Curriculum Content and Progression

At Boston Pioneers Academy we believe that inside each learner is an innate sense of creativity and exploration that must not be allowed to lie dormant. Rather, it is our job, as the educators of today to nurture, develop and if necessary re-ignite the innate gifts of childhood so often lost in today’s busy society.

Our School Values

‘Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care’

Care and guidance sit at the heart of our Academy. We recognise that learners who are socially and emotionally healthy have a greater chance of achieving success in school and later life.

At Boston Pioneers, we do not want our learners to simply look at the stars, we want them to REACH for them:

Resilience – We keep trying, even when things are tough

Excellence – We strive for excellence in all we do

Ambition – We are ambitious for ourselves and those around us

Care – We are caring and compassionate to each other

Honesty – We are honest in what we say and what we do

We believe that the above values are in fact key employment skills for the future and as such are promoted throughout all areas of learning.

Failure to explicitly develop these in our students would be a failure on our part to prepare them for life in Modern Britain.

We to encourage and enable every child towards the realisation of their own unique talents, encapsulated in our school motto: ‘Sic Itur Ad Astra’ – ‘Thus one journeys to the stars!’ – Virgil

Our Curriculum

Our curriculum is the powerhouse of learning at our Academy.

At Boston Pioneers Academy our curriculum is broad, balanced and inclusive to meet the needs of our diverse learning community.

We have invested heavily in developing a curriculum which offers a precise and progressive sequence of knowledge and skills across all subjects that we feel our children need to be taught within each year they are with us in order to ensure they are ‘secondary ready’ by the time they leave us.

We believe that it is important that our learners have an enriched learning experience. Therefore, we place great emphasis on providing opportunities for our learners that they might not otherwise have, taking into account the local context. This is reflected in the most recent addition to our Academy Curriculum: The Pioneers Passport. The aim of this is to ensure equitable access to a range of activities designed to develop a love of learning amongst our pupils: ensuring they have opportunities which will not only promote curiosity and develop individual interests but will enable them all to experience the awe and wonder in the world around them.

We also understand the need to ensure our curriculum is constantly reviewed and refreshed to ensure that it continues to be ambitious for all of our learners.

Our Curriculum ‘Drivers’

Our bespoke curriculum is designed around a number of themes which encompass the key skills we wish to develop in our pupils; these are called ‘drivers’ as they drive the planning and implementation of our curriculum so that our learners’ success is at the heart of all that we do. We seek to develop leaners who are:

KNOWLEDGABLE	‘Know More to Learn More’
	Pioneers’ learners will work hard! They will understand the role knowledge has in helping them make sense of the world around them. They will endeavour to remember what has been taught and will use that to deepen their understanding across the curriculum.
ARTICULATE	‘Learning the Words to Learn’
	Pioneers’ learners will be increasingly effective communicators. Giving oracy, language development and reading a very high priority in our curriculum will enhance our learners’ vocabulary and their ability to articulate learning and opinion. This is vital for success throughout school and beyond. Pioneers’ learners will be explicitly ‘taught’ vocabulary throughout all areas of learning in order that they are able to express their understanding and share their learning widely in a range of ways. Pioneers’ learners will learn to read rapidly! We recognise the greatest gift we can give as a teacher is the ability to read and comprehend a rich variety of texts. Mastering the phonic code early will allow our learners to access the full curriculum and build knowledge for themselves.
EXCITEMENT	‘I Hear and I Forget, I See and I Remember, I Do and I Understand’
	Pioneers’ learners will love learning! Nothing is more powerful than the memories created by a child’s experiences. Apart from home, school is the single-most important place in the lives of most children. Their experience of school will play a vital role in their lives and will determine their academic, social and occupational future. Our pupils will be provided with a range of carefully planned, hands-on learning opportunities, across all areas of the curriculum to aid the development and retention of knowledge and skills and develop within them a thirst for learning.
CURIOUS	‘People who are Curious Change the World’
	Pioneers’ learners will be brave enough to ask the questions that matter! They will question the ways of the world and will think about issues globally not just locally. They will be expressive and creative in their nature and recognise the power of individuality. They will value diversity and will celebrate the rich heritage and culture within their school community.
INSPIRED	‘The World Beyond Boston’
	Pioneers’ learners will strive to be the best! They will be provided with opportunities designed to help them appreciate the richness and diversity of the global community of which they are a part and the opportunities this brings. They will feel inspired by the events, individuals and stories they study during their learning journey at the Academy.