Curriculum Overview

Our Vision
At Goffs-Churchgate Academy, we believe that every student has the potential to achieve excellence. Guided by our vision that there is No Set Destiny for Any Child, we provide an ambitious, inclusive, and engaging education within a supportive school community where every student is known and valued.

Our curriculum reflects our core values of Respect, Aspire, Nurture, and Achieve. It inspires curiosity, fosters creativity, and develops the knowledge, skills, and character students need to flourish as confident, capable, and responsible young people who contribute positively to society.

Curriculum Intent
Our intent is to design a curriculum that is ambitious, broad and balanced, and rich in both knowledge and experience. It secures strong foundational knowledge in reading, writing, and mathematics while nurturing deep subject-specific understanding across all disciplines. All students study a language at Key Stage 3, fostering cultural understanding and global awareness. We explicitly teach respect, tolerance, and British values across all years, ensuring that every student feels accepted and seen within our school community.

Learning is carefully sequenced, building on students’ starting points so that they deepen their understanding and progress towards clearly defined outcomes at each stage. For example, in MFL lessons at Key Stage 3, students learn the fundamental vocabulary related to the topic of school. They revisit this in Key Stage 4, where they develop it further by exploring contrasting opinions, policies, and school systems. 

We place a strong emphasis on developing students’ oracy, enabling them to communicate effectively, express ideas with confidence, and engage thoughtfully with others. At our school, we believe that every teacher is a teacher of literacy, and we embed high-quality reading, writing and oracy across all subjects.

Our KS3 curriculum includes dedicated literacy lessons designed to strengthen vocabulary, comprehension and communication skills for all learners. For students whose literacy levels fall below their chronological age, we provide targeted interventions to close gaps quickly and ensure they can access the full curriculum with confidence. The work undertaken across KS3 ensures that students become confident and accomplished readers, writers and speakers, fully prepared to meet the academic and communication demands of KS4 and beyond, where the curriculum further refines these skills and promotes confidence and excellence.

Through the values of Respect and Aspire, students are taught to take pride in their learning, treat others with kindness, and aim high, developing the confidence, empathy, and resilience to make meaningful contributions to their school community and beyond.
Our House system is well embedded, and students engage in healthy competition to win the House cup for either Attenborough, Seacole, Rashford or Trott.

Curriculum Implementation

The implementation of our curriculum is underpinned by quality first teaching, purposeful planning, and strong relationships. Teachers know their students well and use this understanding to tailor lessons that consolidate learning and extend knowledge. We are committed to ensuring our curriculum reflects the diversity of our community. In the Key Stage 3 English curriculum, students engage with a diverse range of authors, voices and 
stories. These texts promote inclusivity and deepen students’ understanding of issues such as cultural identity, refugees and forced migration, ethnic persecution, racial inequality and segregation, and gender inequality and under-representation.

Our teaching approach is grounded in evidence-informed practice. Staff engage in regular professional development to refine pedagogy, share best practice, and ensure consistency across the curriculum. 

Each subject is coherently structured so that key concepts are regularly revisited and strengthened through effective retrieval and memory practice, in line with the principles of the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve. There are clear end points that define what students should know and be able to do by the end of each stage and can take pride in their progress.

Our Key Stage 3 curriculum remains deliberately broad, ensuring students experience a wide range of subjects that build strong foundations for future study and personal growth.
Enterprise lessons have been introduced into Key Stage 3 to give students early exposure to areas such as app design, marketing and business, ensuring they keep pace with the fast-changing world around them.

To support both challenge and appropriate provision for all learners, we regularly review how students are grouped across subjects. In some areas, students are taught in sets based on academic attainment to enable targeted teaching and effective adaptation. Our thorough consideration and analysis mean that this is bespoke for each year group. This approach allows teachers to personalise learning, maintain high expectations, and ensure 
that every student makes strong progress from their starting point. Our class structures also promote consistency, collaboration, and shared understanding among staff, supporting both academic progress and pastoral care.

Curriculum Impact

The impact of our curriculum is seen in students who are knowledgeable, articulate, and confident learners. Students are supported in lessons through experiences that deepen and secure their learning. In Performing Arts students take part in a residency with an external drama company to gain valuable insight into the professional world. At Goffs-Churchgate students achieve strong outcomes and develop the independence, character, 
and compassion needed to succeed in life.
Progress over time enables students to move confidently into further education, training, or employment. Our curriculum also promotes respect, responsibility, and active citizenship, ensuring students leave Goffs-Churchgate as well-rounded individuals who contribute positively to society.

Inclusion and Adaptation
We are proud to be a small, inclusive community where every student is valued and supported to reach ambitious goals. Our curriculum is designed to challenge all learners, including those with SEND, ensuring that every individual can access a robust and meaningful education. Teachers plan responsively, adapting lessons to remove barriers while maintaining high expectations so that students are both supported and stretched.

In line with our values of Nurture and Achieve, we foster an environment where all students, including those with SEND or who are disadvantaged, feel safe, respected and encouraged to succeed. Our dedicated Learning Plus classrooms offer calm, nurturing spaces where students are supported throughout the day. It is especially lovely to see these rooms at their busiest during social times, including before and after school, when students come in to settle, refocus and prepare themselves for learning. Students identified as having SEND have detailed Provision Maps depending on their needs and the support they require.

Assessment and Progression

Assessment plays a central role in supporting students’ growth and ensuring secure progression. Teachers use a range of approaches to identify strengths, address misconceptions, and guide future learning. 

Constructive feedback empowers students to take ownership of their learning and build independence over time. Regular assessment checks understanding and informs next steps. Assessment for learning takes place in every lesson, allowing teachers to respond immediately to students’ needs. Some subjects conduct summative assessments at the end of a topic. In Years 7 to 10, students sit formative mid-year and end-of-year 
assessments. In Year 11, students sit mock exams in October/November and again in February, each round increasing in intensity, so they gain the experience, confidence, and resilience needed for their final exams.

Preparation for Next Steps

Preparing students for life after Year 11 is an important part of our curriculum. Careers education is built into lessons and assemblies across all subjects and supported by our personal development program. Our Careers plan introduces students to a wide range of future pathways through activities such as careers days, mock interviews and strong links with local colleges and sixth forms. Year 10 students also take part in a week of work 
experience, giving them valuable insight into the workplace and helping them develop 
essential skills.

In Year 11, students receive focused guidance to help them write their personal statements and consider all post-16 routes, including further education, apprenticeships and employment. As Goffs-Churchgate does not have its own Sixth Form, we ensure that students are fully informed about local post-16 opportunities throughout their seven-year journey. This includes assemblies delivered by the Head of Sixth Form at Goffs Academy, a 
partner school within our Trust. Overall, our aim is to ensure every student feels informed, prepared, and ready to make the best decision for their future.

Beyond the Classroom
A wide range of extracurricular activities, trips and enrichment opportunities provides students with meaningful experiences beyond the classroom. From cultural visits and topical talks to leadership roles and community engagement, students benefit from varied opportunities to grow. Their participation in events such as the Mayor’s Debate and the UKMC Maths Challenge reflects the confidence, resilience and teamwork these 
experiences help to build.

All year groups participate in three Curriculum Enrichment Days throughout the year, each centered on a key theme: Culture, Careers, or STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). These days further enhance students personal and social development. Students learn the importance of participation, contribution, and pride in their school and local community.

Supporting Pastoral Needs:

We pride ourselves on the exceptional support we provide to every child, including access to learning support areas, mental health services, mentoring, counselling, and a dedicated team of staff members committed to student wellbeing. Each year group is assigned a Pastoral Support Lead. We work in partnership with external agencies to offer a range of programmes that support students’ wellbeing, personal growth and family relationships. 
Students are taught to identify a trusted adult whom they can approach if they ever feel unsafe, in need, or worried about something. This ensures that every child knows where to turn for support and feels confident seeking help when they need it.
Our curriculum embodies ambition, inclusion, and excellence. Through clear intent, effective implementation, and measurable impact, we ensure every student develops the knowledge, skills, and character to shape their own future. At Goffs-Churchgate Academy, we believe passionately that there is No Set Destiny for Any Child. Our curriculum is more than just a series of lessons; it's a holistic approach to education that prepares students 
for success in school and beyond. Join us on this journey of discovery, growth, and empowerment.