Curriculum Overview

The MEA Curriculum is intended to enable us to secure a Fantastic Future for All students at the Academy, and consists of two strands: the Fantastic Futures or pastoral curriculum and the academic curriculum.

The Fantastic Futures curriculum is the ethos, expectations and standards we hold dear as a trust, as we constantly strive to broaden students’ horizons through a range of experiences, challenges and opportunities that they would be unlikely to encounter if we did not provide them.

The academic curriculum is the broad and balanced offer we provide for students, delivered in a way that enables students to know more and remember more. Together, these two strands are central to our vision of providing a Fantastic Future for All.

The MEA curriculum model is based upon the principles best expounded by Daniel T Willingham, namely: 

• Factual knowledge precedes skill. Students need knowledge to provide context to their learning. Without knowledge, students will not be able to think critically. 
• Memory is the residue of thought. By thinking about things, students are more likely to remember. 
• Deep knowledge is our goal. However, in order to achieve this, students will need shallow knowledge first. 
• Proficiency requires practice. To achieve deep knowledge, students must practise. Alongside this, we must also test how proficient students are becoming. 
• Intelligence can be changed through sustained hard work. Successes and failures need to be discussed in terms of effort, not ability, meaning that all can achieve. These principles are embedded across our curriculum. 

We also believe that the curriculum extends beyond the academic into all other aspects of Academy life. As Ofsted reported: 

“The curriculum meets the needs of the students very well. There are many enrichment opportunities on offer and the students appreciate these. Many reflect the academy’s enterprise specialism and involve the academy’s sponsors and other local and national businesses.”Ofsted 

We want every student to be challenged academically, to be inspired and to use this motivation to achieve the fantastic future they aspire to. Future employment patterns will evolve rapidly and we prepare our students to thrive within this ever more complex future. 

We strive to make available inclusive provision to ensure that all students, including those identified with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), can enjoy and benefit from a broad and balanced education with access to the curriculum at an appropriate level, so that they may achieve their full potential. We are committed to narrowing the attainment gap between SEND and non-SEND students and offer a range of personalised learning interventions/opportunities to support this.