Our curriculum at Neale-Wade Academy is underpinned by our Vision and Values.
Opportunity + Success = Pride Confidence
Neale Wade Academy is an inclusive learning environment where high expectations and positive relationships underpin a dual focus on academic progress and personal development.
Students in all key stages follow a curriculum which is broad, balanced, and designed to meet their needs. There is a clear rationale that the curriculum should allow our students to develop the knowledge, skills and cultural capital to make sense of the world they live in. We believe that knowledge sticks to knowledge and that exposure to carefully sequenced knowledge and concepts will allow students to develop into inquisitive and analytical thinkers who can apply key skills across a variety of contexts. Confidence can only be built through successful experiences. Being able to acquire new knowledge, learn new skills, and build our cultural capital is vital for our personal development and our goal is to provide these opportunities for all.
It is our belief, that the curriculum should be as broad as possible for as long as possible. We value our students as individuals with different skills and talents. We want them to experience a full range of subjects so that they can make informed decisions about areas of specialism as they progress through the school. Whilst there is always be a focus on academic outcomes, there is a strong moral imperative that our curriculum must create strong, independent citizens who can ask important questions and critically assess the information they receive. In this context, skills such as literacy and numeracy, evaluation and communication skills, hold value alongside academic knowledge. Equal weight is placed on academic, creative, and vocational opportunities because we recognise the place these have in modern Britain and the part they can play in inspiring and proud learners. Pride in ourselves, our school and community are paramount. This enables us to be outward looking, have the capacity to support one another, whilst being positive about our own well-being and happiness.
Promoting the personal development of our students is a key driver of our curriculum design which maintains a significant focus on the explicit provision of PSHE, Religious Studies, SMSC and extensive extra-curricular opportunities. Pride is only consolidated by our confidence. The confidence to know what we are good at or not, what we enjoy or not, is so important in building our own identity. The more confident we are in our own abilities, skills and attributes, we become more resilient and happier within ourselves.
We believe that our curriculum must prepare our students for life in modern Britain. The formal taught curriculum dovetails with extra-curricular to provide opportunities for our students to succeed and make themselves stand out. In this context, we are clear that our curriculum and its delivery must counterbalance some of the barriers created by social disadvantage to allow all our students an opportunity for success.
In summary. Our curriculum intent is to:
- Provide opportunities for students to acquire and apply knowledge so that they can successfully navigate the world they live in
- Provide opportunities for students to acquire and develop the knowledge, skills, qualities, and values that will allow them to be proud and confident citizens who actively promote values such as tolerance, fairness, equality and inclusion
- Provide a broad and balanced curriculum that allows all students to achieve success and a develop a lifelong confidence