Empowering Minds Academy Trust

Curriculum

Curriculum Statement

The Curriculum

The curriculum in each school, within Empowering Minds Academy Trust, ensures that every child receives a first-class education.

In our schools, all children are taught by well-trained and excellently supported teachers using an interconnected knowledge rich curriculum. Our curriculums encompass the arts, languages, music and the humanities as well as science and maths and are constructed using evidence and research based guidance. We develop character and resilience through our day to day practice, building emotional strength, mental health and supporting individuals through approaches such as Thrive.

Our schools will give every child the knowledge they deserve, are entitled to and need in order to become successful in their futures, no matter their background. Cultural capital provision has been identified and content and breadth of the curriculum are purposefully planned, adapted and implemented to provide each community with the highest levels of aspiration, challenge and opportunity.

Curriculum breadth is shaped by curriculum drivers and enquiry based learning, cultural capital and subjects. Our ambition for our children is to achieve in line with the best of the best.

Using approaches outlined in the Education Endowment Foundation documents such as ‘Moving Forwards, Making a Difference’ 2022-23, our leaders use evidence based pedagogies:

Explicit instruction

Cognitive and metacognitive strategies

Adaptive teaching

Scaffolding

Flexible grouping

Using technology

An essential element of our schemes of learning, is that they are strategically planned opportunities to revisit learning, in order to move knowledge from working memory to long term memory. Spiral curriculum planning is used in order to make learning stick. Working from prior learning, teaching and knowledge acquisition is deepened though this cyclical approach.

There are commonalities across in the curriculums across our Trust but bespoke planning is included in order to provide learning that is highly aspirational, exciting and relevant to each school community, enabling our children to be the very best they can be.

Curriculum Schemes of Learning

English – EMAT full scheme

Maths – Maths Mastery

Science – Ark

History – Ark

Geography – Ark

Art – EMAT full scheme

Music - Kapow

PE – Your PE

DT – Kapow Primary

RE – Kapow Primary (with ref to local agreed syllabus)

Computing – Kapow, Purple Mash, Computing Association (see school websites for more information)