Vision

‘Belief in the power of learning is the foundation of the high expectations, constant challenge and inspirational teaching that motivates our learners. The journey that our learners embark upon builds confidence within them and shapes independent, resilient and reflective learners who care for each other, support each other and grow together. Our pupils mature into skilled learners who can use the power of their learning to embrace diversity, meet the challenges that face them and adopt a “can do” attitude to their daily lives.’

Curriculum

Our curriculum aims to enable learners to acquire subject specific knowledge, skills and understanding. The ‘powerful knowledge’ in our curriculum is beyond children’s everyday experiences and access to this knowledge is the ‘right’ of all pupils, regardless of their starting point and prior educational experience.   Our knowledge-based curriculum builds progressively deeper and more coherent schema, both within and across subjects. 

The curriculum gives children the knowledge and cultural capital of the country and world in which they live and enables them to relate this to their own lives and heritage. It ensures children are fully prepared for the next stages of their education and equipping them with skills requisite for their lives beyond education and for future work.   

The curriculum at Gladstone Primary Academy is designed to give children the depth of studies in a range of academic disciplines, covering the National Curriculum and includes enrichment activities to provide broader experiences and increase cultural capital.  

The curriculum is supported through specialist teaching in PE, Spanish, Art and Music, to help build expert subject knowledge.

Our Power approach in English and maths enables children to make rapid progress in the core skills needed to access the wider curriculum. ‘Learning to read’ is prioritised, as this is the master skill, allowing children to acquire new content, knowledge and vocabulary across different disciplines. 

Reading is emphasised within subjects to allow children to ‘read to learn,’ both now and for their future education. Reading opportunities across the curriculum exposes children to non-fiction texts and academic reading in a given field, so that they gain the subject-specific knowledge and vocabulary required to be successful.