Middle School

Middle School (Year 8 to Year 9) Curriculum Overview

Pupils in the Middle School are generally from Year 8 and Year 9. Pupils will spend two years in the Middle School.

They remain in their registration group for the majority of the working day and are supported by the same team of Teaching Assistants. The Middle School work in different groups for their option lessons.

There are specialist learning opportunities for pupils in the Middle School with Food Studies, Physical Education, PSHE and additional Literacy lessons.

During the Middle school pupils begin to be taught by subject specialist teachers to ensure stretch and challenge.

Whilst they are in the Middle School pupils begin to prepare for Entry Level awards and/or GCSEs as well as beginning to consider their learning journey beyond Carew Academy.

Continuity remains an important feature of the curriculum across the Middle School and, as such, pupils have the same allocated Teaching Assistant/s offering learning support throughout their lessons. Furthermore, there are two allocated periods of Tutor Time throughout the day, with an additional session on Friday. This ensures that Form Tutors have regular contact with pupils and their parents/guardians and can offer support, including pastoral care.

Pupils within the Middle School are encouraged to participate in residential experiences. These provide pupils with opportunities to develop skills such as team building and communication as well as nurturing their self-confidence in a safe and secure environment with familiar adults that know the pupils best.

Throughout the Middle School curriculum, staff actively promote the core British Values of democracy and rule of law through not only the curriculum itself but also through a carefully-devised programme of assemblies. It is during these assemblies that pupils are encouraged to work collaboratively to develop personal skills of teamwork, resilience and perseverance and to support the development of students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding.

The Middle School is mindful that the years of early adolescence are a complex period of personal growth, development and change. The Middle School curriculum is under-pinned by a strong emphasis on the development of the knowledge, skills and qualities necessary for pupils to become confident, autonomous and prosperous individuals. It is important to us at Carew Academy that children develop personally as well as academically and whilst recognising that children’s rate of progress will vary, the central objective is to ensure that all pupil’s expectations and levels of achievement are raised.