Curriculum Intent

At Penkridge Middle School we aim to prepare our students to become global citizens who are curious and passionate about the world around them, on a local, national and global scale. Through engaging with British Values, our broad curriculum presents big ideas and has high aspirations for all. Our curriculum is designed to provide challenge and purpose in all subject areas, with wider skills, such as interpersonal skills, confidence, socialisation, language development, resilience, a healthy lifestyle (both physical and mental) and relevant knowledge and skills for careers built into learning. Through our curriculum we will offer cultural capital to our students, giving them an understanding of the world around them.

As a member of the Penk Valley Academy Trust we support Visible Learning, an evidence based pedagogical approach to teaching and learning. The approach involves teachers seeing learning through the eyes of students; and students seeing themselves as their own teachers. All students, in all lessons, at Penkridge Middle School will be supported and driven by research to create resilient, lifelong learners, who are capable of self-led learning and are prepared for the next stage of their education.

We see reading, maths and oracy skills as essential life skills. We are building a curriculum that promotes skilled reading and a love of reading as these are core to the intent of the school. We are targeting the use rich texts across the curriculum and for reading skills to be developed in all lessons. Our goal is that students are supported to become proficient learners and encouraged to read for pleasure, including during their designated reading lessons using the accelerated reader programme where they will have the opportunity to read and then take knowledge tests based on what they have read to gauge their understanding. We aim to encourage a high standard of mathematical understanding, making links across the curriculum, as well as to the wider community. Oracy is developed through classroom discussion, intelligent questioning and planned presentations. Through this, our students are able to discuss and articulate confidently both in the classroom and beyond, develop problem solving and teamwork skills and can convey their thoughts and reasoning to others effectively, not only verbally, but also in writing.

Whole School Curriculum Leader:

Mr L. Meredith – Assistant Headteacher

Contact via office@penkridge-middle.org or 01785 413400 if you would like to find out more about our Curriculum.