‘To empower future generations to follow their dreams and to build a society of which we can all be proud’
Central to the philosophy of the curriculum delivered is that it will provide an authentic education for the world today. This requires the curriculum to allow for the development of the knowledge, applied learning and power skills required for future success. Children in Budmouth Academy learn in a challenging, engaging and supportive environment. This philosophy is brought to life by our ‘Budmouth Basics’ and ‘Six Core Principles’ approach to teaching and learning.
We are committed to consistent, high-quality teaching that enables all students to make rapid progress and retain key knowledge. We maintain high expectations for every learner and follow a shared, evidence-informed approach across all classrooms. Teaching is clear, structured, and knowledge-rich, with explicit instruction, modelling, and regular opportunities for practice and retrieval. Robust and strategically mapped assessment and feedback are used to check understanding and guide improvement. Through collaboration, reflection, and shared best practice, we ensure every lesson is purposeful, inclusive, and focused on securing lasting learning for all students.
Our curriculum planning is grounded in the strongest available evidence about how students learn and retain knowledge in the long term. We focus in particular on research from cognitive science that suggests students ought to learn the concepts that come up repeatedly to unlock the present distance between what is taught and what is remembered. These are the unifying ideas of each discipline that are carefully and strategically sequenced and spiralled.
Our curriculum overview is organised by year groups, providing insight into what is being covered each half term from both subject-specific and broader curriculum perspectives. In addition, each subject has a bespoke overview that outlines its curriculum intent, implementation, and impact, supporting the development of medium and short-term planning and our academy vision. These overviews are reviewed each half term to ensure they remain relevant, responsive to student needs, and aligned with whole-school priorities for teaching and learning.
Each subject uses Google Classroom to share lesson resources, revision material, independent study links and important updates with students. The platform allows students and parents/carers to access materials anytime, revisit learning from class, and stay organised with upcoming tasks. It also provides a direct way for teachers to give feedback and support independent study at home.
Curriculum overview by department/subject:
Curriculum structure based on a two week timetable of 50 lessons:
| Subject | Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 | Year 10 | Year 11 |
| English | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Maths | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| Science | 6 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 12 |
| Geography | 4 | 4 | 4 | – | – |
| History | 4 | 4 | 4 | – | – |
| Religious Studies | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Personal Development | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Modern Foreign Languages | 4 | 4 | 4 | – | – |
| Design Technology & Creator Space | 5 | 3 | 3 | – | |
| Computer Science | – | 1 | 1 | – | – |
| Expressive Arts: Dance, Drama & Music | 3 | 6 | 4 | – | – |
| Visual Arts: Art | 2 | – | – | ||
| Physical Education | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| KS4 Higher Project Qualification (HPQ) | – | – | – | 3 | – |
| KS4 Option 1 | – | – | – | 5 | 6 |
| KS4 Option 2 | – | – | – | 5 | 6 |
| KS4 Option 3 | – | – | – | 5 | 6 |
| Total Lessons | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Year 7 Curriculum Teacher | |||||