Oriel Curriculum Statement

Curriculum Vision

• Inclusion is our ultimate goal
• Fostering the ambition of all learners and nurture their ability to develop themselves
• Empowering learners with the knowledge, skills and expressive powers to be successful
• Developing the whole child

Our curriculum is an inclusive and progressive knowledge-based learning experience that reflects the cultural experience and interests of our children, but also opens the doors to new ideas and ways of thinking.

We deliver a curriculum experience which challenges and supports each learner to progress their abilities and understanding through a purposeful, engaging and authentic learning experience; this prepares our young people to be resilient learners who have the knowledge, skills and attitudes to embrace an ever-changing world. Our curriculum is, of itself, a narrative: every moment is typified by interplay, informed by what has preceded it, and leading to what happens next. Our values of Engagement, Purpose and Self-worth are woven into our No Limits curriculum design; we have also placed curiosity – one of the most important non-cognitive skills – at the heart of our learning journeys.

We build links in a systematic and structural way; the fundaments of our curriculum across the years and across subjects link up in a well-thought out way, so that knowledge taught – including key concepts and vocabulary – is explicitly reinforced and encountered repeatedly in meaningful contexts. The enrichment opportunities created alongside this help curate the type of cultural capital that galvanises our young people to work well towards their goals.

Curriculum Implementation

Central to the philosophy of the curriculum delivered in Oriel Academy is an authentic education for the world today, with core knowledge, skills and attitudes as critical foundations allowing for societal participation and contribution. Additionally, all children in Oriel Academy learn in a challenging, engaging and supportive environment, through a well-structured and purposeful learning experience that encourages creativity and celebrates diversity.

In applying knowledge to real-world contexts and allowing our pupils to participate actively in their learning, our children find solutions and to deepen their learning. Our curriculum has been developed to meet the needs of children so that they have both embodied and institutional cultural capital with Employability and Power Skills as the centrepiece of our educational provision.

Our curriculum is rooted in the development of knowledge and skills, the ability to apply them, and the acquisition of Power Skills. Alongside the discreet teaching of Maths and English, our No Limits curriculum – a project-based learning experience – is taught through applied learning (AL) assignments that have the Power Skills (of Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking & Problem-solving, Creativity and Character) at their heart. During AL, children focus on a driving question that poses a thinking question given to a real-world scenario and/or experience. The question drives children to discuss, investigate and explore within a topic, producing a collection of work and assignments (ranging from debates and performance, to models and exhibits) that befit the learning that has occurred.