them

Key vocabulary highlighted

Develop their subject specific literacy

Every lesson has…

So that students…

Substantive knowledge

Develop a deep and critical engagement with the substantive knowledge being taught

Excellence modelled and how to achieve it

Know what excellence looks like and how they can do the same in their own work

The promotion of the highest standards of literacy

Read, write and speak with fluency and accuracy

Opportunities to apply new knowledge to a range of questions

Perform to the best of their abilities in their examinations

Every lesson…

So that students…

Features low stakes testing

Make progress by knowing what they are doing well, and what they can do to improve

Models excellence and how to achieve it

Know what excellence looks like and how they can do the same in their own work

Addresses misconceptions

Avoid mistakes and misunderstandings

Builds upon previous learning

Cover the full curriculum so that they can get the best grades possible

In every lesson we…

So everybody…

Pitch high

Is challenged to exceed expectations

Break new knowledge into manageable pieces

Retains new knowledge in their long term memory

Provide support and scaffold for all

Can access and enjoy their learning

Ensure teaching understands and meets the learning needs of students

Makes exceptional progress

We provide…

So…

Timely feedback to maximise learning

Students can swiftly unlock further learning

Formative assessment throughout a lesson

Teachers know which topics to re-teach so that students can make excellent progress

Specific, accurate and clear comments

Students know how to improve their work and perform at their best

Time to reflect and act upon feedback

Students develop their critical self-reflection skills