Whole School Curriculum

How we expose our pupils to powerful knowledge and provide education with character (implementation):  

Subject specialism is at the heart of our curriculum, and you will see differences in the way that the curriculum is constructed and assessed in different subjects. Standardised written assessments, for example, play less of a role in performance subjects such as music and physical education. The stability of our curriculum allows subject expertise to develop over time, and we are careful to provide sufficient time for teachers of the same subject to plan together and collaborate.   

Further subject specialism is provided by United Learning’s subject advisers. These advisers are subject experts who help teachers link the subject discipline to our pupils’ daily experience in the classroom. Subject advisers meet regularly with Heads of Department across United Learning and provide curriculum resources to support the implementation of the subject curriculum.   

As a mastery curriculum our pupils study fewer topics in greater depth. A 3-year Key Stage 3 provides pupils with the time and space to gain a secure understanding that builds over time in each subject. In our lessons we expect to see all pupils grappling with the same challenging content, with teachers providing additional support for pupils who need it. Rather than moving on to new content, our higher attainers produce work of greater depth and flair.   

Our approach to teaching and learning supports our curriculum by ensuring that lessons build on prior learning and provide sufficient opportunity for independent practice. Our lessons typically follow a simple instructional core:  

Teach: Explanation and modeling   

Check: Check for understanding   

Practice: Independent Practice  

The independent practice phase of the lesson is critical, for it’s in this phase that pupils think hard and produce work that is the product of their thinking.   

Barak Rosenshine’s ‘Principles of Instruction’ provide us with a shared understanding of the characteristics of effective teaching. These principles support the implementation of the curriculum by ensuring that pupils regularly recall prior learning. You will often see this at the start of our lessons.  

We are particularly conscious of the role that literacy and vocabulary play in unlocking the whole curriculum. Our teachers explicitly teach the meaning of subject-specific language, and we expect lessons to contain challenging reading and writing. Knowledge organisers provide students with key information that they are expected to learn and recall with fluency, enabling them to develop their understanding of key concepts outside of their lessons.  

Teach Like a Champion (TLAC) techniques such as ‘cold calling’ and ‘no opt-out’ are the practical application of the Rosenshine Principles in the classroom. The Rosenshine Principles and the TLAC techniques are not intended to be a checklist for every lesson. Barak Rosenshine describes his principles as an articulation of the ‘general pattern’ of teaching, while Doug Lemov (author of Teach Like a Champion) describes his approach as a ‘recipe book’ and ‘not an instruction manual’. 

To allow the mastery approach to be effective (i.e. children learn what they are expected to in the year they are expected to), early catch-up is essential: we aim to promptly identify and support pupils who start secondary school without a secure grasp of reading, writing and mathematics so that they can access the full curriculum.  

Everything from which children learn in school – the taught subject timetable, the approach to spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development, the co-curricular provision, and the ethos and ‘hidden curriculum’ of the school – are to be seen as part of the school curriculum. Our principle of ‘Education with Character’ is delivered through the curriculum in this broadest sense. 

How we measure and secure continuous improvement for all (impact): 

With thousands of pupils across United Learning following the same curriculum, we have been able to develop common assessments in most subjects. These are summative assessments which allow pupils to demonstrate their growing understanding of their subjects and enable teachers to assess the impact of their teaching. These summative assessments are typically taken once or twice a year, meaning that the majority of assessment that pupils experience is formative assessment from lesson to lesson (i.e. responsive teaching, as teachers systematically check for understanding of the components of each subject and adjust their teaching accordingly). 

The culmination of our curriculum is that pupils leave our school with the ambition and determination to thrive. We know our pupils as individuals which enables us to provide curriculum guidance and careers guidance throughout their time with us. We expect all pupils to leave our school with the grades required to progress to their desired destination, and the character required to flourish once they get there. 

By teaching our curriculum well, and delivering education with character, we bring out the best in everyone. 

Whole School Long Term Plan – Year 7 (PDF) 

Whole School Long Term Plan – Year 8 (PDF) 

Whole School Long Term Plan – Year 9 (PDF) 

Whole School Long Term Plan – Year 10 (PDF) 

Whole School Long Term Plan – Year 11 (PDF) 

Students study the full range of courses at Key Stage 3. The full range of courses is available to students in the open choices part of the curriculum to ensure a broad and balanced provision. 

KS3 Reading & Literacy 

Our reading programmes include tutor time guided reading and DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) which are designed to ensure our students take enjoyment from reading and are exposed to a variety of texts that challenge and inspire them. 

All of our students at KS3 complete Sparx Reader as their weekly literacy homework to further enhance and develop their personalised literacy needs.  

Wider Curriculum 

Students experience creativity, aimed to enthuse, through subjects such as Art, PE, Drama, Music, and Technology. High quality PSHCE, RSE and health education ensures every student is equipped with the knowledge, skills and understanding to prepare them to play a full and active part in society.  

With an emphasis on aspiration and comprehensive CEIAG provision, by the end of Key Stage 3 students will be able to make sensible subject option choices because they know what they enjoy and excel at, but also what they might need later on in life because they have an emergent idea of what area they want to study in or work in later in life.   

Key Stage 4 students have developed the respect, enthusiasm, ambition, and determination required to prepare them to succeed in life. They have also experienced a broad variety of topics at Key Stage 3, and studied many in-depth, developing expertise in a range of subject specialisms.  This enables them to make informed decisions when choosing subject options in Year 9.

KS4 Curriculum Structure 

The structure of the curriculum for Year 10 and 11 students has 2 distinct parts: 

Part 1 - The core curriculum is compulsory for all students: 

• English Language and English Literature for 9 periods per fortnight 
• Mathematics for 9 periods per fortnight 
• Science for 10 periods per fortnight. Students will be directed to one of two pathways in Science. This will depend on their performance in Year 9: 

1. Triple Award Science: Students can opt to take this in part two of the curriculum.  They will attend additional lessons in three separate GCSEs in Science in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. 
2. Combined Science (Trilogy): This course contains separate Biology, Chemistry, and Physics modules. A double grade from 9-9 to 1-1 will be awarded. 

• Core Physical Education for 2 periods per fortnight 

Part 2 – Option Pathways 

We offer different option pathways to each student according to how well we feel they will achieve on the courses in that pathway.  

Red Pathway 

The Red Pathway allows students to achieve an EBacc suite of qualifications. This pathway provides a wide academic grounding, which will help them progress to A Levels and further study at KS5. Whilst not part of the admissions criteria for university, they are highly valued by universities and seen as facilitating subjects.    

Students following this pathway must select either History or Geography, alongside French. They will then have 2 further choices from the list below. 

Green Pathway 

Students will choose either History or Geography alongside 3 options from the choices below. 

Option Choices 

Students can select from: 

• Triple Science 
• History 
• Geography 
• French 
• Childcare 
• Art or Textiles 
• Catering 
• Engineering 
• Sports Studies 
• Religious Studies 
• Music 
• Creative Media 

Lessons Per Subject Per Week in Key Stage 4 

The curriculum has the power to bring us together, to take a child beyond their own world and into something bigger.  We want all pupils to be able to see themselves in our curriculum.  But we also want our curriculum to open up new worlds – to expose them to knowledge, understanding, and skills as well as beliefs, people, places, and values that they would not otherwise encounter. 

Diversity and Inclusion in Each Subject 

Please refer to each specific subject area on our website for more details. 

Whilst some subject areas lend themselves more to exploring diversity and inclusion, all subject areas at Irlam and Cadishead Academy take every opportunity to celebrate and promote our rich and diverse culture.  

The assembly and tutor programme at Irlam and Cadishead Academy provides a chance to reaffirm the school’s culture and ethos and to provide meaning for pupils beyond the subjects they study. Our assemblies and tutor time enable our school community to reflect on events beyond the school, both current affairs and key moments in the year, such as religious festivals. They work in synchrony with each other: tutor time and PSHCE to provide opportunities for reflection, discussion, and application of themes presented in assemblies. 

Every opportunity is taken to promote our local and wider community, which supports students understanding their place within the wider world and further promotes our ethos of Respect, Enthusiasm, Ambition, and Determination. 

Whole School Reading 

Our tutor time reading programme presents further opportunities to represent diverse voices, both in terms of authorship and the people and places in the texts themselves. We have selected a range of age-appropriate texts designed to promote discussion and cultural capital whilst also further developing students’ literacy. 

Find out more about our Tutorial Reading Programme here.

Assessment and curriculum go hand in hand. We view the curriculum as the progression model, which means that each subject’s curriculum ‘sets out the journey that a child goes on to get better at the subject’ (Fordham). We therefore seek evidence of progress not in spreadsheets or exam rubrics, but from speaking to pupils and looking at their work: have they learnt what we have taught them?  

Formative Assessment 

Assessment is carried out regularly utilising formative assessment techniques such as low-stake quizzing, questioning, retrieval practice, and self-assessment techniques.   

In practical subjects, students are assessed by on-going assessment of practical and investigative skills.    

Students demonstrate their knowledge by articulating their learning through oracy, and teachers use evidence from written work and extended writing (Big Write) to review understanding of key knowledge and skills.  

Utilising a range of formative assessments, teachers reflect on each student’s level of understanding, reflect on the effectiveness of what has been taught, and make appropriate amendments to planning.   

Summative Assessment 

Summative assessment is provided in our curriculum through our common assessments:   

• Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9: Mid Year and End of Year Assessments in English, Maths, Science, History, Geography and French.   
• Year 10: Mid Year and End of Year exams in English, Maths, Science, History, Geography, and French.  
• Year 11: We provide 2 series of common mocks in all subjects our students are studying.  

From our students’ perspective, the vast majority of the assessments that they experience will be in-class formative assessments, focusing on the specific components of each subject.  

This responsive teaching is what the Rosenshine principles are all about: teaching things in small steps and routinely checking the understanding of all pupils as they work towards fluency and independence.  

Students/Year 7 to 10 Mid & End of Year Assessments 

Students/Year 11 Exam Information