Our Learning Journey
An Ambitious Curriculum For All
At Park Hall Academy, we have the highest aspirations for all learners. We have an ambitious vision for our curriculum which is centred around inspiring a love of learning and enabling our learners to be successful, independent, confident, and resilient learners who see their futures as full of possibilities.
Learners recognise that they are able to be anything they aspire to be and that they should have the biggest dreams and aspirations – ‘Little Me Aspires To Be‘ Leaders have identified four curriculum ‘Big Ideas‘ – ‘Every Child A Reader’ (no exception), ‘A Love Of Learning‘ (big ideas for curious minds), ‘Expert Learners‘ and ‘Be Inspired; Be Aspirational’. Our curriculum ‘Big Ideas‘ identify essential elements that underpin all curriculum areas and reflect the needs of our learners.
Our highly ambitious and meticulously planned, personalised curriculum, enables learners to become experts in all curriculum subjects. All members of the Park Hall family see each subject as being of equal importance. Leaders have carefully considered the knowledge, skills and disciplines that we believe meet the needs of all learners. We have identified ‘Big Ideas’ and ‘Key Concepts‘ for each curriculum subject, underpinned by research. This ensures that high quality learning and teaching embeds substantive and disciplinary knowledge which teachers model and learners apply. Our learning environments bring our curriculum to life and ensures that our key concepts are highly visible to all.
Visitors to our academy will be able to see our curriculum as it ‘leaps off the walls’. This ensures that learners are continually immersed within the curriculum as their learning journey progresses.
All Aboard The Learning Journey
Our mission statement is continuing the learning journey together, and we recognise that all members of Park Hall family are lifelong learners. We are committed to ensuring that our learners make connections between their learning, so that knowledge & skills become embedded – enabling learners to ‘know more, learn more and remember more‘.
To represent our learning journey, we have developed a visual representation of our curriculum based around a London tube map. This is designed with ‘Dahl District‘ at the centre, representing the English curriculum, which is at the HEART of our journey, as reading is the key to all learning.
Dahl District overlaps all curriculum lines representing the connections across and between all subjects. Each subject line also intersects others, as when connections between learning are made explicit, learners are able to secure and retain their knowledge, apply skills and build on prior learning. Our foundations begin in the Early Years, as this is where our journey begins – from novice to expert.
Each curriculum line is named after an inspirational figure chosen from a diverse range of backgrounds, each overcoming adversity and challenge. This enables our learners to imagine their future aspirations, as each influential figure began life as a child with a dream. Our learners become designers, artists, curators, scientists and more.
Each step in our learners journey has been carefully considered, ensuring small step progression and challenge. This builds and secures our learners knowledge and skills, as learning is seen as a journey, where one step builds on the next.
Where parents/ carers or any other members of the public would like to find more information regarding our curriculum, please see the curriculum tab to view each individual subject in more detail.
Know More, Learn More, Remember More
Leaders have invented creative ways to ensure that learners ‘sticky knowledge’ is embedded and that prior learning is built upon. Our ‘subject suitcases’ are a way for our experts to ‘carry key facts with them’. These travel with the children, enabling teachers to revisit prior learning throughout their journey. This activates learners prior knowledge, so that they know more, learn more and remember more, enabling them to make connections, becoming experts in all subject areas.
Our Exploratory Journey To Become…
Every learner is provided with a ticket for each curriculum area, inviting them to jump on board the learning journey. Each ticket provides learners with an overview of knowledge and skills, experiences and opportunities that they will encounter on their exploratory and creative journey (as they travel from novice to expert). This ensures that learners are continually immersed within the curriculum as their learning journey progresses. Our learning journey tickets have been carefully and meticulously considered. This ensures that all members of the Park Hall family have a shared understanding of what becoming an expert entails in each subject discipline. Leaders have clearly identified what it means to be an expert historian, geographer, designer etc. For our learners, the
ticket represents their curriculum entitlement.
Think Like a, Communicate Like a, Be…
In all of our curriculum areas we aim to develop the knowledge and disciplines to enable our learners to, ‘Think like, Communicate Like and Be…’ in order to become artists, linguists, geographers, philosophers…the list is endless! We aim for our learners to develop and build subject specific, specalist vocabulary which enables them to communicate as athletes, theologians, mathematicians and more. Leaders have carefully considered and progressively mapped the vocabulary and terminology learners will encounter and use. We have created ‘Historians’ Vaults of Vocabulary’, ‘Artists Palettes of Vocabulary’, ‘Designers Toolkits of Technical Terms’, and many more. Each contains the key vocabulary our learners will use and apply to communicate their learning across subjects. This has been central to curriculum design.
Technology – A Tool to Enhance and Innovate
Through the innovative and creative use of 1:1 iPad technology (Years 1 – 6) we provide the knowledge and skills for learners to develop as independent and critical thinkers. Learners are able to exhibit their skills and knowledge using innovative and creative techniques made possible through the use of technology. IPad technology is used to enhance the curriculum and contributes to aspects of learning and teaching. Technology empowers learners and is a key tool to enhance learning and release potential in all learners. The use of iPads and technology allows all learners to collaborate, connect and be creative.
Our Values Are At The Heart of Everything We Do
