Curriculum

At Darton Academy our primary focus is to instil a lifelong love of learning while creating confident learners who can live a life full of opportunity and choice. To this end, we offer a broad and balanced curriculum which inspires and challenges all our students.

Our curriculum is built on three pillars:

  1. That knowledge is important to all thinking.
  2. That we understand new things in relation to what we already know.
  3. That retrieving knowledge helps us to remember it for longer.

At Darton Academy we are passionate about giving our students the qualifications and life skills required to be socially mobile and fulfil their potential, progressing onto their chosen career. The focus of our curriculum is to ensure that each student achieves a broad and balanced exposure to all aspects of learning which inspires and challenges all our students. This focus reflects our unrelenting desire for all students to achieve the results they need in future life.

We work closely with our feeder primary schools, building on prior learning as the foundation for our 3-year Key Stage 3.The curriculum ensures students have the opportunity to develop a rich knowledge base from which they can draw in later years.  Students are encouraged to participate in an extensive range of subjects including: music, the arts, physical education, languages, humanities, science and of course maths and English.  Where a student joins the academy with lower than expected levels in maths or English, our curriculum provides flexibility allowing for appropriate support to be given to address this shortfall.

As students move into Key Stage 4 (year 10) they opt to specialise and focus on the subjects, which they feel, will benefit them most as they transition into further education and/ or training. The flexibility of our curriculum model allows the academy to implement the curriculum in a bespoke manner per each student’s needs.  Numerous ‘pathways’ are available to our students, which allow each student to fully maximise their potential within a curriculum tailored to meet their needs and choices. 

Darton Academy works closely with all stakeholders to ensure that the curriculum meets individual needs. Regular Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) drop down days are used to support this process. (for further information, click here)

The curriculum model has been successful, the result of which is a huge increase in progress and attainment for students in GCSE 2019 results. 

In addition to regular lesson time, we run an after-school Enrichment programme where students are offered a full range of experiences. Currently, we offer over fifty different enrichment opportunities. We also provide some students with extra support to enable them to reach their full potential, and hence receive personal coaching in the areas where they need it most. Enrichment is a compulsory activity for some students – and it gets real results.

Our study buses ensure this offer is accessible for all.

If you require copies of information about our curriculum, or would like further information, please contact Mrs Sharples on 01226 232306.