What we are trying to achieve at Livingstone Academy
Our vision is to welcome and integrate students into both our community and innovative approach to learning at Livingstone Academy Bournemouth. In doing so, we endeavour to give every student the best possible start to their primary or secondary journey, laying strong foundations for success in the Key Stages which follow and in whichever paths they may choose to pursue beyond Year 11.
We aim to ensure all students make the expected level of progress across all National Curriculum subjects as well as beginning to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to thrive in today’s digital, highly competitive and fast-changing world.
Students at Livingstone Academy Bournemouth experience a challenging, engaging and supportive environment.
The LAB Curriculum
The curriculum has three elements:
- Intent: What must be learnt.
- Implementation: How it will be learned.
- Impact: How we will know that learning is secure.
The curriculum adheres to the above three elements, ensuring progression in each subject area, and additionally values the development of our identified future skills. We recognise that, as well as knowledge, students need to develop their ability and skills to apply and repurpose knowledge in order to survive in a rapidly changing world. In applying knowledge to real-world contexts and allowing young learners to take the lead in using this knowledge to find solutions and answers, learning is deepened.
The curriculum adheres to the above three elements, ensuring progression in each subject area, and additionally values the development of our identified future skills. We recognise that, as well as knowledge, students need to develop their ability and skills to apply and repurpose knowledge in order to survive in a rapidly changing world. In applying knowledge to real-world contexts and allowing young learners to take the lead in using this knowledge to find solutions and answers, learning is deepened. The intent, implementation and impact of our curriculum is described below and illustrated in a diagram below.
[DIAGRAM COMING SOON]
Intent: WHAT IS YOUR CURRICULUM DESIGNED TO DO?
At the heart of the LAB curriculum is our 6 Deeper Learning Competency Areas. The Areas inform all teaching and learning experiences at LAB for we see the development of such competencies as the key to ensuring we positively impact the future of our students and their communities (see Impact below).
Our Deeper Learning Competency Areas:
- Master core academic content – Students develop and draw from a baseline understanding of knowledge (as per the National Curriculum) in an academic discipline (i.e. National Curriculum subjects) and are able to transfer knowledge to other situations.
- Think critically and solve complex problems – Students apply tools and techniques gleaned from core subjects to formulate and solve problems. These tools include data analysis, statistical reasoning, and scientific inquiry as well as creativity, nonlinear thinking, and persistence.
- Work collaboratively – Students cooperate to identify and create solutions to academic, social, vocational, and personal challenges.
- Communicate effectively – Students clearly organize their data, findings, and thoughts.
- Learn how to learn – Students monitor and direct their own learning.
- Develop academic mindsets – Students develop positive attitudes and beliefs about themselves as learners that increase their academic perseverance and prompt them to engage in productive academic behaviors. Students are committed to seeing work through to completion, meeting their goals, and doing quality work, and thus search for solutions to overcome obstacles.
Our Deeper Learning Competency framework maps Deeper Learning Competency Goals for each Area against sequenced knowledge and skill acquisition pathways over the course of students’ lifespan at LAB (including the sequenced acquisition and application of knowledge and skills set out by the National Curriculum). We look forward to sharing further information about our Deeper Learning framework with the Livingstone and wider community over future months.
IMPLEMENTATION
True deeper learning requires a learning environment which champions as much as it challenges young minds over a sustained period of time. We have identified the following 8 Conditions which, together, shape a culture for successful deeper learning:
Belonging
Heroes
Sense of Accomplishment
Fun and Excitement
Curiosity and Creativity
Spirit of Adventure
Leadership and Responsibility
Confidence to Take Action
Our 8 Conditions for Success inform and transcend all teaching and learning experiences at LAB by implementing our curriculum in the follow ways:
- Authentic learning approaches
- Powerful learning experiences
- Authentic assessment
- Supportive, close knit learning community
A table describing each of our implementation methods, including how we leverage technology across then, can be viewed here.
We document further details about how we implement the curriculum in our internal teaching and learning handbook. Questions surrounding our teaching and learning practices should be directed to Kimberly Elms (kelms@livingstone-aspirations.org) or Nia Treharne (ntreharne@livingstone-aspirations.org).
Impact
In a teaching and learning environment purposefully designed to foster conditions of success, students develop deeper learning competencies by consistently working toward and achieving deeper learning goals. As students’ deeper learning competencies develop, so do the critical outcomes which we seek at LAB:
- The Attitude for Success in the 21st Century: Happy young people with high levels of self-worth, engaged in learning and driven by purpose
- Qualifications: High Levels of Personal Achievement and progress in all examinations
- A Portfolio: High-quality portfolio of work evidencing students’ progress over time and skills and abilities across a range of disciplines (including programming, art, report writing, etc.)
- A Robust and Diverse Skill Set: The development of learning fluency; students are equipped with the skills and tools to respond to the ever-evolving society they live in; they have know-how and know how-to incorporate new skills into their world view.
The success of the intent, implementation and impact of our curriculum is determined by the extent to which students fulfil our desired outcomes stated above. Monitoring and evaluating the 4 points above involves continuous internal and external processes. Internal processes are documented in the Assessment, Feedback and Reporting Policy and as well are linked to students’ Personalised Success Plans. External processes will develop over the growth of the Academy but are associated with the performance of students in national examinations and benchmark assessments but, most importantly, with the response from communities and employers alike as our graduates engage with industry and wider society.