What We Teach And Why

To instil students with the knowledge, skills and experiences to inspire and empower them to be the very best versions of themselves; developing their character, confidence and creativity so that they gain fulfilment by contributing to a vibrant community of exceptional people. 

At the Hazeley Academy we seek to develop the Character, Confidence and Creativity in both our young people and ourselves to gain fulfilment and success through positive Contributions to our Community. 

To achieve this, we offer a well-planned, sequenced and imaginative curriculum encompassing the full range of disciplines; arts, sciences, humanities, technologies, maths, literacy, languages and sports. Our curriculum inspires curiosity and scholarship, develops independent and divergent thinking, supports progression in synthesising and evaluating experiences as well as providing opportunities to lead others and grow resilience. 

The curriculum encourages questioning to deepen understanding and sets challenging goals and targets for increasingly independent young people to achieve. It takes advantage of but is not restricted by our location in Milton Keynes and builds on, but is not controlled by the expertise and interests of our staff. Our curriculum is a blend of historical and contemporary knowledge as well as a skill set for today and tomorrow, offering appropriate in school and extra-curricular experiences for students of all abilities and backgrounds. 

Supporting what it means to be human: having artistic abilities and appreciation, questioning the world around us, sporting talents, being skilled in using new technologies, having strong moral sensibilities and a quest to develop spiritually and with emotional intelligence, our curriculum aims to educate the whole child. It does not demand our students to be normal or perfect, but empowers them to be amazing versions of themselves, able to work with others to create a vibrant community of exceptional people. 

Our core purpose is the 5Cs: 

Character – We have respect, integrity, loyalty, high expectations and resilience. We believe the differences amongst us make us even stronger. 

Confidence – We trust ourselves and each other, we relish taking calculated risks, we understand honest mistakes occur and learn from them together. 

Creativity –We enjoy working together designing, creating and reflecting upon solutions, including how to improve ourselves and each other in so doing making our academy a truly inspiring place. 

Contribution – We grow through engaging, helping and supporting others; participating in positive causes that make a difference to ourselves and others. 

Community - We use our shared values to understand each other, to do the right thing and enable everyone to feel valued and play their part in growing our vibrant community of exceptional people. 

Curriculum Implementation – what is studied? The start of the learning journey.

As an Academy we do not have to follow the National Curriculum; we have chosen to use it as the benchmark for our provision to ensure that we are providing students with the best curriculum. 

Across a fortnight, all students in Year 7 study; 

• 7 lessons of English, 

• 7 lessons of  Maths, 

• 6 lessons of  Science, 

• 4 lessons of  MFL   – either French or Spanish – selected prior to starting Year 7, 

• 4 lessons of PE, 

• 3 lessons of Geography, 

• 3 lessons of History, 

• 3 lessons of Philosophy and Ethics 

• 2 lessons of Computer Studies (a mixture of ICT application and computer science), 

• 2 lessons each of Drama, Media and Music 

In addition, students study Art, Textiles, Catering and Design Technology through a carousel approach of 5 lessons over a fortnight.  This allows for meaningful engagement and experiences across the year. 

Year 8 

The curriculum is largely similar to that of year 7, however the carousel is smaller with textiles, Design Technology and catering continuing to be taught on a rotation over a fortnightly timetable.  

Preferences (options) for KS4 subjects are made in the Spring term of Year 8.  Students are provided with guidance and information, including pathways interviews with their form tutors, to allow them to make informed decisions 

Year 9 

The increased breadth of subjects studied in this year empowers students to make informed choices around their futures as they reflect on their progress and refine their subject choices ready for future years. 

Years 10 and 11 

By this point in the journey, most students follow a core provision of: 

• English (both English Literature and Language) 

• Maths 

• Science (Combined Science or Separate Sciences) 

• PE 

• Humanities – either Geography or History 

• Languages – either French or Spanish (or an alternative MFL if it is the student’s native tongue) 

• We also offer additional GCSEs outside of the normal curriculum. 

The majority of our students follow a curriculum closely aligned to the English Baccalaureate, French or Spanish (whichever language they have been studying at KS3), History or Geography, as well as English, Maths and Science. 

There are also a wide variety of ‘preference/option subjects’ that students can study. We offer a range of  qualification types to suit learners. The most common include GCSE, BTEC, OCR Nationals, V-Cert amongst others. 

Our curriculum caters for individual needs at all levels, some students benefit from additional Maths and English support.  We are proud of our flexibility. 

We set students on ability in the core subjects of English, Maths and Science so that learning can be effectively tailored.  This setting is flexible and reviewed regularly to ensure that students are most appropriately placed. 

KEY STAGE 5 (Post 16) 

For more information about our Key Stage 5 offer, please see the Sixth Form section of the Academy website. We offer two routes at Key Stage 5: 

Faculties 

Literacy and Languages - The Literacy and Languages Faculty includes the following subjects: 

English
French 
Spanish 

Maths and Computing  - The Maths and Computing Faculty includes the following subjects: 

Maths 
ICT 

Computer Science 

Science - The Science Faculty includes the following subjects: 

Biology 
Chemistry 
Physics 
Combined Science 
 

Character - The Character Faculty includes the following subjects: 

Business Studies 
Economics 
Geography 
History 
Philosophy and Ethics 
 

Creativity - The Creativity Faculty includes the following subjects and extra-curricular activities: 

Art 
Catering 
Drama 
Design Technology-Resistant Materials and Textiles 
Media 
Music 
 

Confidence - The Confidence Faculty includes the following subjects: 

P.E
Sociology 
Psychology 
Health and Social Care 
Child Development 
Life skills 

Life Skills (PSHEE/RSE) 

All year groups have time built into their tutor programme centred around Personal, Social, Moral, and Cultural education (PSHCE)  via daily  tutorials, weekly Lead Lessons (assemblies), and regular Drop Down lessons to broaden learning outside of the confines of a traditional curriculum. 

CAREERS/PATHWAYS/WORK EXPERIENCE 

We have an on-site careers advisor who works with students across year groups in conjunction with external providers.  Additionally, we offer work experience to all students in Year 10, usually in June. 

ENRICHMENT 

Extra-curricular activities, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Volunteering 

Enrichment activities are key to our curriculum and underpin our core purpose.   This encompasses an extensive Extra Curricular  termly enrichment programme available to all students including traditional ‘after-school clubs’, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, volunteering, concerts, music events, talent shows, sporting events and opportunities to participate in many of the trips we run annually.