top of page

National Curriculum

and our approach to reading

Academic progress is at the heart of the curriculum offer at Bure Park Specialist Academy as it would be in a mainstream environment.  To achieve this we have a broad and balanced curriculum, rooted in the National Curriculum, that is clearly planned and sequenced.

The core of our academic curriculum focuses on the critically important functional skills of literacy and numeracy (often referred to as English and Maths) and Science.

Every time a child reads or is read to in our classes we:

 

  • Use SoundsWrite to decode tricky words

  • Each teacher asks questions around vocabulary, retrieval, summarising, inference, prediction, compare / contrast / comment

  • Curriculum and subject specific reading uses a visualiser


From Key Stage Two pupils will experience the breadth of the National Curriculum and also study the Foundation subjects of Art and design, Citizenship, Computing, Design and technology, Geography, History, Music, Physical education, Religious Education and Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education.  

In Primary classes pupils are taught, in the main, by one teacher so that strong and dependable relationships can be formed.  It is common practice that the Foundation subjects are grouped together and taught as part of a ‘Topic’ as we believe that this enables teachers and pupils to access knowledge in a creative and meaningful way.
 
All pupils will sit national standard assessments in Year 4 (Multiplication Tables Check) and in Year 6 (Standard Assessment Tests).

From Key Stage Three, pupils will follow a curriculum that is structured in a similar way to a mainstream environment.  Pupils will follow a timetable of 6 discrete 45 minute lessons a day and be taught by a range of teachers.  Religious Education and Music are taught through ‘collapsed days’ across the Key Stages.  In Key Stage 3 all pupils will also access Relationship and Sex Education.

In Key Stage Four pupils will follow a timetable as they would in Key Stage Three and access an appropriate accredited qualification in English (GCSE), Mathematics (GCSE), Science (GCSE Biology), Geography or History (GCSE), Physical Education (BTEC) and Art(GCSE).  Pupils will be entered at an appropriate level, therefore an alternative route to certification may be offered than the course indicated above.

​

​

bottom of page