Presentation from 'Key Stages' breakout session at the Whole Education 'Designing an impact curriculum' conference

1. Designing a Thematic
Curriculum
March 2015
George Faux
Vice Principal
Shireland Collegiate Academy

2. Context
• Secondary Academy in Sandwell in the West Midlands
• 1286 students and growing
• 60% Pupil Premium
• 89% Ethnic Minority, 62% English as a second language.
• Teaching school
• Judged outstanding in 2006/2010/2013

3. Literacy for Life is an
integrated, thematic,
competency based
curriculum created for our
Key Stage 3 students.
It is delivered thematically
making up the majority of
students curriculum.
Strong literacy in context
base.
Literacy For Life (L4L)

4. An Overriding Philosophy
Make students safe and secure.
Give students a positive ethos in their learning – let
them feel success.
Teach students the skills they need to be good
learners and know what they need to do to improve.
Provide an engaging curriculum.
Get good results.

5. Fully Integrated
CurriculumEnglish
Mathematics
Science
History
Geography
RE
PD
PE
DT
Art
Dance
Music
Drama
Languages
ICT
14 – 17 Teachers
L4L
Science
PE
DT
Art
Music
6 Teachers
Year 7
19 hours a week
Year 8
13 hours a week
Year 9
9 hours a week
“My daughter has 17
teachers and she
does not know if she
is coming or going.”
“My daughter is
making fantastic
progress in lessons.”
“The base has made
my son feel really
safe and happy”
The one teacher
model means staff
can really know their
students.
This allows for a
fantastic degree of
differentiation and
personalisation.

6. Three Key Elements
SingleTeacher,SingleBase
• Allows students to
be quickly immersed
in an ethos.
• Safe and secure with
minimal movement.
• Teachers who really
know the students
and their families.
CompetencyBasedCurriculum • Provides specific
information to target
students.
• Shows students the
full spectrum of
their learning.
• Allows assessment
to focus on whole
child development.
IntegratedThemes
• Engaging for
students allowing for
in depth learning
experiences.
• Learning takes place
in context.
• Allows joint planning
and differentiation
to three levels.

7. Competency Based Assessment
• 10 Literacies
• Around 150 competencies
split over three levels.
• Over 30000 competencies entered this year.
• To allow students to know where they are and what they
have to do next to improve.
• NC Levels are fine and we cover the national curriculum,
this gives us a specific formative approach and covers other
areas.

8. Assessment Model

9. Ensuring Coverage

10. • Live Software Demonstration.
• Competency Tracker
Competency Tracker

11. Themes

12. Starting Discussion
• Trello

13. Theme Construction

14. A Theme

15. Overview

16. Lesson Plans
• Group Planning
• Differentiated to
three levels.

17. Activities
• An audience for
each activity.
• ICT is embedded

18. Technology At the Heart
• Khan Academy
• My Maths
• Sam Learning
• Gear Up
• Open University Partnership
• Tute
• Big History Project
• Quality One to One Devices
• 3D Printing
• 3D Design and Modelling
• Online Office 365 Connectivity
• App Design and Coding
• Tablets
• Learning Gateway
• Class Sites
• Subject Sites
• Resource Sites
• Tracker
• Audio and Visual Feedback
• Flipped Learning
• Collaborative Technology
• ICT Never Taught in Isolation
Online Resources
Technology
Supporting the
Change in Pedagogy
Supportive Infrastructure

19. Drive Workshops
Workshops every few weeks
where students “catch up” on
competencies that they need to
master.
Built on students ability to be
reflective learners.
Reinforces the maxim of not just
moving on but really dealing with
students misconceptions.
24 put on at once using teachers
from across KS3 with mixed year
groups.

20. We collapse our timetable
once a week for a day and
every half term for a week.
They deliver and reinforce key
outputs and allow for more
audience and real life
learning.
They also allow students to
create outputs they are proud
of. Encouraging Audienced
and Exploratary Learning
Global Publishing Day
Achievement Weeks/ Focus Days

21. Child Initiated Learning
• The final piece of our puzzle.
Student
Reads
Competency
Student Tests
with
attached
Resources
Student
Mails
Teacher
Teacher
Responds
Student is
Upgraded on
their
Competency

22. Next Challenge
• From September we will be taking the curriculum into two other
schools.
• L4L is a living breathing entity, not something set in stone. Things
like the new Mathematics curriculum will see a change in every
themes numeracy content.

23. Thank you