Our Curriculum Intent

At Shirestone Academy we deliver an imaginative and inspiring curriculum with a focus on key skills and independence to ensure our children understand the diversity of the world around us, their place within it and the skills they need to succeed. We are proud to be recognised as a Centre of Excellence through the Basic Skills Quality Mark Award (June 2020) and the Music Mark. We gained Artsmark Gold in October 2023.

In June 2020 we gained the the Basic Skills Quality Mark.  Part of our vision is for every pupil to achieve the highest possible standards in the core subject areas of the National Curriculum; English, Maths and Science and therefore we have focused phonics, number, calculation, handwriting, reading, grammar and spelling sessions. We pride ourselves on ensuring to provide depth within our teaching of the core subjects. English is driven by a text theme which drives the English learning journey and links with the non-core subjects where possible.

Our creative approach enables skills from their core subjects to be applied through the Foundation Subjects including History, Geography, Computing, Art, Design and Technology, Religious Education and Spanish. These subjects are planned progressively against the National Curriculum to ensure complete coverage and are enhanced through real life experiences provided by educational visits and specialist visitors, drama and role-play. 

Our pupils take part in a rich and varied Physical Education curriculum which enables pupils to compete in a diverse range of sports. Pupils enjoy singing and have the opportunity to join the school choir. Through ‘British Values’ and our embedded school values system, pupils’ celebrate their differences and similarities and celebrate the strengths and successes found in each other. This is an important part of each child’s personal, social and moral development.

The arts are very important to us and vital for a child's holistic development, and as recognition of this, we have been awarded Artsmark Gold Award.

The staff and children at Shirestone have created ‘Shirestone’s Top 30’ where children get to experience something that they would not necessarily be able to experience in their home-life.