Here at Gloucester Academy we deliver PHSE through our character lessons. Every year group is allocated a lesson in the curriculum that is dedicated to character (PHSE). During these lessons students explore moral dilemmas as well as learn about key concepts around religion, relationships, lifestyle and monetary system. 

All of our character lessons are built around our British Values; democracy, rule of law, tolerance of different cultures and religions, mutual respect and individual liberty.

Our lessons are sequenced to ensure all areas of the above are covered throughout the five years here at GA, each year building on level of detail and maturity. 

       

We are fortunate at GA to have an extended range of languages within our community. This affords a wide breadth of backgrounds and cultures within our school.

We celebrate this diversity of language and support our students in taking every opportunity to increase the number of GCSEs available to them at KS4. Last year 35 students took additional GCSEs across nine different languages (including Russian, Polish, Urdu, Gujarti and Arabic) and all achieved grade 5+ with most achieving grades 8 or 9.

The MFL department is committed to championing our language students to be ambitious and take every opportunity available to them. 

What is Direct Instruction? 

Direct Instruction is a teaching method extensively tested and proven to turn all students into confident learners. This program takes the place of traditional English or Math lessons where students are not yet secure in the core skills they need to access the curriculum and fulfil their potential. 

Lessons are: 

• Explicit, with purposeful instruction designed to develop skilled and confident learners.
• Intensive, allowing teachers to cover much more than a year’s worth of material in a single year.
• Consistent, allowing students to focus on the material they are learning. 
• Interactive, with quick pacing and group responses that keep all students engaged. to tackle new challenges.

Corrective Reading: 

Corrective Reading is taught to students whose reading involves misidentified words, confusion of similar  words, word omissions or insertions, lack of attention to punctuation, and struggling comprehension. Decoding lessons range from instruction in letter sounds and blending to the reading of sophisticated  passages such as those found in content-area textbooks. Comprehension skills covered range from simple  classification and true-false identification to complex analogies, analyses, and inferential comprehension  strategies. With progress through each level, students read increasingly more difficult material with  accuracy, fluency, solid comprehension and improved study skills. Explicit, step-by-step lessons are  organised around two major strands, Decoding and Comprehension. Each strand of Corrective Reading has  four levels that teach foundation skills for non-readers to GCSE material – potentially all in about 2 1/2  years. 

Corrective Math: 

Corrective Mathematics is typically needed by older students whose math performance includes a weak  grasp of the basics, lack of confidence with math facts, inaccurate computation, and a lack of strategies for problem-solving. With a high success rate, frequent teacher feedback, and built-in opportunities to earn  reinforcement throughout each lesson, even students with histories of failure remain motivated and on  task as they master fundamental math concepts and skills. The program contains modules for addition;  subtraction; multiplication; division; basic fractions; fractions, decimals, percents; and ratios and  equations. Upon completion of one or more of the modules, students are armed with the basic strategies  they need to access conventional math instruction with success.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award aims to empower young people at Gloucester Academy with the skills, knowledge and experience to climb further up their own personal mountain and importantly, know which route to take.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award is offered to all Year 9 and Year 10 pupils, at Bronze and Silver level respectively.

The Award requires students to show commitment by completing a Physical, Skill, Volunteering and Expedition section, which pushes our students to try new things, take part in new adventures and help them really develop the sense of who they are. We share the Duke of Edinburgh's values and we are committed to ensuring every pupil is able to take part in this Award, where personal growth and overcoming personal challenges is placed over competition, allowing everyone to succeed.

Through taking part in the programme not only do our students gain a prestigious Award for their future CVs, but they have fun, make new friends, improve their self-esteem and confidence. 

At Gloucester Academy, years 7 to 10 have the amazing addition of Elite Sport to their weekly timetable.

This allows for every student to have a ‘grammar school’ sport experience. Our students excel in lessons and the work being done in Elite Sport is now ensuring that Gloucester Academy teams are competitive in competitions.

This elite programme allows students at Gloucester Academy to experience a wider range of activities giving them a balanced curriculum. To allow this specialised teaching to take place, the school day will be extended for students on their Elite Sport day, as highlighted below.

• Year 7 - Monday
• Year 8 - Tuesday
• Year 9 - Wednesday
• Year 10 - Thursday

Elite Training is a bespoke offer that runs for all Year 11 students between 4-5 every single day.

These sessions can take different forms from; students can drop it and use the area as a quiet space to study, complete outstanding coursework, they can use the expert in the room to help with topics they are struggling with or they can attend more structured sessions like 'Grade 9 in Maths booster'.

It is a fantastic level of support for students who might have found themselves sliding back down the mountain or for those that want to pioneer the route for others and push on up.

Enrichment describes the broad range of before, during and after-school activities pupils at Gloucester Academy are able to take part in.

Our diverse enrichment offer gives each and every student the chance to find the perfect activity or activities for them, and changes each unit to suit the interests of students and staff alike.

From Baking, Warhammer, Badminton, Cheer, Just Dance, Martial Arts, Football, Eco Club, Chess to Arabic there is really something for everyone.

By attending weekly enrichment activities not only do our students really develop that sense of community at Gloucester Academy, they also pick up valuable skills such as leadership, creativity and perseverance all whilst developing their passions!

Period 6 is a lesson that takes place from 3.05-4.00 every day for all Gloucester Academy Year 11 students.

By including this time within the students timetable we increase the amount of time spent in front of a subject specialist by a huge 20%. This means 20% more high quality explanations, 20% more guided & independent practice as well as being able to provide 20% more feedback to the students on their academic performance.

This supports students to ensure they reach the top of their mountain as effectively as possible and in the process, allowing them to achieve superb exam results that allow the climb to continue to the best universities and professions in the county.

Gloucester Academy are opening a morning Prep session from 7:15am each morning, Monday to Friday.  Your child can take part in a host of activities ranging from football and table tennis to the use of the fitness suite and even a chance to complete homework.  All of these activities are available from 7:15am and your child will be provided with a free healthy breakfast to kick start their day.

We also recognise that it is sometimes challenging to juggle your own work commitments with that of supporting your child to attend school. This is one way we will be able to support you.  Prep will allow families to drop their children earlier to school, alleviating some of the pressures on working parents.  It will also ensure that students are well prepared for the day ahead, having engaged in physical activity and eating a healthy breakfast.

Entry via the pedestrian gate on Painswick road, there will be no entry after 7.30am and gates will be locked. 

Breakfast

A healthy breakfast is a fantastic way for students to start the day ready to climb their own personal mountains to the very best universities and professions.  Among many other benefits, it has been shown to help memory and concentration.

Physical Activity

Research shows that engaging in physical activity early in the morning increases alertness, engagement and improves mood.  As a result of taking part in physical activity in the morning your child can improve their sleep, enhance their metabolism, increase their physical and mental energy and help develop a strong sense of self discipline.

Sport clubs on offer across Unit 1 are; football, table tennis, handball and of the fitness suite.

Sports clubs start at 7.30am and will finish at 8.20am when the main school gates open and all students will join their year group areas.

Your child will need their trainers to take part in any sporting activities and if they choose to wear their sports kit, this must be their full GA PE kit, but PE kit is not a requirement.

Homework

GA Prep will also be an excellent opportunity for students to complete homework, and be supported to complete homework.  There will be a quiet room with staff supervision and chromebooks will be available for any online homework to do as well.