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Teaching and Learning

Teaching and Learning

Teaching and learning priorities

Here at the academy, quality teaching and learning lies at the heart of our curriculum offer. We care about students making the best possible progress and want to equip them well for their future destinations. As such, our teaching and learning policy is based on research; our aim is to embed cognitive science principles into lessons. Students will experience a range of teaching styles throughout their time at the academy and will regularly engage with real business partners, who enrich the student experience and ground their learning in real world application. We are keen to make the best use of technology, ensure that students have a broad and well-rounded curriculum, engage with businesses in the classroom and make effective use of rigorous and timely assessments.

Google Classroom

All students in the academy are provided with an email address and online Google account. Through this account, students have access to Google Classroom: an online tool for producing coursework and submitting assignments. Work can then be marked electronically and returned with appropriate corrections and guidance.

Students are expected to manage their deadlines and completion of assignments so that work is handed in correctly and on time. Students who fail to do this consistently risk being removed from the course.

There is a ‘reminder guide’ to Google Classroom at the end of this booklet.

Assessments

Students are assessed regularly throughout their time at the academy, from Year 9 to Year 13. Assessment helps teachers check understanding, identify where support is needed, and keep families informed about progress over time.

Across the academy, students will experience a mixture of:

Assessment information is used to inform reports, parents’ evenings, and other key communication points during the year.

Year 9

In Year 9, assessment is designed to support students as they begin their option subjects and build the knowledge and skills needed for later study. Students are assessed through a mixture of project work, checkpoint assessments, and subject-based tasks.

Work in Year 9 is assessed against our learning domains:

This is then aggregated after each assessment cycle, and reported against our mastery bands

This gives students, teachers, and families a broad picture of how well students are developing across their subjects. Year 9 targets are informed by students’ CAT4 profiles.

Years 10 and 11

In Years 10 and 11, students complete regular in-class assessments in each subject. These follow our KAR assessment model, which focuses on:

Students also take part in formal mock examinations to help prepare them for GCSE study and final exams.  Progress is normally reported as a working at grade, with targets informed by prior attainment and performance in Year 9.

Years 12 and 13

In the sixth form, assessment continues through regular subject assessments, larger synoptic tasks, and formal mock examinations. Progress is also reported as a working at grade, with targets based primarily on students’ GCSE results.

Setting of groups

Setting of groups by ability is currently done in English, Maths and Science in Key Stage 4. This policy is, however, fluid and will respond to the needs of the students as they develop. Final decisions on sets rest with the Heads of Department.

Tier of entry decisions

In Science and Maths, the exam specification allows students to sit either higher or foundation tier examination papers. Broadly speaking, in maths, students who sit a foundation paper will be aiming to secure a grade 4 or below; those sitting higher paper will be aiming to achieve a grade 5 or above. The content of each paper is specifically aimed at ensuring success for the appropriate student.

In Science, higher and foundation tiers are determined using OCR exam board guidelines. They take into consideration; Maths target grade as well as practice, performance and attendance within the subject area.

Decisions about whether a student will sit higher or foundation paper are made once final Year 11 mock examinations have been completed. In every case, the choice of tier is made based on securing the highest grade possible for a student. Changes can be made in the final weeks of year 11 if they are deemed necessary.

Students’ examination entry slips will indicate whether H/F tier has been confirmed. These slips are released by the exams team in good time for revision to begin. It is not the academy’s policy to notify parents of any changes to the tier of entry in writing. Instead, changes will be discussed individually with each student and the reasons for this made clear for onward communication with parents. The final decision on the tier of entry rests with the relevant Head of Department.

Baseline Tests/Data to Aid Setting Targets

When students join the academy in Years 9 and 10, we ask them to complete a series of assessments which enable us to baseline the students and produce target grades for them in each of the subjects they will study. The assessments we use are the nationally recognised ‘GL Assessments’.

An accurate baseline is the bedrock to ensuring the best starting point for each student to inform curriculum planning and teaching and learning. The GL assessments contain a series of online tests which are benchmarked against national statistics, and enable us to measure both where the students are at and what progress they have made prior to joining us. Students would have completed Progress Tests in Mathematics, English and Science in the induction period prior to joining us. These assessments have then been used by Subject Leads to set the students in groups.

Homework

Students at the Academy are set homework once a week in: English, Maths and Science. This is set and monitored electronically through our Sparx online platform. For core Engineering Manufacture and all option subjects, students are expected to use resources and materials provided on Google Classroom to ensure their coursework and revision remains up to date.