Curriculum

An Ambitious Curriculum for All

We believe every student is entitled to a well-sequenced curriculum, rich in powerful knowledge and designed with memory in mind. At Pimlico Academy, our curriculum is:

Carefully planned and sequenced to build knowledge step by step.
Academically ambitious, including content often reserved for the independent sector.
Accessible to all, thanks to expert planning and delivery.

We prioritise teaching knowledge that is powerful and enabling, and ensure students understand how different parts of the curriculum connect.

Curriculum Centre – Centrally Planned, Locally Owned

Many KS3 programmes are designed by experts at the Future Academies Curriculum Centre.
While centrally planned, implementation is always locally owned by Pimlico Academy’s Heads of Department and teachers, with meaningful adaptation to ensure that it meets the needs of our students and drives our ambitious aims for their achievement.

Our Teachers – Experts in Subject and Pedagogy

Our teachers ensure students learn more and remember more through:

Rich commitment to professional development including weekly co-planning, instructional coaching, and deliberate practice.
Support from Future Academies Trust Subject Leads.
Collaboration between Subject Leads, Heads of Department, and teachers.
Additional mentoring and coaching for novice teachers.

Teaching – All Students Thinking Hard

We know expert classroom delivery is as important as curriculum design. At Pimlico Academy:

Quality-first teaching is our best strategy for supporting all learners, especially the most vulnerable.
Lessons are warm, disruption-free, securing and sustaining attention.
Teachers expect all students to think hard about powerful knowledge.
Teachers are attune to what students know and do not know, giving feedback and teaching responsively.

Key Stage 3 Subjects

During Key Stage 3 students study the following subjects:

Art
Drama
English
Geography
History
Latin
French or Spanish
Computer Science
Mathematics
Music
Personal and Social Education
Physical Education
Science

Key Stage 4 Subjects

In the spring term of Year 9, students are required to make choices about what options they wish to study for their GCSEs. Teachers support with this process ensuring that students make suitable subject selections that match their interests and aspirations. During Key Stage 4 students study the following subjects:

Core Curriculum Subjects:

English Language and Literature
French or Spanish
Mathematics 
Combined Science

Students will then generally study:

One humanities option (Geography or History)
One languages option (French, Spanish or Latin)

Two additional options (see the list below):

Art
Photography
Citizenships
Classical Civilisation
Computer Science
Dance
Drama
Business
French
Functional Skills: Maths and English
Food Preparation and Nutrition
Geography
History
Latin
Media Studies
Music
Music Technology Level 2 Certificate
Physical Education
Religious Studies
Spanish
Biology, Chemistry and Physics (Separate Sciences)

Reading

In order to ensure that students enjoy the full breadth of the curriculum, we provide the Reading Guarantee, designed to ensure that no child is left behind because they are reading below their chronological age.
All students benefit from the Reading Guarantee by engaging in a programme that not only supports reading proficiency but also promotes reading for pleasure, fostering a lifelong love of books.

Students’ reading is assessed annually, giving us a rich understanding of how well our learners are able to read. These assessments help us identify any student reading below their chronological age so that we can intervene quickly, enabling them to catch up and keep up.

For students who need additional phonics support, we provide targeted intervention through the Ruth Miskin Fresh Start programme, ensuring they develop the foundational skills required for confident reading.