Curriculum and Vision
King’s Lynn Academy
The curriculum at King’s Lynn Academy acts as the bedrock to our learning. It is our educational, academic foundation, and our vehicle to provide our students with the understanding they need to support them in their lives.
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“Leader’s have re-developed the curriculum to ensure it meets pupils’ needs well. Leaders have raised the academic aspiration of the curriculum” Ofsted 2022 |
High Expectations
We have high expectations for our learners. Unapologetically academic and challenging, we have designed our curriculum to reflect the key knowledge and skills that our students need to succeed in their lives. To us, the “best of what has been said and thought” acts as our guiding principle of subject content, and we passionately believe that all students should have access to these amazing thoughts and ideas that will enrich their lives. Knowledge is for everyone.
The KLA curriculum has been designed by subject experts, some of whom are involved in planning national initiatives within their subjects. Components are carefully sequenced so that learning makes sense and are revisited so that they are remembered. We ensure that staff get time in fortnightly co-planning sessions to refine and adapt learning through the sharing of good practice. Our curriculum construction is an iterative process which never stands still, to reflect the changing landscape of study.
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The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” Michelangelo
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Frequent knowledge checks, through low stakes testing, allow teachers to spot misconceptions early, and put them right. Every student is provided with a termly Knowledge Organiser, which is designed to foreground the key ideas of study as well as offer tasks to check understanding and stretch thinking still further. Students’ books are proudly kept, and demonstrate the journey of learning over time.
Lessons at KLA follow a clear coherent structure. There are clear starter tasks to recall previous learning, high quality questions to clarify and deepen thinking, and several opportunities to reflect on learning throughout the lesson.
At KLA, we want students and parents to know how well learners are doing, to become more fluent in their learning. There are two main assessment points each year, with the end of year exams acting as a summative measure of progress. Interventions are planned for those who fall behind to ensure that they catch up as quickly as possible.
We focus both on building disciplinary knowledge as well as linking curriculum areas to contextualise thinking. In English, students are taught to read analytically, and when it is appropriate, to skim or scan a text. In Maths, students are empowered to develop and apply problem solving skills on overarching and spiralling mathematical components. Allied to this all teachers teach language to give our students the words to express ideas coherently and cogently. We support this through the use of pedagogical techniques from our Pedagogical Directory – the evidence-based learning theories that we use to support the best teaching. Unfamiliar vocabulary is taught through the use of Frayer’s models and we reference Beck’s tiered vocabulary model to sharpen expression and therefore thought. In line with good career guidance from the Gatsby benchmarks, each department makes explicit the career pathways that are available in their subject. This is central in curriculum delivery and alongside Personal Development, the mechanism that allows every young person to have high quality career guidance to make informed decisions about their future.
We want our students to see the connections between subjects and what they learn. Our STEM subject leads work closely together to ensure that students can see the connection between components in Science, Maths and Technology, in terms of both knowledge and skills. Our Academic Arts Curriculum makes links between English, History and Personal Development explicit and considers overarching thematic links such as Resilience, Conflict, Relationships and Equality. These are further developed in our House system which fosters a sense of community, opportunity and fun.
The Joy of Learning
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“Pupils feel cared for and supported because of leaders’ moral imperative to do what is best for them. Every pupil is made to feel like they belong and can achieve” Ofsted 2022 |
Our curriculum extends well beyond the walls of the classroom. Our House system builds on the legacy of King’s Lynns Hanseatic past, and offers a range of different House events through each department. Both sporting and non-sporting, these allow our students to benefit from a whole host of activities to deepen their learning in the classroom. Our House system seeks to deliver three key messages to students. Everyone has something to offer as a valued member of our school and House community. Everyone should enjoy taking part and contributing to the life of our school. Everyone has the capacity to make the school even better. Alongside this are numerous clubs and societies that allow students to broaden their interests. From board games to football, via poetry and creative writing, the students have much to pick from. These clubs often run at lunchtime, augmenting lessons within the school day.
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“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire”. W.B Yeats |
King’s Lynn Academy believes strongly in the value of learning outside of the academy, and all staff regularly run trips and visits. MFL trips to France and Germany allow the students to see language in action, giving important cultural insights to support their learning in class. In Science and Maths, students visit The Space Centre in Leicester, as well as Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes, the principal centre of Allied code-breaking during the Second World War. Theatre trips to Norwich, Cambridge and London further develop the texts studied in English, and the academy welcomes theatre companies in to bring drama alive. Our Performing Arts department hosts regular concerts and shows, developing not only students’ self-confidence, but also their understanding of the practical work that supports performance.
We are proud of our academy, and proud of our fabulous students. If you would like to visit to see our school in action, please contact the academy’s reception, who would be delighted to help you