The Wider Pastoral Curriculum at the Academy
 

The Wider Pastoral Curriculum at the Academy encompasses two distinct but complementary programmes, delivered during morning form time: The Praise Curriculum and The Social Curriculum. Together, they underpin the Academy’s commitment to developing students not only academically, but personally and socially, helping every young person to become reflective, respectful and resilient.
 

The Praise Curriculum
 

The Praise Curriculum is delivered weekly during Monday form times and helps students start the week with purpose and positivity. Each session introduces a key theme, such as resilience, integrity or responding to feedback, and encourages students to explore what that value means in practice, how it is demonstrated through behaviours and routines at the Academy, and how they can apply it in their own conduct both inside and outside the classroom.

While themes vary, many sessions focus on the Academy’s non-negotiables. These are the everyday habits and routines that build a respectful and high-performing culture. These include entering classrooms calmly and respectfully, using clear and courteous language when answering questions, listening and responding appropriately during turn and talk, participating in choral responses, using mini whiteboards correctly, and focusing during independent practice. Students also explore the habits that support effective homework, such as learning to use ShowMyHomework effectively and developing a focused study routine at home.

During each session, tutors share praise emails to highlight students who’ve demonstrated that week’s value or shown strength in the Academy’s routines. This opens up discussion and reflection, with students setting personal goals for how they’ll apply that value in their own behaviour over the coming week and beyond. The following Monday, the theme continues with the form tutor sharing praise emails received, reinforcing consistency, kindness and personal responsibility across the form group.

The Praise Curriculum follows a mapped sequence of values and behaviours, but remains responsive to student needs. It’s a key part of how the Academy embeds habits and routines that lead to academic success and strength of character.
 

The Social Curriculum
 

The Social Curriculum is also delivered during weekly form time sessions and is tailored to each year group to reflect their developmental stage and current context. It has been shaped and refined to respond to priorities as they emerge over the course of the school year. This adaptable model ensures the content remains relevant, impactful and sustainable.

The curriculum offers students a broad cultural education and frequent opportunities to develop oracy, debate and respectful self-expression. Students are taught how to communicate clearly and with consideration for others, and are given regular space to practise those skills. Sessions often engage with national awareness days and commemorative events, such as Black History Month, Holocaust Memorial Day and International Women’s Day, alongside themes linked to personal wellbeing, academic skills, the Academy’s values, and opportunities to consolidate key learning from CPSE lessons.

Through this programme, students deepen their cultural understanding, strengthen their ability to think critically, and enhance the communication skills they will rely on throughout their education and beyond. The Social Curriculum forms an integral part of the Academy’s wider personal development offer and supports the growth of thoughtful, articulate and outward-facing young citizens.