Intent of curriculum 

Our intent for the curriculum is to provide students with the opportunity to gain, develop and refine some of the key tools that allow students to learn effectively across a number of different subject combined. Recognising signposts across all 4 STEM subjects.  

The curriculum has been structured in a way to remove barriers that may prevent students reaching their potential. For example Gears can be covered in 3 separate and different and distinct ways across Science Technology and Maths. STEM gives us the opportunity to showcase how the concepts can be given a real world application and therefore enhance the students understanding across all the subjects.  The topics provide students with the skills that are transferrable across all subjects, allowing students to implement and refine these skills and strategies throughout Year 7 and 8.  

STEM aims to provide our students with the necessary life skills and inner confidence in their future with regards to employment and raising students’ self-esteem within social settings. Resilience, working collaboratively with others, communication and confidence amongst other skills will provide students with the confidence both in and out of the classroom to succeed. Also it will give students an opportunity to use skills picked up in one part of curriculum to develop key knowledge and understanding in other areas too. 

Implementation of curriculum 

The curriculum has been designed to allow students to focus on how they learn, reflect on their current strategies and behaviours, and discover how they can learn more effectively.  The curriculum has been designed to focus upon the 4 subjects both individually but collectively to help build resilience across the 4 subjects and beyond. There are opportunities to develop a greater understanding of the wider world in general whether it be the impact of Tsunamis, earthquakes, floods or conflict. Gaining a better perspective on the world at large. Within these topics’ students gain an insight into how they are learning, thinking, and behaving. The sessions are designed to get students to observe that they can question themselves with regards to how they learn, and the curriculum guides them to discover new strategies to help them access the curriculum. Lessons will be a mixture of teacher led, group work, independent work and home based learning.  

The teachers of the curriculum will be delivered by numerous teachers across a wide range of subjects and will change annually.  This works to benefit of the subject, gaining new perspectives each year on the topics we cover and reflecting on effective way to deliver these topics is what makes the SOW. Working collaboratively with several teachers across different subjects allows the curriculum to blend well across all subjects.  

The lessons blend with subject content from various subjects and the STEM based learning skills are not taught in isolation but share cross curricular links across the school. STEM learning also encapsulates the whole school initiatives within its curriculum including ‘Words Matter’ during the development of the students work.  

Impact of curriculum  

Learners develop detailed knowledge and skills across the Learning to Learn Curriculum and transfer these skills into all subjects. Students will have their opportunity to reflect on the content they have been taught and review their progress each lesson. Students will take away strategies and key pieces of information that will support them not only during school but will develop their skills ready for the next stage of education, employment, or training.  

Reading – Students will develop skills and the confidence to extract information and promote a positive experience for the students when reading. It will give students the inner confidence and desire to read without feeling overwhelmed at the task of reading.  

Vocabulary – This topic allows students in gain an understanding of key vocabulary used across all subjects at Year 7. Students will become more confident with using academic terms thus challenging students to think about words they could use across the entire curriculum. The impact will be positive for all subjects in that students have a sound understanding of terms that will be frequently used removing barriers to learning. 

Thinking- Students will become more aware of how they think before during and when completing tasks. These skills will allow students to become better reflective learners and independent thinkers. Allowing students to review their decision-making skills and question their own thinking developing maturity and self-management skills that will be useful not only across the curriculum but is an effective life skill. 

Confidence – Student’s ability to communicate effective, listen effectively and work collaboratively will develop and be transferrable across curricular. Students will be seen to work more effectively in groups, debate and reduce passivity within the classroom.  

Memory – The timing of this topics prepares students well for end of year exams. This provides students with strategies to improve their memory and techniques that will prepare them for exams.  Students will be more prepare for exams such as their GCSEs having explored revision techniques and studious behaviours.  

Healthy mind set – Again this topic is planned for when students are having end of year exams and this topic provides students with the coping strategies for dealing with stress and anxiety that can be associated with exams. The topic is planned for students to become aware of a range of strategies they can use both in school and at home. 

We are confident that through the content of the curriculum will provide students with the necessary skills to remove barriers for learning, promote independence, develop life skills that can be transferrable into the world of work through gaining greater knowledge of STEM and its impact across a range of subjects beyond just Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. We will measure this in several ways:  

• Lesson observations  
• Student and staff feedback questionnaires 

• Collaborating with teachers and HOD to ensure that STEM curriculum is cross curricular. 
• Annual review of topics being delivered. 
• The topics re communicated whole school through use of staff brief