We believe that if our children are to leave us as well-rounded, well informed citizens, each one of their subjects will need to deliver a well-rounded curriculum.  We have therefore asked each department to consider four pillars of curriculum in addition to the knowledge they seek to impart to children.  If each of these four pillars is strong, the curriculum will enable children to thrive. 

We want children to develop complex skills to that they can use their knowledge in creative and sophisticated ways.  We want children to be able to synthesise, analyse, evaluate and create.  In practical subjects, we want them to be able to approach complex tasks and performances with confidence and flair.   

We want children to have well-rounded character skills, possessing resilience, self-control, emotional maturity and growth mind-set.   Character skills have been shown to be linked with success and with happiness in the adult world: more so, according to some scientists, than examination results or intelligence.  We expect each department to be clear how it is addressing the development of character through its work with students. 

We would like children to display criticality.  We want them to appreciate the limits of their knowledge, and that some of the things they learn are contested.  We want them to be able to examine and assess different views. 

Finally, we expect children to have a rich range of experiences during their time in the Academy.  Some of these experiences will take place on educational visits, and there are destinations, ranging from the theatre to Italy, that we want all children to visit.  The vast majority of these experiences will take place in the classroom: listening to an inspiring piece of music; participating in a debate; writing a successful computer code, are all valuable experiences to which every child should have access. 

Together, then, we expect children to leave us with the knowledge to participate fully in society, with the ability to use that knowledge in skilful ways, think critically, possess a full, well-rounded character, and with a series of positive experiences and happy memories.