At The Leigh UTC we believe that our curriculum, which is the substance of what we teach, is one of the most important elements of our work as a school. We aim to ensure that every student at our academy has the opportunity to enjoy an ambitious, STEM, balanced, and culturally rich curriculum, which will enable each student we serve to achieve their very highest potential, regardless of their background or starting point. 

This policy exists to set out our vision for the curriculum in our academy, including its intent, how it will be implemented and organised, and how its impact will be measured and monitored. This policy will also set out and explain the arrangements in the academy which exist to ensure that this vision is being enacted.

Our intent for every child at The Leigh UTC is to empower them to thrive personally and academically by exposing them to a powerful STEM based, IB world curriculum. Our mission statement is ‘to prepare young STEM professionals for future global markets.’ 

We want our students to be immersed in deep & rich learning grounded in the IB values and philosophy. We want our students to engage with knowledge and skills that take them beyond the boundaries of a ‘normal’ school curriculum.  As a UTC our focus on being work ready is essential to the values of our work with students.

Our expertise in  developing STEM professionals for the future global market is unique to The Leigh UTC and stays true to the spirit of what a UTC is. We develop studious, ambitious, work ready, forward thinking young professionals, equipped to seamlessly continue with life after formal academic learning.

As an IB World we continue to nurture our students in becoming global citizens and further develop the international ethos of our academy and our curriculum.

To realise our unique ambition as a UTC, 5 key principles have been developed which provide the foundation for the distinctive approach to learning that the UTC will provide and develop.

  1. An innovative employer/ higher education focussed curriculum that specifically reflects the specialism of engineering & computing skills required in the businesses of our partners, both locally and Internationally.
  2. Develop young STEM professionals with the aspirations, passion and talent to be successful in their career choices through the provision of a high-quality technical education and careers guidance.
  3. A local, national and International reputation for technical excellence in STEM education.
  4. Employ and promote digital skills to complement traditional learning so that every child is able to engage with new technologies and become digitally literate.
  5. Secure high aspirations for young people through the provision of a comprehensive ‘world-class’ high-quality technical education. Ensuring that the most able students can proceed on to secure high level apprenticeships or top universities to follow STEM courses.

STEM RICH CURRICULUM

Create and deliver an academic STEM rich curriculum, expositing powerful knowledge and skill, grounded in the principles and values of the International Baccalaureate programme. 

CAREER FOCUSED

Develop passion, discipline for and of learning within our students, so they fully recognise and engage  in learning beyond the classroom and truly become lifelong learners; preparing for their place in the global market 

CHALLENGE AND ACCESSIBILITY

Deliver a challenging and accessible  aspirational curriculum that provides the academic challenge, skill development and professional career opportunities unique to a UTC

PROFESSIONAL & ACADEMIC HABITS

Explicitly teach professional and academic learning habits that enable students to progress, self reflect and take true ownership of their learning 

PROFESSIONAL AND CULTURAL LITERACY

Embed rich literacy disciplines enabling students to fully engage with academic and professional dialogue across the breadth of discipline they will study.

Each subject area sets out its curriculum in a Subject Curriculum plan for each Year group. These plans provide a foundation for more detailed curriculum planning by setting out the knowledge and skills to be learned through specifying the core learning and key concepts to be taught during a given period of time.

Each department will have schemes of learning(unit plans) related to the National Curriculum or examination board requirements and underpinned by IB philosophy. Schemes of learning must be followed by all departmental staff and monitored by Directors of Learning. Schemes of learning establish how the course content is structured, so that students’ skills, knowledge and understanding are developed progressively. 

Our teachers will have a detailed understanding of the curriculum structure and sequence, recognising how each lesson’s learning fits into the pupils’ broader development within the subject. Teachers will know what skills students are expected to have gained at each stage of the curriculum and how these cumulatively prepare students for the rigours of the GCSE exams in their subject.

Our KS3 pupils engage with the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) through both disciplinary and interdisciplinary learning. We believe that pupils deserve a curriculum that enhances their life chances and enables social mobility and equality. There is a good breadth of courses being accessed across all key stages, ensuring the needs of all pupils are met so they can access their first choice next steps. This includes pupils having access to the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program through the traditional English Baccalaureate alongside a wide range of other subjects. Teachers not only plan vertically within a subject but make clear cross-curricular links between subjects to ensure pupils apply their knowledge and skills across a range of topics and between disciplines including links to Literacy, Numeracy, PSHE and fundamental British values. This creates a balanced curriculum which provides rich opportunities for pupils to develop a range of skills, depth of knowledge and opportunities to explore career pathways through schemes of work.

Pupils develop the core skills identified in the IB Learner Profile which are necessary to support their progression and success in the next stages of education and to be successful adults who contribute positively to modern society. The curriculum strives to ensure pupils become independent and resilient learners, who are highly motivated to meet their full potential and live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives as internationally minded young people.