It provides opportunities for children to achieve their potential and to fulfil their aspirations by encouraging high expectations and excellent standards of academic achievement and pupil progress.
Our intake is very diverse in terms of social, cultural and ethnic background, and ability range. To meet the very differing needs of our students, we offer a range of enrichment programmes for groups of students (such as Pupil Premium, Gifted and Talented and those supported through our specialist Student Support Base). Our Confidence Curriculum, at Key Stage 2, provides an enrichment programme to broaden horizons and, at Key Stage 3, enhances education in STEM, careers and enterprise. We ensure access to an extensive range of extra-curricular activities to support our curriculum, and we provide an annual Enterprise and Activities Week, for all pupils, to broaden their experiences. Intervention sessions complement the curriculum to ensure that all children are supported in achieving their full potential. Our curriculum positively promotes the personal development, behaviour and well-being of pupils and provides the support needed for children to advance to the next stage of their education and helps equip them for the demands of life in the 21st Century.
Curriculum Structure
In all key stages at Gosforth Junior High Academy, there are 30 periods per week, each lasting 50 minutes with an additional 20 minutes at the start of each day for tutorial time, intervention and assemblies. All students receive the same curriculum entitlement unless a more personalised approach to the curriculum is more beneficial to the individual by enhancing their personal and social development (such approaches are organised only in exceptional circumstances and with the agreement of parents/carers).
Students are set in English and Maths, which allows for appropriate challenge and support in these core subject areas. Whenever possible, we encourage literacy and numeracy links to be made across other areas of the curriculum, through our student ambassadors in these areas and through the use of Accelerated Reader, Rapid Readers, Timetables Rockstars and regular library sessions to encourage a love of reading across the school.
Curriculum leaders work closely with feeder schools to ensure that learning is seamless and sequenced, building on strengths whilst addressing gaps in knowledge. We also consider our local context in curriculum planning. These will be a core focus at the heart of our curriculum design. Any gaps in knowledge are identified through the use of assessments and question level analysis, which is then used to develop the curriculum and, therefore, inform the planning of lessons and where necessary, interventions.
Personal development is an important part of the curriculum at Gosforth Junior High. We recognise the importance of online safety and the education of this subject in keeping students safe. Online safety is delivered as both a discrete and stand-alone topic across many curriculum subjects and is further supported through the delivery of assemblies and talks by specialists in this area.
The teaching of British Values is taught throughout the curriculum and further supported through assemblies, school trips, visits and specialist workshops. This reflects the diverse make up of our school and supports students to understand their role in society and develop an appreciation of diversity and multi culturalism within Britain. Careers education is taught as part of the Key Stage 3 PSHE curriculum and students are invited to attend an annual careers convention at Gosforth Academy when they are in Year 8.
Our extra-curricular programme changes on a half-termly basis and students are offered a range of opportunities (such as sports, performance arts and technologies), delivered by both GJHA staff and external agencies. These sessions are also opportunities for students to socialise across the year groups/key stages.
RSE is taught across both Key Stages and incorporates the new guidance on RSE. We want our pupils to have the knowledge that will enable them to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships and to build their self-efficacy. We also invite other health-care professionals into school and work closely with these bodies to ensure our RSE provision is tailored to our school context.
Assemblies are planned to be both informative and thought provoking so that students can reflect on issues that are both personal to them and their peers. Topical issues, celebrations and rewards are also an integral part of the assembly programme. Tutor groups are given the opportunity to plan and deliver an assembly of their choice which allows them to work collaboratively with their peers and helps to develop key skills such as public speaking. To support with transition into Key Stage 2, parents are invited into assemblies.