Curriculum
An Inclusive School
West Bromwich Collegiate Academy is a co-educational, non-selective, non-religious Academy for the community.
West Bromwich Collegiate Academy is aware that children and young people are growing up in an increasingly complex world and living their lives seamlessly on and offline. This presents many positive and exciting opportunities, but also challenges and risks. In this environment, children and young people need to know how to be safe and healthy, and how to manage their academic, personal, and social lives in a positive way.
We believe that Personal Development should enable children to become healthier, more independent, and responsible members of society.
We encourage our students to play a positive role in contributing to the life of the school and the wider community. In doing so, we help develop their sense of self-worth.
We teach them how society is organised and governed.
We ensure that the children experience the process of democracy through participation.
We teach children about their rights and responsibilities and to learn to appreciate what is means to be a positive member of a diverse multicultural society.
Ultimately, we want to ensure that our students leave our Academy at 16 as well-rounded citizens able to take their place in society.
Personal, social and health education (PSHE) and SMSC
Our Programme of Study for PSHE education aims to develop skills and attributes such as resilience, self-esteem, risk-management, teamworking and critical thinking in the context of learning grouped into three core themes:
- Health and Wellbeing,
- Relationships
- Living in the Wider World (including Economic Wellbeing and aspects of Careers Education).
Issues of inclusion are at the heart of competency education. Competency education strengthens personalised learning with a transparent structure that enables greater systemic and personal accountability, as well as continuous improvement.
The L4L curriculum has a number of strong embedded themes which focus on PSHE. For example, the first theme in the curriculum, Citizen Me, uses family history projects, religious festival sharing and opportunities to create class conduct rules as an opportunity to bring together disparate communities in shared values of tolerance. Projects like this have students and families work together, learn about each others’ customs, beliefs and ideas and respect each others’ views.
Here are a number of documents that provide further insight into our delivery of PSHE and the associated areas of the curriculum.
Relationships and sex education (RSE)
We are now required to teach the new national policy on Relationships and Sex Education. This is a much-expanded set of lessons which covers all aspects of positive relationships, safety in relationships, health, different types of families, consent, e-safety and a number of items informing students of criminal offences such as FGM and forced marriage.
The Trust has now published the policy, which has been altered based on feedback from the consultation a few months ago and we thank you for your comments. You can find the policy here which includes the topics taught year by year. There are a very limited number of areas that can be opted out of in the new framework and you can find more information in the policy.
Families are welcome to request to see examples of teaching materials that we use to deliver RSE. Please contact the Academy to do this.
Cultural Capital
Cultural Capital within PSHE aims to promote character-building qualities that lead to creating well-rounded, trustworthy, and resilient global citizens.
Our aim is to provide students with the essential knowledge that they need to be educated citizens. Cultural Capital refers to the knowledge, skills, education, and experiences that individuals acquire and that can be used to gain social and economic advantage. We believe that students who attend WBCA deserve the same excellent opportunities as all young people and we strive to provide experiences that enrich and extend their learning beyond academics in the classroom.
Examples of how this is achieved can be found here.
British Values
At West Bromwich Collegiate Academy, we are committed to promoting British Values, Citizenship, and celebrating diversity.
British Values are also promoted through our Form Time programme, assemblies, and focus days at the Academy. We believe it is important for our students to understand and appreciate the values that underpin British society. The values are listed below, including some ways that we promote and celebrate them within our core and wider curriculum.
An audit of where British Values are covered across our curriculum can be found here.
We have held mock elections at election points, providing students with the opportunity to learn about the democratic process.
Student Elections: Those wishing to be elected as a member of the Student Council in Year 7 were challenged to write a manifesto and speech, encouraging their peers to vote for them. A polling station with private voting booths and a ballot box was created in the theatre to immerse students in the democratic voting process.
We have a strong partnership with the local Police Force, with PSCOs (Police Community Support Officers) speaking to our students regularly. We are in the early stages of establishing a Police Cadets program. This helps to promote the understanding of the rule of law and the importance of following laws and rules.
At the Academy, we also recognize and celebrate Black History Month and religious celebrations, further promoting understanding and appreciation of diversity.
Our RE (Religious Education) programme celebrates a diverse range of religions and is compliant with the Sandwell Sacre. Additionally, our Citizen Me theme, which is the first project of our Literacy for Life curriculum, focuses on helping students become good citizens.
As part of our Decency Agenda, we promote whole school projects and activities that encourage respect, kindness, and inclusivity. We also have an active Student Council, which gives students a voice and a platform to advocate for issues that are important to them.
Our Equality Policy demonstrates our statutory compliance in promoting equality and diversity.
Religion
The Academy will have no religious ethos. The Academy will teach RE through Literacy for Life themes and through Focus Days and Form Time activities. GCSE RE will be a subject that students can select to study as part of their KS4 options. The Academy uniform code will allow flexibility in religious dress – details can be found here.
Dietary requirements shall be reflective of the Academy’s student intake, with vegetarian options available each day and halal products marked as such.
We have a statutory duty to deliver Religious Education at Key Stage 4 and this forms part of our Form Time Programme.
Schemes of learning can be found here:
The Prevent Agenda
West Bromwich Collegiate Academy is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all its students. As a Trust we recognise that safeguarding against radicalisation is no different from safeguarding against any other vulnerability. At West Bromwich Collegiate Academy all staff are expected to uphold and promote the fundamental principles of British values including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.
Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust has a zero-tolerance approach to extremist behaviour for all community members. We rely on our strong values to steer our work and ensure the safeguarding care of our pupils strives to protect them from exposure to negative influences.
We work alongside other professional bodies and agencies to ensure that our students are safe from harm.
The objectives are that:
- Students are encouraged to adopt and live out our Core Values. These complement the key “British Values” of tolerance, respect, understanding, compassion and harmonious living.
- Students are helped to understand the importance of democracy and freedom of speech, through the SEAL (Social, Emotional, Aspects of Learning) assemblies and through Student Voice members.
- Students are taught how to keep themselves safe, in school and when using the internet.
- Students participate in local community events so that they appreciate and value their neighbours and friends who may not share their faith background.
- Students’ wellbeing, confidence and resilience is promoted through our planned curriculum and out of hours learning opportunities.
- Students are supported in making good choices from a young age, so they understand the impact and consequences of their actions on others.
- Trustees, Governors, teachers, teaching assistants and non-teaching staff demonstrate an understanding of what radicalisation and extremism are and why we need to be vigilant in school.
- Through training day opportunities in school, we will ensure that our staff are fully aware of the threats, risks and vulnerabilities that are linked to radicalisation; are aware of the process of radicalisation and how this might be identified early on.
- We buy into services from a Safeguarding Consultancy firm who facilitate the delivery of the Home Office Workshop to Raise Awareness of Prevent. This is a 45-minute briefing and will include specific details of referrals locally.
- All SPC members and Trustees have and will receive WRAP training.
Supporting Organisations
The Trust runs a safeguarding service which supports local schools and provides training and expertise. The Trust has relationships with the following organisations:
- Sandwell Women’s Aid
- Sandwell College
- Loudmouth Theatre Company
- Shield
- Sandwell Young Carers
- Birmingham Young Carers
- DECCA
- CAMHS
- Targeted Youth Support
- Barnardo’s Family Support
- The CSE team (based in Sandwell Children’s Services)
- Brook
- Barnardo’s SPACE (Birmingham CSE team)
- Family Support Team (part of Birmingham Children’s Services)
- Krunch (mentoring and girls’ group)
- ASIRT (advice and support for asylum seeker families)
- St Chad’s Sanctuary (for refugees and asylum seekers)
- RESTORE (befriending service for asylum seeker families)
- PREVENT team
Ensuring the Integration of Disadvantaged Students
In 2015 the Trust’s founding secondary Academy was named as the leading secondary school in the West Midlands in relation to the support offered to Pupil Premium students.
We believe that closing the gap happens through the following interlinked approaches:
- Dealing with students’ complex needs, through safeguarding and delivering a strong programme of PSHE and citizenship. This may involve engagement with outside agencies, including the Local Authority, where necessary.
- Equality of opportunity, which we seek to provide through equality of access to the enrichment programme, equality of access to technology, equality of access to experiences and by providing safe and secure areas where students can study. Pupil Premium students have first opportunity to subscribe to all trips and enrichment opportunities.
- Raising aspiration by getting students involved in national competitions, giving strong careers awareness and providing students with opportunities for success amongst their peers and the local community. This also includes the constant development of students’ cultural capital to ensure they are not disadvantaged relative to their peers.
