Intent

Our curriculum has been designed over many years’ experience to meet the needs of our pupils, being developed in the context of a community that (generally) has low aspirations, a poor economic background and where pupils enter school with skills well below their peers - particularly their speaking and listening skills and physical development. We aim to raise the aspirations of all pupils and provide them with the skills they need to do well in life.

Some pupils have a limited vocabulary and have few, if any, opportunities through their home lives to visit new places and experience cultural opportunities. They have little knowledge of their own locality or the heritage of their City. General knowledge for some pupils is very limited.

An increasing number of pupils now come to us with mental health issues, many lacking confidence in their own ability and, due to a lack of resilience, they find new challenges difficult.  Boys, in particular, are often difficult to motivate, finding the demands of the new National Curriculum challenging.

In light of this what is the curriculum is designed to do?

Our school motto is “At Gladstone we are all equally different.” No matter what pupils’ starting points or personal ‘barriers to learning’ are, children of all abilities are given opportunities to discover, celebrate and develop their unique gifts and talents. We celebrate that every person (no matter what their race, ethnicity or disability) is unique and special. To meet the needs of all pupils we recognise that a curriculum has to be broad and balanced whilst offering all pupils the opportunity to grow as individuals as well as learners.

At Gladstone Primary Academy we aim to ‘open up the world’ for children who have limited life experiences, aiming to equip them with the skills and knowledge necessary - in their learning and personal development - for them to succeed during their ‘school years’ and in later life. Good communication skills are vital and our curriculum gives the children the skills necessary to become confident communicators.