Curriculum Overview

Opportunity – Belief – Aspiration

Ormiston Bushfield Academy (OBA) is proud to be part of the Ormiston Academies Trust.  Our curriculum contributes to and is supported by Ormiston Lead Practitioners across the UK to ensure rigour and quality assurance. An education at OBA prepares our students to embrace opportunities, increase their self-belief and aspire to further their studies in the future to maximise their potential. 

Our curriculum is constantly evolving to ensure our students receive an exceptional educational experience. Using educational research and reflecting on the developments within subject areas, the curriculum is designed with our students, their needs and future prospects in mind. It encompasses everything we represent at OBA; Opportunity, Belief and Aspiration. The curriculum embeds these three aspects at its core, and we are immensely proud of the outcomes of our students, both in terms of their academic progress and in becoming independent, aspirational young people who contribute positively to the wider community. 

“Leaders have the same high expectations of every pupil, whatever their background. They encourage every pupil to do their best and to model the school’s shared values of ‘Opportunity, Belief and Aspiration’. – OFSTED Inspection December 2019

The Academy follows a 3-year Key Stage 3 and 2-Year Key Stage 4 programme of study.  This is to ensure that students are equipped with a robust understanding across a wide range of subjects to facilitate successful outcomes at the end of Key Stage 4. A broad and balanced curriculum is studied throughout Key Stage 3 that is ambitious for all, whilst ensuring that the National Curriculum identified by the government is covered in its entirety. 

In our commitment to holistic teaching, we also extend students’ learning beyond this expectation; we have designed the curriculum to meet the needs of students in our locality, to address their strengths and areas for development. The curriculum equips our students with compound transferable skills, which are highly desired by local and national employers and Higher Education establishments.  

Students benefit from our many practical subjects, developing their enquiry skills through science experiments, their design skills and creativity in D&T, Drama and Food, as well as building their physical strength and health through their PE and Dance lessons. 

Our STEM Lab leads students to develop their understanding of incredible achievements and discoveries of the past, and how they can use this understanding to leave a lasting legacy in the future. Our rich and diverse offering is well-planned and progressive, equipping students with the knowledge and skills they need in each discipline. It is taught by teachers who remain experts in their subjects because of the high-quality and up-to-date training they undertake. 

The curriculum is adapted to meet the needs of SEND students and any other groups who may need a more tailored approach. To develop the acquisition of higher order literacy skills the Academy has invested in the Lexonik intervention programme, which helps to empower student learning and ensures progress. 

Our extra-curricular programme includes a wide variety of activities which are key to our many successes and provision beyond the timetable. This programme continues to be high profile throughout the Academy, ensuring that students develop creatively, physically, emotionally, socially and culturally. 

Students leave OBA with high levels of cultural capital and an in-depth knowledge of the arts, literature, and current affairs, in addition to the subject based learning to provide them skills to flourish and become the best that they can be. 

Click here to view our curriculum model.

Students at Ormiston Bushfield Academy are offered a broad and inclusive Key Stage 4 education.  We do not stream students, or limit the range of subjects they can take. Instead, our staff support them to make informed decisions about their optional curriculum that meets the needs of individual students.

The Core Academic Key Stage 4 Curriculum

English: The world of English is broad, diverse and exciting, full of stories and character to learn from and love.  Our English curriculum teaches students to critically analyse what they read and see, while learning to articulate their own ideas in the process.  It is taught by a dynamic and enthusiastic department which is dedicated to bringing the curriculum to life through interactive lessons and various trips such as film tours or visiting the battle fields of Belgium to better understand the context of our war literature.

Maths:  Maths has been given a new lease of life in the digital age, providing us with technology and insights that we use in our everyday lives.  Our curriculum builds upon the basics taught in primary school prioritising critical knowledge and gradually building understanding over time. It is taught through the interleaving of concepts, giving a broad understanding of the different areas of study, such as algebra, geometry and data analysis.  A well-sequenced curriculum makes maths accessible for all utilising everyday applications, where applicable, to develop a solid understanding, preparing students to succeed in whatever they choose in life. The subject is taught by a team of passionate mathematicians who make use of contemporary methods and initiatives to ignite students’ desire to learn.

Science:  The evolution of the science curriculum has been exciting to witness.  The Science department has overhauled the curriculum to create a seamless 11-16 programme of study.  Time has been spent researching new and exciting lessons using highly academic and interactive resources provided by the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Institute of Physics.  We have invested in new equipment and have made sure experiments are accessible to all students from the start of Year 7.  Our Science curriculum is supported and extended through the STEM Club and as an overall package provides students with an exciting, challenging and engaging curriculum.

Physical Education:  PE provides a range of sporting opportunities which excite, motivate and challenge all students whilst encouraging lifelong participation in physical activity.  The department recognise that a sedentary lifestyle is a major factor in leading to poor physical and mental health within the population of the UK. As such, the Physical Education curriculum is structured to counter this as students will be active for prolonged periods of time during their timetabled lessons and leave knowing how to incorporate regular activity into their daily lifestyles. This allows students to improve fitness and develop the physical literacy and skills such as balance, agility and coordination. 

PSHE:  OBA is committed to ensuring that all students receive a rich and relevant Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) curriculum. Some aspects of this are statutory and as an academy, we feel that we have a moral obligation to prepare our students for life beyond education, equip them to be successful citizens, and make a positive contribution to society.  Students in Year 10 and Year 11 have 1 lesson per week dedicated to developing the essential elements of PSHE, alongside further support in tutor time that complements our careers curriculum. This supports their acquisition of knowledge and understanding of the wider wild and allows them to make fully informed, safe and healthy decisions about their future.

Key Stage 4 Optional Curriculum

As students move into Key Stage 4 the curriculum becomes more specialised and both students and parents become part of the decision in choosing which subjects they wish to continue to study. The options process is a very important time in a student’s education and we ensure all students and their parents are fully informed, included and supported in making the correct decisions.  Our curriculum at Key Stage 4 is inclusive of all students, who are able to make unrestricted choices about the subjects they want to study to meet their individual interests, skills and career aspirations.

English Baccalaureate (EBacc): The Department for Education is aiming for a large percentage of students to complete a combination of subjects that makes up the EBacc suite.  In addition to the core of English, Mathematics and Science the EBacc suite includes a Modern Foreign Language plus one of History or Geography.  We ensure that every student has the opportunity to study this combination of subjects, regardless of attainment in Key Stage 2.  Within Key Stage 3 all students develop their learning in all these subjects so that they are able to continue to study them at Key Stage 4 if they so choose.

Optional Subjects:  We have developed a broad and varied choice of subjects that students can opt to continue studying at Key Stage 4.  The current Year 9 options booklet can be accessed on the link below.  It is our intention to ensure that every student enjoys and engages with their own curriculum and we believe that students who are motivated and engaged make better progress towards their end goals.  Students are able to choose from a combination of Academic and Vocational subjects to suit their individual skills, preferences and career aspirations.  Students will study 4 subjects as part of their options which equates to 40% of their overall Key Stage 4 curriculum. This ensures they are able to maintain the balance between breadth and depth, by specialising in areas of interest without limiting the variety of subjects available.

Ormiston Bushfield Academy has a dynamic, successful and supportive Sixth Form provision.  We offer students a personalised Post-16 experience where they develop an impressive academic profile and become confident, well-rounded 21st century learners.  Our Post 16 curriculum has developed and evolved to cater to the needs of our students.  The curriculum is flexible and personalised.  We offer a variety of Level 3 courses, organised into 3 distinct pathways to ensure it remains specialised and inclusive.  The vast majority of our students study 3 subjects at Level 3, but there is the opportunity for some students to study 4.  We also ensure that we have a wide spectrum of Enrichment opportunities that students can take part in to build essential social and employability skills to prepare them for life beyond OBA.  For more information on our fantastic Sixth Form provision please click here.

Remote Learning Provision

In the event that the Academy building is unavailable for students, remote Learning will be delivered via Satchel One, Microsoft Teams and Microsoft One Drive. These tools are also regularly used for the setting and completing of student homework.

GCSE options

To find out more information about our GCSE options, read our latest options booklet in the files section below.

Files