Evolve Academy provides education for students with SEMH needs, and students who have experienced difficulties with their learning and behaviour in mainstream school. Our students have an EHC Plan, or are at risk of being permanently excluded or have been permanently excluded. Many of our learners have a history of disruptive education in mainstream schools with frequent fixed term exclusions. The curriculum at the Academy is devised to encompass everything that a student might experience, from their arrival in the morning right through to the end of the day. We expect our curriculum to be broad, balanced and have clear progression pathways in subject knowledge and skills, to be filled with rich first-hand purposeful experiences and to be flexible and responsive to individual needs and interests.
Curriculum statement
The secondary curriculum at Evolve Academy is devised to encompass everything that a student might experience, from their arrival in the morning right through to the end of the day. We expect our curriculum to be broad, balanced and have clear progression pathways in subject knowledge and skills, to be filled with rich first-hand purposeful experiences and to be flexible and responsive to individual needs and interests.
To this end, we offer a range of academic and vocational qualifications from Entry Level 3- Level 2.
We believe that there is a qualification to suit everyone, and do our very best to support our students to gain qualifications that interest and challenge them, suit their learning style and will give them the qualifications that they need to make the next step in their educational career.
Religious Studies is not taught as a discrete subject but social, moral, and spiritual issues are explored through our mandatory PSHE curriculum, our Personal Development curriculum, and our Pastoral programme.
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Curriculum Aims
- To make learning an enjoyable experience, enabling students to achieve their full potential, and gain the qualifications to allow them to successfully make the next step in their educational career.
- To re-engage students with learning and build their confidence and self-esteem so that they see themselves as students that can be successful.
- To develop their skills in communication, literacy, numeracy and decision-making so that they can function in adult life
- To prepare them for the world of work and independent living and to take their place as active citizens in the UK
Underpinning principles
We seek to deliver a curriculum that:
- Is motivating and enjoyable and engages students in learning
- Is challenging and aspirational
- Is broad and balanced
- Encourages students to take responsibility for their learning and behaviour and is based upon mutual respect.
- Provides opportunities for accreditation
- Provides students with opportunities to develop their skills and interests
- Supports post-16 progression into further education, employment or training
- Is personalised and individualised and recognises progress and celebrates achievement
- Provides opportunities for students to “make good choices” and builds self-esteem
- Prepares students for life beyond school both in their personal and working lives
- Supports students to ‘be healthy’, ‘stay safe’, and ‘make a positive contribution’.
- Promotes students' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and enables them to become active citizens.
- Is accessible to all students
The Informal and Formal Curriculum
We believe that the informal curriculum plays a very important role in supporting our students’ personal and social development. We offer a range of experiences across the Academy, trips, visits and visitors to enrich the formal curriculum. We work with partner agencies to offer football, boxing and music..
At Key Stage 3 the formal curriculum includes English, maths, ICT, food PE, RSHE (including sex and relationships education) and Prince’s Trust
At Key Stage 4 students study English, Maths, ICT, RSHE, Equality and Diversity, Prince’s Trust, PE (including elements of Science). Programmes of study lead to appropriate nationally recognised accreditation such as GCSE, iGCSE, functional skills and level 1 and 2 award/certificates.
The courses available to pupils in Key Stage 4 are as follows:
- GCSE English AQA
- GCSE Mathematics Edexcel
- Functional skills level 1 and 2 English
- Functional skills level 1 and 2 Maths
- Functional skills level 1 and 2 ICT
- NCFE level 2 certificate in Sport and Fitness
- Prince’s Trust level 1 and 2 awards/certificates
- NCFE L2 Equality and Diversity
- NCFE L2 RSHE
Our Primary curriculum is designed to mirror that of a mainstream school as much as possible in order to enable a smooth transition from either an AP to a mainstream school, or to enable a smooth transition from an SEMH primary to a mainstream secondary school if suitable.