Overview - Knowledgeable and Expert Learners - Curriculum

Knowledgeable and Expert Learners – Curriculum Intent Vision

At Beckfoot Upper Heaton, we ensure that our curriculum is inclusive and is mission aligned to the Trust ambition to leave no child behind.

At BUH we strive for academic excellence and act with integrity and kindness to ensure our students achieve their ambitions and potential. We have a shared understanding, purpose and drive to prepare our students for life beyond these walls in a diverse society. It builds their cultural capital, motivates and excites. It is challenging, broad and balanced and knowledge engaged.  

We want our students to be: 

• Successfullearners who enjoy learning, make progress and achieve their full potential (enjoy - learn - succeed). 
• Confidentindividuals who are able to lead safe, healthy and fulfilling  
• Responsiblecitizens who make a positive contribution to society (integrity – kindness – excellence).

Our mission is to instil a core love for reading through our literacy strategy across school improving students’ vocabulary, reading, writing and communication skills. Our school community deserves the highest life chances through a vibrant and aspirational curriculum. We want our students to have their own high aspirations. Where appropriate we support the most vulnerable students with a bespoke pathway. We use assessment to inform pathways and ensure knowledge gaps are filled. Our broad and balanced three-year Key Stage 3 follows the National Curriculum’s programmes of study prior to engaging in KS4 studies. We ensure that we challenge and nurture our students so that no child is left behind. The curriculum will equip every student with the skills, knowledge and community values to succeed.

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
― Benjamin Franklin

Our mission is to improve students’ confidence, communication and inter-personal skills.

Students at BUH are taught by experts in their field with a real enthusiasm about their subject. Teachers contextualise learning to make it relevant. Students are equipped with the critical thinking and learning skills needed to succeed in further education and in the world of work. Students’ understanding how to think and learn in subject areas is developed through teachers’ modelling of their own problem-solving processes. Students’ self-regulation is developed through strong routines for learning and opportunities in lessons to become motivated and autonomous learners. We believe that knowledge is power. We equip our students with powerful knowledge, embedded through practices designed to develop retrieval, thus ensuring that our students can compete in their chosen field and go on to live healthy, happy and successful lives.

At Beckfoot Upper Heaton, personal, social and health education (PSHCE), Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Careers education enables our pupils to become healthy, independent and responsible members of a society. It aims to help them understand how they are developing personally and socially, and tackles many of the moral, social and cultural (SMSC) issues that are part of becoming young adults. We provide our pupils with opportunities for them to learn about rights and responsibilities and appreciate the importance of being a member of a diverse society. Our pupils are encouraged to develop their sense of self-worth by developing competencies and by playing a positive role in contributing to school life and the wider community. Our intention is to lay secure foundations for progression into Further and Higher Education.

 Aims of the PSHE, RSE and Careers Strategy: 

This strategy aims: 

• Toprovide a broad and balanced PSHCE curriculum that is accessible to all pupils and that covers the statutory  
• Tobroaden pupils’ horizons through a range of personal, social, health, economic, relationships and sex education, and cultural  
• Toensure that all pupils are able to thrive and develop as healthy individuals; where no child is left behind. 
• Toensure that all pupils understand how to stay  
• To developa strength of character, and resilience that will help pupils to overcome the challenges they may encounter in adult life. 
• Toprovide an appropriate range of opportunities and experiences to allow pupils to succeed in the next stage in their education, training or  

Our curriculum is structured around the four main Beckfoot Trust ambitions:

• Confident Communicators: our curriculum provides opportunity for all our learners to be able to confidently express themselves and articulate their opinions in a range of scenarios, both verbally and in writing.
• Knowledgeable and Expert Learners: our curriculum enables all our learners to make above average progress, no matter what their starting point. Through well planned and sequenced schemes of work, learners develop a wide range of skills and a breadth of knowledge.
• Committed Community Contributors: our curriculum provides opportunities both in and out of the classroom for our learners to gain cultural capital and a deeper understanding of the world. Students are proud of their school and community, whilst developing personal and leadership skills.
• Future-Ready Young People: our curriculum provides the qualifications and experiences to ensure our learners are prepared for life in the 21^st We support all young people and encourage them to be aspirational.