Students succeed where the teaching is of high quality, when they are taught to be effective learners and where their progress is regularly monitored. Staff have developed programmes and lessons that both stretch and support students in their learning. This includes regular assessments built around each student's needs that help to challenge them to have high aspirations as well as measuring their progress.
To equip students with verbal and written communications skills, and the confidence to use them, learning activities involve debates, discussions, role-play, research, problem-solving, peer teaching and extended project work. These are the essential skills young people need if they are to fulfil their potential and make their way in the world. They are also fundamental to examination success. As well as having six hours of lessons each day, instead of the usual five, individual lessons are often longer than normal, in order to give students time to explore subjects in greater depth and develop skills with greater proficiency.
Research shows girls and boys respond and learn in different ways, so on occasion, students can benefit from being in single sex classes for some subjects. As they progress through the Academy, they will find a mixture of single-sex and coeducational classes.
Setting appropriate targets and monitoring progress regularly can help students' learning. Particularly challenging targets are set for those students who need to catch up, as well as the more able, and additional tuition beyond the normal Academy day is provided a necessary. There is a very strong emphasis on high quality student support, giving individual attention that goes well beyond the traditional pastoral approach in many schools.
Each student is placed in a "coaching group" eventually of no more than 14 students and currently only nine. As the Academy grows, these groups will be made up of a mixture of ages – with older students coaching and mentoring younger students under the guidance of the member of staff who is the group's Learning Coach. Coaching groups meet every day, to monitor work, progress, achievements and conduct; students learn to set themselves challenging goals and targets.
Support of this quality enables students to become active in their learning and to reflect on their progress. This, in turn, helps them achieve their potential.
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