Our whole school and curriculum vision is ‘Successful Students, Collaborative Community’. To achieve this vision, we provide access to a broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum which places high quality teaching and learning and community at the heart of what we do.
We want every child to contribute positively to our school and wider community through demonstrating the ‘Ecco Values’ of work hard, aim high, be kind and show GRIT (great attitude, resilience, be intrepid and tenacious).
Our principles underpin our curriculum planning: we strive to provide a curriculum which enables all students to become independent, respectful and informed citizens who exceed their personal and academic potential. Every student, regardless of their starting point, background or circumstance, experiences an inclusive curriculum that will enable them to gain the knowledge, skills, qualities and qualifications they need to successfully contribute to modern society.
Our curriculum is designed so that all students can be successful students. We want every child to have the broadest possible life chances and choices as they make their way into the world.
Our subject areas have been working incredibly hard since January 2019 to develop, refine and continuously review their curriculum. We have used research, best practice and the science of learning in our curriculum planning and this will ensure students know and remember more over time. Students’ knowledge will be recalled through low-stakes testing in class and through applying prior learning to new tasks. Knowledge will also be layered, building on what has been learnt, so that students can begin to understand topics in greater depth and learning can become more complex over time. This means that students are confident and ready to work at a higher level. Layering also ensures a scaffold to support those who need it.
In the classroom, our Teaching and Learning principles support our highly skilled, subject specialist teachers in their explanation and modelling of new learning. They check for understanding and provide feedback, giving students time to practise new skills and then check again.
In general, gaps in learning will be addressed in the classroom in this way. Teachers will be responsive and our feedback policy supports this: this might mean adapting plans for the whole class or for individuals. Where gaps persist, students will receive additional support which might mean more prompts, additional time, home learning to practise class work or in some cases, intervention outside of the classroom.
We want students to be knowledgeable and confident so that they will go on to lead happy, successful and fulfilling lives. Learning doesn’t stop at the end of GCESs. Our curriculum seeks to provide diverse experiences for students and where possible, provide enrichment, experience and examples from beyond the classroom. We have planned links to careers throughout the curriculum, for instance. We also feel passionately about the importance of a literacy-rich curriculum, where students develop their reading, understanding, writing and speaking skills.
