Curriculum overview

Northampton International Academy is a local school with a global vision, and we believe that this is at the very core of our curriculum offer.

Every school in the East Midlands Academy Trust (EMAT) is committed to providing the highest standard of education so that all children are supported to be the best that they can be. This will be achieved by the delivery of a well-planned and highly effective curriculum which is driven by our core values. We believe in the transformational power of education.

At NIA we maintain a broad and balanced curriculum. In addition to our delivery of subject-based curriculum, we also have our character education which has been introduced throughout our school, from reception to sixth form. This character curriculum helps to prepare children for their future learning and adult lives.

It focuses on: Responsibility, Collaboration, Respect, Care, Excellence and Aspiration and complements our subject curriculum and House system.

EMAT schools provide young people in our communities with a broad, balanced and inclusive curriculum, based on the National Curriculum, which is ambitious and designed to give learners, particularly those with special educational needs and the most disadvantaged, the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. All learners will study the full curriculum. In the rare exception where this is not practical, learners are provided with a bespoke pathway.

All learners are encouraged and supported to achieve their full potential and to be included in the social and academic life of the school. The curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced to enable learners to build constantly on their prior learning, whilst developing and deepening their understanding. Our approach combines concepts from the forefront of educational research so that teachers design learning opportunities which maximise outcomes for learners.

The use of approaches such as spaced or distributed practice, interleaving, retrieval practice and metacognition help learners to move learning from their short-term to their long-term memory. Learners will be provided with the opportunities to acquire an increasing array of broader skills, including critical thinking, resilience, working with others, problem solving, and leadership. These attributes prepare them to be successful in their future learning and employment.

Find out more about the curriculum via the Curriculum Rationale document available below or contact us via info@nia.emat.uk

EMAT’s Teaching and Learning Framework

The curriculum is the totality of our pupils’ experiences of education. Our curriculum is broad, balanced, rich and varied. We provide pupils with high-quality education and experiences so that they are ready for each next stage in their education and are prepared for their lives in modern Britain.

This framework sets out the key principles and theoretical perspectives that inform our curricular thinking across all our schools. It sets out what we believe are important features of the most effective teaching, learning and assessment practices, informed by reliable research. It gives us a ‘shared language’ with which we review, refine and improve our pupils’ educational experiences.

The principles contained within it are not a ‘checklist’, but a conceptual framework that underpins our work to ensure our pupils’ successful learning.