Our Curriculum

The Covid-19 pandemic has instigated unprecedented disruption and change in our children’s schooling. As we continue to experience the constantly changing landscape of the COVID pandemic we regularly review our practice and curriculum provision to ensure our students continue to receive a quality education. Where appropriate, we have made both short and long term alterations to our curriculum architecture, subject delivery, and interventions to ensure our provision best supports our students’ changing needs and enables equitable access. Our academy website provides information on Remote Learning, guided pathways information, transition information and Catch-Up provision plans etc.

The organisation and delivery of the curriculum at Manor CE Academy has always been key to our success. Whilst we are an Academy we value the breadth of the National Curriculum and therefore follow it. We also believe that effective curriculum design requires essential concepts and knowledge to be planned and “sequenced” with end points and building blocks carefully thought out. We also make sure students can learn for the ‘long term’ and develop their skills of memory.

Our full curriculum policy sets out our curriculum intent (the aims of our programme of education, including the knowledge and skills to be gained at each stage); curriculum implementation (how we select, sequence and structure our curriculum to best suit our students) and how we measure the impact (how we evaluate what knowledge and skills students have gained against our expectations).

When implementing our curriculum, each subject is mapped carefully to ensure appropriate coverage over time with an emphasis on core knowledge and connections. Schemes of learning are carefully planned to ensure that all students avoid “cognitive overload” and can develop strategies breaking down knowledge and recalling prior learning.

Covid-19 Recovery Adaptation – Following a full Curriculum review conducted in the summer of 2020 and in light of the Covid-19 pandemic we have adjusted our curriculum models and rationale to meet the changing needs of our students.

We have looked carefully at when students are given the opportunity to select their GCSE options and have chosen to move this from Year 8 into Year 9 to compensate for the missed learning Year 8 students have experienced through school closure and the disruption to their in school experience.

We have reviewed courses and the need for recovery and preparation to account for missed learning.  Graphics for our new models and the changes for each year group moving forward will be added to our website across September 2021.

The letter to parents explaining this change to a “3 year” Key Stage 3 and “2 year GCSE” programme can be read here. Our legacy curriculum mapping documents can be found here for Key Stage 3 and here for Key Stage 4. New and updated mapping documents to reflect this change in organisation will follow in due course.

Curriculum Planning

The curriculum at Manor Academy is split into two key stages. Key Stage 3 will now run from Year 7 to Year 9, and Key Stage 4 will run from Year 10 to Year 11. Students study a wide range of subjects through Key Stage 3 and we try to encourage a good breadth of subjects as options for Key Stage 4 as well. As Manor is a church school, all pupils take Religious Studies as a GCSE. The government actively encourages schools to ensure EBacc subjects are available to all pupils. The EBacc comprises English, mathematics, science, history or geography and a foreign language. Performance within these subjects make up 70% of key government measures, with the remaining 30% for all other subjects.

Key Stage 3: Years 7-9

Students follow the programme of study of the National Curriculum and take the full range of subjects

Key Stage 4: Years 9-11

All students study English (Language and Literature), Mathematics, Science, Religious Studies (including personal, social and health education and citizenship).

In addition, students have access to study further optional courses. Courses are available in the following areas:

There is also a comprehensive Foundation Learning strand of courses, which are offered to students with specific requirements.  Please note that the curriculum offer changes on annual basis. 

In the spring term of Year 9, parents and students are informed about the choices available and the work to be covered in each course.  Students are offered advice before any decisions are made.  Students receive advice from subject teachers and an independent Careers Adviser.

Cross-curricular skills are developed throughout Key Stage 4, in ICT, economic and industrial understanding, enterprise education, environmental education and citizenship.

PE and Enrichment are taught as compulsory, non-accredited core subjects.

Curriculum Organisation

Key Stage 3

Students are taught mainly in mixed ability forms with some setting in certain areas (Maths in Years 7,8 & 9, MFL in Year 8 & 9 and Science in Year 8 & 9).

Key Stage 4
Students are divided into sets for Mathematics, English, Science, Religious Studies and Core-PE. Setting again occurs in Maths and Science.

For Option subjects, they are taught in groups according to their choice of subject and the examination level to which the subject is taught. Options are blocked according to students’ preference and not in pre-defined blocks. In addition, we work with local partners (such as York College) to facilitate courses in wider vocational subjects to enable progression to the next stage of learning, for students that require personalisation.

A full curriculum model for the academic year 2021/22 will follow in September 2021.

Covid-19 Recovery Adaptation – We have reassessed our curriculum implementation to ensure that we are best ameliorating the impact of missed learning and providing intervention across all year groups. We are making use of the National Tutoring Programme across all year groups and more can be read about this here.

 To lower risk we are following government secondary reopening guidance. From September 2020 we will be operating Year Group Bubbles to reduce interactions between different year groups whilst in school. The organisation of the school day has been adapted to enable our usual timetable to be staffed and operated whilst reducing movement around the school and maintaining breaks and lunches in year groups etc.

Who to contact about our curriculum

Please feel free to contact us if you require any further information about our Curriculum

Vice Principal: Attainment and Progress – Mr A Hill

Email:  a.hill@mce.hlt.academy Phone: 01904 798722

Able, Gifted and Talented Students

Rationale

Manor CE Academy is committed to the provision of high-quality education for all students but recognises the need to make additional provision for students who are able, gifted and talented. All students have the right to equality of opportunity; to experience teaching which allows them to move forward in their learning and to be provided with opportunities and appropriate support to meet their individual needs. We are committed to:

• providing an environment which encourages all students to maximise their potential
• recognising the needs of more able students both academically and socially
• ensuring that more able students are motivated to achieve to the best of their ability
• providing enrichment and enhancement opportunities for more able students where
• communicating effectively with parents and carers with regard to issues related to the Gifted and Talented
• providing a co-ordinated approach to transition between the primary and secondary phases

Definition

A gifted student is one who has the potential to excel automatically in one or more subjects such as English, Drama, Technology or Mathematics.  A talented student is one who has the ability to excel in practical skills such as Sport, Leadership or Artistic Performance (Government Definition – April 2008).  An able student is identified using a variety of methods such as National tests, Cognitive Ability Tests in Year 7, teacher assessment and nomination.  This is a continuous whole school process.

Who to contact Gifted and Talented

Please feel free to contact us if you require any further information about our Curriculum

Mr S Minton

Email:  s.minton@mce.hlt.academy Phone: 01904 798722

External Examinations

All students are encouraged to aim for academic success. They are entered for GCSE examinations in the syllabus appropriate to their abilities. Most students will be entered for 10 subjects.  Parents are informed of the entries being made on behalf of their child. Where appropriate, students may be encouraged to take different routes of accreditation.