We aim to ensure that there is a ‘great, trusted teacher in every classroom’ at Lipson Co-operative Academy to ensure that all students, regardless of starting points, social background or SEND provision, can access an ambitious and knowledge driven curriculum. This ensures that all students are thinking hard and working hard, remembering more and applying their knowledge expertly. 

We have a three year Key Stage 3 curriculum and a two year Key Stage 4 curriculum with the expectation that our students will continue their curriculum into our Lipson Sixth Form at Key Stage 5. Each subject area curriculum has been designed to ensure that knowledge builds on prior links to learning and links sequentially to the next stage in their learning. In this way, subject areas have a spiral curriculum with key concepts and thresholds which are sequenced logically and coherently to ensure students know more, remember more, and apply this knowledge to each skill within a subject area using ambitious vocabulary. 

At the heart of our curriculum lies deep respect and passion for the subjects we teach and for the insight that each provides into the wider world. We teach students how to think, how to criticise, how to be active, rather than passive, recipients of information; but each of these skills are taught within the context of the rich knowledge each subject provides.

Our curriculum is underpinned by a positive learning experience for all students within the classroom. The simplicity of our Respect for Lipson Behaviour Policy, enables each teacher to deliver their curriculum in disruption free classrooms. Our PERK- Be Positive, Be Engaged, Be Respectful and Be Kind, is a two-way process and ensures we are striving for a positive education for all.

The academic year is divided into three cycles of twelve weeks. Each cycle comprises ten teaching weeks, during which students cover new topics in preparation for examinations and assessments. 

The eleventh week is an assessment week when all students in Years 7-11 complete tests and other assessments in every subject to analyse their strengths and identify areas for further development.  

Within the subject areas of English, Science, History, Geography and Religious Studies, all KS3 students will access a booklet curriculum that assures excellence in the substance of what is taught to every single child. The intended curriculum is consistently enacted in lessons allowing a fuss free approach to teaching and learning that reduces the cognitive overload for all students.

Our Teaching and Learning policy has intertwined the key strands for improvement for highest leverage changes in the classroom, with first quality teaching to support all, but particularly SEND students and Disadvantaged Learners.  Our vehicle for change and improvement is Incremental Coaching with action steps that each teacher embeds, as a habit, to improve outcomes for all. 

This will ensure that we:

• Have high levels of engagement within every classroom. 

• Increase levels of participation through expert and frequent questioning tools.

• Improve literacy skills.

• Ensure effective explanations so that all students can know more, remember more and do more.

The curriculum for each year group (7-13) can be accessed by clicking on the separate tab for each subject. The curriculum for each subject outlines the knowledge and skills for each term, as you can see from the subject road maps for each year group. 

Formal written assessments, also known as end-point plans, are undertaken during each Cycle and are skilfully, and appropriately, mapped back from Year 11-7. Parents currently receive three progress reports for each subject each year after each summative assessment point. Assessment is used expertly to track the progress of all students and to: rapidly understand the starting points of all students; identify gaps in learning as a result of the pandemic; ensure that pupils embed key knowledge and skills throughout all stages of the curriculum.

Whilst our teachers explore the meaning of subject-specific language and plan for challenging reading and writing with scaffolding for all students to achieve ambitious outcomes, we also have a fully implemented guided reading tutorial programme in Years 7-13 where students take part in teacher led reading where they actively track the text and explore a range of fiction and non-fiction that explores the world around them, from classics to contemporary fiction. Our reading lists are refreshed and updated each year to ensure that they are challenging, diverse and relevant.

Lipson Stages of Lessons (PDF)

Our world class range of speakers for our programme of research at our Lipson Research Group ensures that teachers engage with the most up to date and evidence based approaches to teaching and learning with sessions on retrieval practice from Kate Jones and vocabulary gaps with Alex Quigley as examples. This is then implemented within classrooms to ensure that students are challenged and supported to improve their knowledge recall and use of vocabulary. 

Whilst our teachers explore the meaning of subject-specific language and plan for challenging reading and writing with scaffolding for all students to achieve ambitious outcomes, we also have a fully implemented guided reading tutorial programme in Years 7-13 where students take part in teacher led reading where they actively track the text and explore a range of fiction and non-fiction that explores the world around them, from classics to contemporary fiction. Our reading lists are refreshed and updated each year to ensure that they are challenging, diverse and relevant.  

Teachers at Lipson are treated as trusted professionals whose continuing professional development is of the highest importance. This ensures that they are all working hard to improve professionally within both their wider teaching and learning pedagogy and within their own subject areas. Development is incremental and high leverage to secure the highest outcomes for all students whilst improving teacher wellbeing. 

All students access a challenging and ambitious curriculum and are supported to achieve the very best outcomes, regardless of starting points, social background or SEND provision. Students learn knowledge in a logical and sequential manner that ensures they know more, remember more and can, therefore, do more. 

All students participate and engage in no opt out classrooms where their voices are valued. Students are growing in confidence and show high levels of engagement across each curriculum area. 

All students have improved their literacy skills to become more confident in their oral and written literacy communication. This is overcoming any literacy barriers so that students exude confidence in their communication and understand that their voice matters. 

Pupils with SEND are supported to achieve the best possible outcomes.  

All students show pride in their education through high standards of presentation and work within each and every lesson. 

All students show a thirst for knowledge and the stamina and resilience to thrive in the world around them. Their knowledge of relationships and society is strong and they feel confident to discuss wider issues that can affect their lives in the modern world.  

All students have the required knowledge and skills to make informed decisions about their next steps in education or training, and have been equipped to use this knowledge to secure the required outcomes for their chosen pathway.