Our curriculum is academic, rigorous and challenging: tier two vocabulary and complex concepts are taught from year seven. 

Our learning model and sequenced learning are underpinned by the cognitive science work of Daniel T. Willingham. We understand the capacity and limitations of the working memory; we recognise that the transfer of new information to long-term memory requires time and practice.  The St James Standard is designed to ensure that our day-to-day practice ensures 100% participation in every lesson. This means that teachers can track, guide and evaluate the extent to which students have understood new content. The St James Standard creates a radically inclusive classroom in which students’ thinking is visible and accountable. Over time, the St James Standard enables teachers to build their students’ fluency with curriculum content through mechanisms such as show-me boards and choral response. The St James Standard sets out a process by which teachers plan the gradual release of responsibility, as students gain fluency and confidence, towards independent practice and mastery.  

Our curriculum is based on the understanding that students arrive with significant prior knowledge, a foundation that we build upon from day one.  

We believe that assessment is an intrinsic part of successful curriculum planning and effective teaching and learning.  We use frequent, efficient assessment both to empower students to become highly effective independent and resilient learners and to reduce teacher workload.  We use data and assessment systematically to inform planning to ensure rapid and sustained progress for every student.  Through regular retrieval practice, spaced learning and interleaving, we embed knowledge into the long-term memory. 

We believe that our high-quality curriculum ensures that our students learn both declarative (what and why) and procedural (how) knowledge. Declarative knowledge includes the substantive knowledge required to connect prior learning with new, as well as the contextual disciplinary knowledge which leads to their ability to connect learning between subject domains.

we believe that our high-quality curriculum ensures that our students learn both declarative (what and why) and procedural (how) knowledge. Declarative knowledge includes the substantive knowledge required to connect prior learning with new, as well as the contextual disciplinary knowledge which leads to their ability to connect learning between subject domains.  

Inspired choices: we provide a curriculum which rich and varied, allowing students to specialise in their foundation subjects, fostering that passion early, whilst providing additional time for Geography and History, subjects pivotal to learning about our place in the world around us.