The Upper Site aims to provide a personalised curriculum combining core subjects with more specialist choices where the learner's individual needs are paramount. 

Curriculum Philosophy (Intent)   

Trinity Academy Newcastle is determined to strive for excellence in everything we do. In doing so, we know that we change lives daily and our curriculum is an extension of this belief; it is our platform to enable our learners to go on and achieve success. The principles of kindness, honesty and calm are well established throughout. We are proud to be creating confident, competent and kind citizens of the future.   

Trinity’s culture is deeply rooted in supporting learners with their social, emotional, and mental health needs. We offer a broad and balanced curriculum that allows learners to develop the knowledge, skills and experiences that support them throughout school and into their adult life. Core skills of literacy, numeracy, positive communications, reading, and vocabulary development are central to our offer, delivering a full range of National Curriculum subjects and allowing learners to direct their own learning pathways as they progress through the school.   

Ability is not seen as permanent or pre-determined; we relish the opportunity to work with learners, irrespective of any disadvantages they may face, to reach their potential.   

Educating the whole person is pivotal to developing secure moral and social bases from which our learners can prosper as positive citizens. We prepare our learners for life, including adulthood, relationships, and the possibility that one day they may become a capable parent.   

We strive to offer high quality opportunities and activities outside of the main school curriculum. These activities are an exciting feature of our learners' experience of life at Trinity; they also contribute enormously to our learners’ social, emotional, and academic development. We believe all our learners should experience success in as many aspects of school life as possible and the extra-curricular activities are designed as a tool to enable this realisation. All learners, regardless of their background, have opportunities to participate in all extra-curricular activities and experiences.   

Curriculum Implementation   

Trinity’s curriculum is implemented to allow every learner the right to access a full range of subjects, knowledge, and experiences relevant to them, allowing skills development and success in future endeavours. Leaders provide high quality professional learning opportunities. Teachers are empowered to support curriculum design, set the direction of, and engage in high quality CPD and can articulate their role in Trinity’s curriculum and the difference it is making to our learners.   

The curriculum is mapped using interim reference points supporting sequential progression. Key concepts are revisited to build on prior knowledge. Lessons are designed to be creative, practical, engaging and enable learners to work collaboratively, developing teamwork and friendship skills. We operate flexibly where the needs of a learner require a more personalised approach, for instance combining English and Maths with a vocational offer.   

Working towards individual Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) goals/targets is central to the delivery of our curriculum. Progress towards these goals/targets is evaluated periodically by the team around the child.   

In Key Stage 4, learners personalise their curriculum by choosing three Pathway subjects, most of which lead to accredited qualifications; this is alongside core subjects and much of our wider curricular offer/experiences. Pathway choices promote personal development and incorporate key issues such as choice, academic ability, career aspirations and special educational needs; examples include sports coaching, art and textiles, food technology, and motor mechanics. The key aim is to support learners to gain both skills and qualifications to equip them for future life and employment opportunities.   

Health and well-being, learner safeguarding, protection against extremism, personal safety, online safety, the promotion of Fundamental British Values and community cohesion all feature heavily in the school’s wider curriculum offer. Trinity utilises a range of initiatives and activities that promote the spiritual, moral, social, and emotional needs of our young people aimed at protecting them from radicalisation and extremist influences. We do this through our wider learning opportunities, including tutor time, assemblies, drop down days, the use of guest speakers and transition events.   

Careers education and progression routes are also a key part of our commitment to preparing our learners for the future. Lessons and learning experiences are planned to make explicit links to careers and employment opportunities. We evaluate our careers offer using a nationally recognised GATSBY framework and are working towards a Quality Careers Mark.   

Learners’ learning across the curriculum is assessed formatively and summative, ensuring that knowledge is embedded and applied effectively. Teachers clearly define the next steps in learning to support learner progress. Pupils are encouraged to embrace our “Learn, Remember, Achieve” approach. This is underpinned by our expectations of learners to be “In the Right Place, at the Right Time, doing the Right Thing,” which is integral throughout our culture.   

There is a broad range of extra-curricular activities and experiences to support holistic development; this includes arts, sporting provisions, cooking, outdoor adventure, and team building activities. We also offer learners the chance to experience learning in different settings, to visit educational venues linked to different curricular and cultural areas and by providing visits, for example to the circus and the theatre.  

Our curricular offer is reviewed annually, taking into consideration the views of our learners, their parents, teachers, and leaders. The reviews begin early in the academic year and support curriculum development.   

 

Pathway 1 Monday lessons 4 and 5  Tuesday lessons 6 and 7
GCSE Art	Btec Sport/Sports Leaders	GCSE English	Outdoor Education
Pathway 2 Monday lessons 6 and 7 Tuesday lessons 4 and 5
GCSE Art	Btec Sport/Sports Leaders	Creative Craft	COPE
Pathway 3 Wednesday lessons 5 and 6 Thursday lessons 6 and 7
GCSE Art	BTEC Food Tech	Mechanics	Construction	Outdoor Ed

 

Drop Down Days  

To complement our curriculum, we offer drop down days during the academic year. These sessions replace structured classroom lessons with activities used to strengthen learners' knowledge and application of skills and provide a deeper learning experience into different key topics. 

	KS3 and 4	Activity Ideas – AM drop down days
Half term 1	Healthy Minds	Link to world mental health day – 10th October 2022 – Wear yellow day Young Minds    Science: What is stress? What it does to our bodies and how we can deal with it.
Half term 2	RE – SMSC   LS and US   US – 28/11/22	Possible Activities  LS- Antibullying drop down day – 14th – 18th November  LS- Christianity – Christmas story  LS – Hindu – Creation story, Values, Art work  Hinduism – Festival of light – 24th October 2022   Christianity – Christmas preparations   Food Tech: Hindu foods/ various Christian foods - Christmas   Art: Hindu/ Christian artwork/ style   English/ Humanities: History/ key stories of the Hindu/ Christian culture   Maths: Vadic maths – ancient strategies   Additional options   PE: Traditional games and sporting activities   Learn Religions
Half term 3	Music from the cultures of the World	TBC – DJ/ other workshops    Potential links to prior RE topics – history of music in cultures
		Lower Site	Upper Site
		4 Hours Music Provision – Sage  TBC – Sage Contact	4 Hours Music Provision – Sage  TBC – Sage Contact
Half term 4	RE - SMSC LS and US	Possible Activities   Islamic/ Muslim faith – Festival of Eid Friday 21st April   Judaism – Passover April 2023   Food Tech: Muslim foods and idea of Ramadan the Eid/ Passover   Art: Islamic/ Jewish artwork styles   English/ Humanities: History/ Kaye stories of the Islamic/ Jewish culture   Maths: Patterns in numbers
Half term 5	Music from the cultures of the world LS and US	TBC – Workshops   Potential links to prior RE topics – history of music in cultures
		Lower Site	Upper Site
		4 Hours Music Provision – Sage TBC – Sage Contact	4 Hours Music Provision – Sage TBC – Sage Contact
Half term 6	Healthy Choices  for the Summer	Preparation for removal of structure   Staying safe in the community   Gang culture, knife crime, drugs and alcohol. I'm sure VRU, Edge etc would support these activities (include laws   on these activities)
		Lower Site 6 x 1 hour slot sessions – day and time TBC  Upper Site 6 x 1 hour slot sessions – Friday afternoon TBC The remaining hour can be discussed when we identify the most suitable route.

Measuring the Curriculum’s Success (Impact)   

As Trinity’s curriculum model has several elements to it and sets out to achieve several different aims, it is appropriate to view impact in several different ways. Primarily, knowledge accumulation and learner learning will be tracked and evidenced via assessments and outcomes.   

The success of preparing learners for the next stage of their education or employment will be evaluated using destination data and progression routes for Key Stage 4 learners.   

Parent voice, Learner voice, Attendance and Behaviour data will form learner engagement evaluation.   

Well planned lessons, taught by enthusiastic and engaging practitioners will be evidenced via lesson observations, learning walks, quality assurance and work scrutiny. This forms part of the quality of education evaluation.   

A learner’s personal (holistic) development is measured through personalised targets as derived from their EHCPs. Progress towards these targets is pivotal to the development of the “whole person.”