Our Curriculum

‘If each person has natural gifts and innate talents, then the true nature of education must involve the awakening, inviting and blessing if the inner genius and unique life spirit of each young person.’ Michael Meade, The Genius Myth

At Richmond Hill Academy we want all of our children to love learning and be totally immersed in their local community and the wider world. We want to actively provide as many opportunities as we can, in order for our children to discover and then develop their own unique talents. We will also empower our children to take ownership of their leaning. We take pride in excellence and will forge life-long learning habits, which include being physically active, mentally healthy and being independent. We want our pupils to achieve their potential, find their passion and to be truly aspirational for their futures. We want to ensure that all of our children become active 21st Century citizens who will go onto great things. They will lead and they will make change.

Our curriculum is robustly mapped and identifies opportunities for all pupils to deeply apply their core knowledge and skills in English, mathematics and science across all subject areas and to develop their vocabulary, their inquiry skills and their creativity, both individually and collaboratively. We want our children not just to learn about, but to learn why, to learn to do, to learn to apply, to actively question learning and not just to be consumers of knowledge.

In order to further broaden experiences and provide more opportunities for our children to find their passion, we encourage our pupils to engage in a range of extra-curricular/Enrichment++ activities. We are also an In Harmony school, which gives all of our children an inspirational music education, in partnership with the world class Opera North based in our city.

We are preparing our pupils for life in modern British society by fostering in them attitudes and qualities which will enable them to become confident, caring, respectful and responsible citizens. Our children are given a voice and are involved in planning and decision making. They are encouraged to take ownership of their own learning and understand their responsibilities in society in a variety of ways and explore the world around them including through regular Unity Days.

At Richmond Hill Academy we are committed to creating and delivering a curriculum which is broad, balanced, inspiring and relevant for the 21st Century. We will ensure that our curriculum is tailored to meet the needs of all groups and individuals, and meets all statutory requirements. Our curriculum is designed a way that is fully inclusive to all children including, those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. The Equalities Act 2010 states that school should not victimise or discriminate in the way that it provides education for its pupils. Our curriculum is accessible to all pupils, teachers plan lessons that are differentiated to meet the learning and the physical needs of all pupils. Furthermore, the content of our wider curriculum ensures that all pupils have the opportunity to learn about aspects such as, discrimination, victimisation, the importance of treating people equally. Through the golden thread of SMSC and our termly Unity Days we educate out pupils on the importance of not making judgements based around the protected characteristics identified in The Equalities Act 2010 such as, gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Regulations 2014 sets out clear parameters for how schools should assess, address and review the needs of its pupils, in particular those with special educational needs and disabilities. Our curriculum is designed in a way that allows our teachers to accurately assess pupils’ progress in all subjects, and from this, identify individual needs for all pupils and plan how best to support them to make excellent progress. Similarly, our enhanced support offer in the form of our Inclusion/Pastoral Team ensures that we are able to identify, assess and address the needs of all pupils, for example, those pupils who have social and emotional needs. As a school we are compliant in terms of the expectations set out regarding reviewing the needs and provision for our pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. To find out more about how our school supports children with special educational needs and disabilities please refer to the SEND/Local Offer page on our website, where you will find our SEND Information Report and other key documents.

We consider that our curriculum offer, and the high standards of teaching we have, will contribute to the outstanding learning and achievement of our pupils. We strive in all aspects of school life to develop all our pupils and prepare them for the next stage of their education and to go on ultimately, to secure the Gift of Choice. Our curriculum will enable Richmond Hill children to be successful, creative lifelong learners who are passionate and keen to make positives contributions to the world they live in.