Students at Oasis Academy Shirley Park study all the National Curriculum core subjects. As an independent school we can employ innovative approaches to Teaching and Learning, such as the introduction of a 'stage not age' approach to literacy in years 1 to 6 called 'Success for All'. 'Success for All' promotes values associated with cooperative learning:
Furthermore, Year 7 students follow a competency-based curriculum along the lines of the Royal Society of Arts curriculum, Opening Minds. This starts in Year 7 and focuses on the development of skills for adult and working life, such as:
Individual learning plans based on the monitoring of progress and target setting for each student, increase motivation and ensure that all students know how to exceed their previous best performance. There are also excellent arrangements to involve parents/carers in their child's education ensuring that they are kept in touch with progress.
Personalised Teaching and Learning plans include continued monitoring and analysis of the educational needs of young people which in turn leads to increased achievement; and positive inclusion of children with disabilities and learning difficulties.
Children in the EYFS follow a themed based approach based on the International Primary Curriculum. Through half termly topics children cover the strands of the EYFS curriculum; communication, language and literacy, personal, social, physical, creative and mathematical development and knowledge and understanding of the world. Through the themes, every child can learn and develop positive relationships in an enabling environment. Staff monitor progress closely and keep a detailed profile for each child.
Year 1 is a transition period from the EYFS where children follow both the EYFS curriculum and the National Curriculum. All Key Stage 1 children take part in 'Success for All' for Literacy. Basic skills are taught each day in Maths as well as a daily Maths lesson. The International Primary Curriculum provides a thematic approach to the majority of the other subjects.
All children continue to build on their knowledge and skills learnt at KS1 to work towards their national examinations at the end of year 6. To this end, children work in 'Success for All' for Literacy but in year 6 follow an intense revision programme. In years 5 and 6 children are taught in ability groups for Numeracy. The International Primary Curriculum provides themes for all other National Curriculum subjects. After SATs Year 6s embark on a 'preparing for secondary school' programme; students continuing at Oasis visit the secondary site daily in this time.
Students no longer sit national tests at the end of Year 9. This allows us to be more flexible and creative with the curriculum, thus further stimulating their interest in learning. The curriculum continues to be broad and balanced with a clear focus on the development of skills and talents. Students have a voice in mapping the route through their curriculum which includes beginning their GCSE courses in Year 9. Some parts of the curriculum in Year 7 are built around literacy competencies; this enables students to learn at their own pace.
A full complement of GCSEs is supplemented with specialist diplomas and BTEC courses. Students entering Phase 4 take courses that will enable them to achieve English Baccalaureate: English; Maths; at least two Sciences; History or Geography; and a Modern Foreign Language. Some students begin GCSEs and others Level 2 courses in Year 9; others may take three years to complete Key Stage 4.
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