Curriculum

'Students...make outstanding progress and the standards that they reach are high across the whole curriculum.' Ofsted

1.  Curriculum Mission  

At Wren our mission is to create successful lifelong learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens who achieve their full academic potential.  

We believe that a high-quality ambitious curriculum is essential for all students to succeed.  Our curriculum is designed to be challenging, engaging and relevant to the needs of all students, regardless of their starting point, background or ability.  Our curriculum also shapes the spiritual development of our community by enabling them to capitalise on, and be shaped by, the example of the change in Zacchaeus to ‘do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God’ (Micah 6v8).  

2. Curriculum Intent  

We are committed to ensuring all students experience a broad and balanced curriculum which combines our ambition for students to achieve outstanding academic results, with an emphasis on developing the skills to help them become accomplished lifelong learners. 

Our curriculum is designed to be coherent, progressive and balanced, with a strong emphasis on the development of knowledge, skills and cultural capital.  We ensure there is an ongoing process of curriculum development and use the latest evidence to carefully plan the progression of topics across each subject.  This ensures that students build on what they have learned previously and are equipped to tackle more challenging concepts as they move through their education. 

It is a priority to ensure all our students make the best possible progress in the core subjects of Maths, English and Science.  We devote substantial time to these subjects each week and they are taught in single sex classes which we believe helps students to express themselves, build confidence and improve achievement.  It is equally important that our students experience the maximum breadth in our curriculum, and we are proud of the experience they have in all subjects including humanities, languages, arts, sports and technology.  Across the curriculum we have carefully considered how we teach the substantive and disciplinary knowledge in each subject, as well as how we can extend learning beyond the boundaries of traditional lessons through educational experiences like trips or visitors.  We also make sure all students have two hours of curriculum enrichment activities built into their timetable each week to extend learning and to give opportunity for students to focus on personal interests and strengths.  Our specialism in Design and the Built Environment enhances teaching and learning across the curriculum, providing all young people with a range of exciting, thought-provoking and innovative opportunities to learn. 

To support academic progress we have built our curriculum on a distinctive learning culture shaped around our Christian Vision, and our learning habits; the 6Rs:  

•  Resilient – Showing determination, focus and hope when facing challenges and disappointments.

•  Resourceful – Solving problems, stewarding resources and exercising creativity. 

•  Reflective – Thoughtful, strategic and willing to revise plans.

•  Relational – Self-aware, empathetic, collaborative and able to recognise boundaries. 

•  Reverent – Appreciating awe and wonder, valuing others and having humility.

•  Redemptive – Forgiving, learning from mistakes and living in a sustainable way. 

All subjects implement the explicit teaching of our ethos and the learning habits, skills and dispositions into their curriculum.  This underpins all learning at the Wren Academies Trust and maximises the impact of the curriculum.

We explicitly teach and model our values of kindness, justice and humility and consequently this dimension of our curriculum helps to ensure we develop a community which is rooted in genuine mutual respect.  This helps to ensure all students feel welcome and supported and therefore supports their learning and progress.   

Our intent can be summarised in the following points below: 

i.  to enable all students to reach their fullest potential, live the values of our Christian vision and be the best version of themselves  

ii.  to meet the individual needs of all students, particularly the most disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or high needs  

iii.  to maximise progress for all students to ensure they obtain the knowledge and cultural capital to succeed in life 

iv.  to interest and engage all students in their learning through a coherently planned and sequenced curriculum  

v.  to create lifelong learners and responsible citizens through teaching students to be resilient, reflective, resourceful, relational, redemptive and reverent.  Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God: Micah 6v8  

vi.  to assist students in becoming effective self-directed learners who are skilled in working individually and collaboratively  

vii.  to utilise digital technology to enhance learning opportunities  

viii.  to prepare all students with sufficient knowledge and skills for future learning and employment  

ix.  to ensure all learners study a broad and balanced curriculum for as long as possible  

x.  to generate interest in, and enthusiasm for, our specialism in Design and the Built Environment and to ensure it inspires and enhances delivery of the whole curriculum  

Curriculum Impact 

As a result of our high-quality curriculum, our students make excellent progress and achieve well. Students leave us with a strong foundation of knowledge and skills and are well-prepared for the next stage of their education and beyond.   

Since the Progress 8 score was introduced nationally in 2016, we have scored above +0.75 every year.  This means that on average our students make towards a grade more progress in every subject then they would in a school performing at the national average.  Therefore, a student who may have scored all 5s in an average school, would score mostly 6s at Wren.  

Furthermore, we are proud of the wide ranging, and varied destinations of our students.  We ensure that equal support is given to all students, whether their aims are to: 

• Earn a place to study an academic course at University (for example at Oxbridge, a Russell Group University, or another Further Education institution). 

• Take on an apprenticeship at a top employer, or a local business. 

• Pursue a vocation, sport, or area of the arts. 

Curriculum Statements and Questions 

If you would like to find out further information about the Curriculum in a specific subject, please have a look at the Curriculum statements which are available here: 

Curriculum Statements - Welcome to Wren Secondary Academy (wrenacademy.org)

If you have questions about the curriculum, please feel free to contact us here, robert.davighi@wrenacademy.org