Curriculum Intent:

At Birmingham Ormiston Academy we are committed to providing high quality and distinctive education which develops young people into well-rounded learners.  Our students strive to be exceptional in all areas, with their knowledge and skills being uniquely enhanced by a specialist, arts-focused curriculum.  We plan our curriculum with the intention of promoting learning and personal growth for all students, regardless of their starting points or specific needs.  We want students to grow into responsible adults who can work and cooperate with others, while at the same time developing their knowledge and skills in order to achieve their true potential.

Our intention is:

• To ensure all subject areas promote their own academic and artistic values.
• To provide a knowledge-rich and varied curriculum which promotes the key learning attributes of creativity, integrity, resilience, self-management and collaboration.
• To provide a challenging, broad and engaging curriculum which is planned to enable students to build on previous learning and secure strong foundations for future learning.
• To inspire students to enjoy learning and to strive towards excellence in all areas of Academy life;
• To support all students to reach a high standard of literacy and numeracy skills through specific teaching and application of these skills to learning across the curriculum.
• To ensure staffing has maximum impact on outstanding progress and learning alongside a commitment to the vision and values of the Academy.
• To promote a sense of community for the students at the Academy, where all feel included and supported and valued.
• To prepare students for life in modern British society by fostering in them attitudes and qualities which enable them to become confident, caring, respectful and responsible citizens.

Implementation:

• Teachers are fully aware of how their subject(s) and individual teaching contribute to the Academy’s ‘big picture’ (or curriculum design).
• Teachers have excellent knowledge of the subjects they teach and are encouraged to refine their knowledge and skills through training, sharing best practice and undertaking relevant research. Subject leaders provide colleagues with effective support for planning, resourcing and teaching.
• Teachers are reflective practitioners who explore the ‘best ways’ to teach subject content to ensure lessons are both engaging and purposeful.
• Teachers provide students with unparalleled opportunities to pursue their ambitions in the Arts.  Teachers ensure that lesson content is knowledge-rich and skills-rich, as well as being industry focused and industry engaged.
• Teachers promote the importance of good literacy and numeracy skills as key ways of unlocking the curriculum.
• Teachers promote cross-curricular teaching, are aware of their subject’s similarities with other subject areas, and take every opportunity to promote social, moral, spiritual and cultural development.
• All subject areas ensure that curriculum content is delivered in a logical and progressive order to build students’ knowledge and skills.
• Lessons provide frequent opportunities for discussion to imbed essential knowledge, extend thinking, check understanding, identify misconceptions, and provide clear and direct feedback.
• Teachers use assessment effectively to check understanding and inform next steps so that knowledge is gained, applied and consolidated.

Impact:

• Students achieve well by developing essential knowledge and skills as they progress through the Academy.  Students are able to learn more and recall more, as well as being able to do more as a result.
• Students demonstrate excellence through the work they produce, which the Academy recognises and promotes in order to inspire excellent outcomes in others.
• Students leave the Academy with excellent results. Students are developed academically, artistically and personally, leaving the Academy with a love of learning.  Students also demonstrate a clear understanding of the importance of being safe, responsible and respectful.