Curriculum

Academic

Vocational

Curriculum Vision

At MEPA Academy, we aim to provide a school curriculum planned to be as comprehensive as the National Curriculum, but also a curriculum that is also ambitious for, and relevant to, all our students. Our curriculum has been thoughtfully sequenced to enable all students, including the most disadvantaged, to make significant academic progress across their five years at MEPA Academy. Our curriculum is designed to support students to develop knowledge that will empower them to access the next stage of their education and successfully move into the world of work and to teach them the virtues that they will need to make good choices as citizens in a democratic society.

We believe that our core purpose is to develop our young people to become confident, creative, and caring students who achieve excellence in everything they do. Our school curriculum is designed to reflect this. Our ambition is that through our core curriculum domain, our values of DREAM, BELIEVE and ACHIEVE are taught alongside powerful subject knowledge to support young people to be the very best they can be in all aspects of their lives and to prepare them for the next steps in their lifelong learning journey.

Lessons at MEPA Academy are planned and sequenced underpinned by an expertise in learning. We aim to work with students, parents/carers to develop a shared understanding of how young people learn and this is reflected in sequences of lessons with a focus on lesson delivery. We have developed an academic and vocational checklist to provide a consistent approach to learning across our subject areas for our teachers to use.

MEPA Academy students will follow a broad curriculum that compliments Academic and Vocational study. At MEPA Academy, Year 9 is the bridging year between Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. MEPA Academy students will study at least 8 GCSE/BTEC subject areas in Key Stage 4. Students in Year 7 and 8 also work towards a MEPA Academy Diploma, a framework for students’ participation, engagement, and academic discipline. Students are awarded different levels of the Diploma, Pass, Merit or Distinction at the end of Key Stage 3.

Intent

At MEPA Academy our objective is to provide our students with a balanced curriculum to enable them to achieve their full potential in the time that they are with us. Academic subjects will deliver in the morning session of the school day, with vocational subjects populating the afternoon timetable.

MEPA Academy is a vocational performing arts school committed to developing the talents of its pupils both academically and vocationally to the highest possible level. Both facets of the education provided bear equal importance, and the school s aspiration is to produce highly qualified, thoughtful, interesting, and interested young people who have developed their performing talents to such a degree that they are able to continue in vocational training if they so wish.

Within the provision of full-time supervised education, pupils will be given experience in linguistic, mathematical, scientific, human and social, physical and aesthetic, and creative education through the core and extended curriculum. Subject matter will be appropriate for the ages and aptitudes of the pupils, including those with an EHC (educational health care) Plan.

All pupils will receive personal, social and health education that reflects the school s aim to produce thoughtful, rounded young people ready to take an active place in the world in their future lives. This will include the study of aspects of citizenship.

Pupils will also receive careers education, in which they will be given GCSE subject option advice, as well as attending talks by visiting professionals from various fields.

Key Stage 3

At Key Stage 3 (years 7-9), students will study a broad range of subjects to provide them with a varied academic foundation as they prepare for GCSE exams in Key Stage 4. Students will have an options consultation with parents and staff in Year 9 to select their pathway at GCSE level. Subjects at Key Stage 3 are subject to change.

Key Stage 4

At Key Stage 4 (year 10 and 11), students will study for their GCSE exams. All students will sit Maths, English Language and Literature, Science, BTEC Performing Arts, BTEC Enterprise alongside other specialist subjects such as Geography, Music, Art, History, Spanish, French and BTEC Sport. The exact make up of each student's GCSE subjects will be discussed at Parents/Options evening with staff in the second half of their Year 9 academic year. In this very important stage of their academic life, students will be supported by extra revision classes throughout Key Stage 4.

Vocational Curriculum

This is a key element for each student at MEPA Academy. There will be classes in all genres of the Performing Arts throughout a student's time at MEPA Academy. The aim of these classes is to give each student a strong technical background as well as an up to date and rounded curriculum to prepare them for their onward journey at the end of year 11.

As part of the timetable, students will have the opportunity to study for ISTD, IDTA and LAMDA exams as well as being provided with audition support for castings and college auditions. There will also be several performance opportunities during the academic calendar for students at MEPA Academy.

The Principles of our Curriculum Design

Aspiration – Intentionally exposing our students to and engaging them in a range of Aspiration and Career opportunities throughout our planned curriculum.
Core Knowledge – a minimum entitlement that all students will be required to know, grounded in the National Curriculum.
Skills - the skills that students need in order to build upon, challenge and contest core knowledge so they and expand beyond their own experiences and think the unthinkable.
Developing cultural capital – broadening horizons and exposing students to the vast wealth of experiences in the wider global society be that the arts, music, sport, leadership opportunities or extra-curricular pursuits.
Developing Character – enabling our students DREAM, BELIEVE and ACHIEVE through our MEPA Mantra.
Learning is sequential – learning is carefully planned and sequences to incrementally building long term knowledge through spaced recall, retrieval activities, developing cross-curricula schema, preventing cognitive overload.

Implementation

To ensure our intent transfers into everyday classroom practice, we deliver our curriculum in line with the most recent research in cognitive science. Our teachers will deliver content with cognitive load in mind. They ensure that Knowledge and skills are presented through modelling and direct instruction, and that time is built into lessons for deliberate practice. To develop long term memory and recall of knowledge, our teachers ensure that knowledge and skills are revisited repeatedly through retrieval practice while the unit of work is being taught and then again in subsequent terms and years. This has been shown to improve memory and retention.

We use assessment data to adapt and improve our curriculum delivery by using formative and summative assessment data to adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of all children and young people. Our students respond to feedback in their books using red pen to complete extended learning tasks. At every assessment point, we analyse whole school data to then put in place interventions to address gaps in learning or misconceptions.

We prioritise staff development by using current research in cognitive science to develop pedagogy and specific CPD to ensure subject content is expertly delivered. We ensure all teachers receive regular feedback through instructional coaching, so that all adults are constantly striving to continually improve practice.

Impact

We know our curriculum is having an impact if students know and remember more. We also know our curriculum is having an impact on students if they can demonstrate core concept development. We determine this in many ways such as through formative assessment such as checking for understanding techniques, quizzing and other class‐based assessments. We also conduct analysis of student work, as well as through summative assessment, such as end of year exams, mock exams, GCSE exams and reading tests. We also use coaching feedback; lesson drop ins and feedback from learning walks to enhance and share best practice. We also encourage feedback from students, teachers and parents to measure impact and develop practice. We can also see impact through destination data.

2024 EXAM HIGHLIGHTS

100% Grade 7+ in Performing Arts and Performing Arts on average achieved 3 grades above their CAT4 predictions
2 out 3 students achieved 100% Grade 4+ in all subjects entered
85.71% of all entries achieved Grade 4+
6 out of 8 subject areas achieved Grade 4+
Grade 4+ in Maths and English improved by 1% from 2023
English Language, Science, Art and Geography all saw improved Grade 4+ % from 2023
66.67% (2 out of 3) of SEN students achieved Grade 4+ across all subjects entered including Maths and English
100% achieved Grade 4+ in Science for SEN, Boys, Girls and All
English Language, English Literature, Science, Geography, BTEC Sport and BTEC Performing Arts achieved a positive progress score based on their CAT 4 Predictions