Our curriculum
We teach the national curriculum but in the Shireland way.
Our method emphasises hands-on learning, connected thinking, creativity, and real-world application, ensuring that students not only meet national standards but exceed them in an engaging and meaningful way. By incorporating cutting-edge technology, personalised learning paths and a strong support system for every student, we bring the national curriculum to life in a way that inspires curiosity and fosters a love of learning.
Primary curriculum
Our three primary core values Excite, Explore, Excel are interwoven into everything we do. They not only drive our attitude to learning but are the foundation of our curriculum; E3L for Excite, Explore, Excel Learning.
Exciting new topics every term
Each new topic follows the same pattern:
- Excite pupils about what they are going to learn with a memorable, interactive and hands on experience, such as the discovery of a dinosaur nest in the classroom.
- Explore the topic through carefully sequenced tasks including a key poem, piece of music or art for pupils to respond to.
- Push pupils to excel and show their learning through a range of assessment opportunities.
Developing the whole child
‘Wellbeing Moments’ and ‘Wellbeing Explores’ are an integral part of each theme and offer an opportunity for pupils to perceive wellbeing as a natural tool that can enhance and enable their learning.
Learning beyond the classroom
All themes are supported by a family learning project which offers pupils a creative opportunity to explore key concepts and to extend or consolidate the theme with their families outside of school.
Tailored learning to make sure every child succeeds
Teachers adapt, personalise and contextualise each theme to customise the curriculum to their cohort whilst ensuring curriculum coverage. It is ambitious for all pupils, including SEND pupils. We use ‘Pathways planning’ to make adaptations that allow all pupils to access the E3L curriculum.
Secondary curriculum
Rather than being taught in discrete, subject-specific lessons, like you might expect in a secondary school, our specialist teachers teach the key stage 3 national curriculum through cross-subject themes, which change every three to four weeks.
We call this approach Literacy for Life, or L4L.
English, maths, science, geography, history, computer science, RE, art, music, drama and design technology are all taught through L4L. Maths, science, design technology, art and music also benefit from separate, additional lessons.
Languages and PE are taught solely through dedicated lessons.
Why do we do it?
- Supports students’ transition from primary school to secondary school:
- 17 hours a week with same teacher in year 7, hours reduce in years 8 and 9.
- Builds connections between subjects:
- Encourages deeper learning
- A personal contact for every family:
- A teacher who gets to know each child individually very well.
- Designated point of contact for family in school.
- Technology-supported learning:
- Students have their own laptop, kept at school.
- Allows for immediate feedback.
- Promotes collaborative working.
Case study:
Journey to the centre of the Earth (year 7 theme)
Subjects covered: Drama, English, Science, Maths, Geography, History, RE
Get ready to explore exciting scientific discoveries, delve into important religious beliefs and dive into key literary pieces that are all connected to the centre of the Earth. The theme is named it after the famous book, “Journey to the Centre of the Earth,” written by Jules Verne.
As students journey through this theme, they’ll develop their literary analysis skills, learning how to uncover deeper meanings in the text. They’ll uncover religious and scientific ideas on how the universe started and be amazed by the incredible discoveries made by the brilliant scientists that help us understand where we, as humans, fit in the universe.
All themes have a driving question. A driving question is a central, open-ended question that guides learning. It engages students by focusing on real-world issues, encouraging critical thinking and problem-solving. For example, the driving question for Journey to the centre of the Earth is “is the Earth alive?”. It makes learning relevant and connected to practical outcomes.
