Academics
AN ENGAGING CURRICULUM
Academic Life and Learning
At Thomas’s Battersea, we believe in being kind, a broad curriculum and academic success.
Our provision is a four-dimensional curriculum which is knowledge-engaged and skills-led. We offer a broad curriculum within a culture of deep thinking and enquiry. This equips today’s pupils to become accomplished adults of tomorrow, whilst also successfully preparing children for entrance exams to senior schools.
Acquisition of knowledge is central to our curriculum. The knowledge content taught is relevant, contemporary and engaging. Links are made between areas of learning and real-life contexts to deepen pupils’ understanding. Our teachers encourage manipulation and synthesis, so that acquired knowledge can be applied to new situations.
Equally as important as knowledge is the skills element in our provision. Our learners develop a breadth of scholastic and interpersonal skills. Critical thinking and questioning skills are highly valued, while interpersonal skills are centred on the four Cs: creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking. These skills are essential for preparing children for the next stage in their education and for life beyond.
Our curriculum is underpinned by a strong set of values. Our values inspire learners to develop core character traits, such as resilience and independence. We encourage the belief that identifying and learning from mistakes is crucial.
Through dynamic and captivating teaching and learning, we build our pupils’ ability to reflect and adapt, we also instill in our pupils a clear understanding of how they learn. Meta-learning encourages self-motivation and taking responsibility for learning which, as a result, maximises progress for our pupils.
We have called this four-dimensional approach to learning ‘Learning Excellence’. We are committed to delivering our academically rigorous curriculum through core skills so pupils are encouraged to consider the journey to an answer, not simply the answer itself. Learning Excellence will nurture active and agile learners, who, in turn, develop a deeper understanding of topics, skills and attributes for life.
The measure of our academic offering is two-fold: through each individual’s progress over time, and the future schools to which the pupils gain admittance.
As a data-informed practice, we track and analyse the data of each individual and cohort in school. This enables us to consider best next steps for each child’s learning experience so they can make maximum progress, and so that we can understand what may be suitable future school options.
Central to the school’s academic approach is scholarship. Scholarship is one of our school values, and it speaks into the curiosity we want every child to experience as they take on their next challenge. A scholarship is also one of several routes pupils can go down as they pursue a place at their future school. Whether it be an academic scholarship or a co-curricular scholarship, we prepare pupils for scholarship processes that challenge them and deepen their learning experience. We often speak of the significance of the journey, rather than the outcome, when it comes to scholarship – in that it is the journey of enrichment and preparation for the scholarship that is the reward. Should a pupil earn a scholarship, that is a fantastic achievement too.
Over the last three academic years, we have seen pupils earn over 70 scholarships at Thomas’s Battersea. This is is credit to the pupils for their hard work, the teaching teams for inspiring them, and the pupils’ families for their unwavering support. Such success reflects our identity as a school, whereby scholarship is at the heart of our academic approach.
The Thomas’s Battersea Baccalaureate
Finally, the Thomas’s Battersea Baccalaureate is introduced in Years 7 and 8. This is a two year curriculum which we have designed in collaboration with the National Baccalaureate Trust. We aim to ensure that when Year 8 pupils leave Thomas’s Battersea, they do so with core values, a strong sense of social responsibility, inner strength and positive physical and mental health. By promoting academic success alongside a wide range of skills, interests and attributes, we cultivate a curiosity about the world and develop a lifelong love of learning. The Baccalaureate also strives to equip all pupils with the optimism and preparedness to be ready for the next stage of their academic career and embrace the future, setting them on a path to become successful, conscientious and caring citizens who contribute meaningfully to society.
