Why Choose Marden Primary Academy?

Welcome from the Principal

Welcome to Marden Primary Academy, a thriving and growing community-based school which is at the heart of the village community.

We pride ourselves on delivering a broad and balanced curriculum, enriched through our after school clubs and co-curricular activities which are made accessible to all. As an IB World School, our curriculum provision is enhanced further through the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP). It is an aspirational high quality inquiry-led learning framework, where the National Curriculum is delivered through in-context experiences. Through the PYP, children are encouraged to be risk-takers, life-long learners and global citizens.

Mrs Hannah Penning | Principal
 

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Our Prospectus

Why Choose Marden Primary Academy?

At Marden, we believe that every child deserves the right to a nurturing and caring community, where children feel safe and inspired to learn. We have a shared vision that is ambitious and promotes high expectations for all. Collectively challenging ourselves and one another, showing both support and resilience to continuously improve and achieve, in learning and in life is part of our daily practice.

We are beneficiaries of having such supportive and caring parents and carers, who share our vision of delivering ambitious, inclusive outcomes for our children and are undoubtedly our most important partners in ensuring we achieve such a high quality of education. Also integral to our successes, is the drive and support of Leigh Academies Trust. Belonging to a Trust means we are part of a hub of innovative educational providers with access to a wealth of information and practices rooted in current thinking and research

By applying to Marden Primary Academy, you also become part of Leigh Academies Trust.

The Trust was formed in 2008 with the linking of the Leigh Technology Academy and Longfield Academy under one governing body. Today, we encompass more than 20,000 students between the ages of 2 months and 19 in 32 primary, secondary and special academies including one all-through academy and one grammar school.

At Marden Primary Academy, we believe every child deserves the right to a nurturing and caring community, whose shared vision is ambitious and uncompromising. With an internationally-minded approach, we collectively challenge ourselves and one another, showing both support and resilience to continuously improve and achieve, in learning and in life.

Our curriculum is delivered through the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) framework and the development of the IB Learner Profile attributes. This promotes collaborative and co-curricular learning opportunities and is delivered within relevant and purposeful contexts. It is built upon prior learning, and is designed to be challenging, interesting and motivational to all pupils.

The IB Learner Profile

Learning experiences focus on the development of IB Profile attributes such as; open mindedness and being risk takers, to ensure our children are prepared to make exceptional contributions in their school, home and community.

  • Balanced
  • Caring
  • Communicator
  • Inquirer
  • Knowledgeable
  • Open-minded
  • Principled
  • Reflective
  • Risk Taker
  • Thinker

The IB Primary Years Programme Curriculum

Intent

At Marden Primary Academy, our aim is to constantly raise standards and expectations in all aspects of teaching and learning. We believe that only with outstanding teaching and learning, can we fully cater for the needs of the children in our care and help them reach their full potential. We believe in setting the highest expectations for all children irrespective of ability, gender, EAL and SEND.

Our method of subject leadership using the hub leadership framework ensures that children discover a love for discrete subjects whilst learning through a transdisciplinary approach.

Our curriculum develops children’s intercultural understanding and respect, through an inquiry-based ideology. We go beyond the minimum expectations of the National Curriculum, providing opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills obtained, to bring about meaningful change in ourselves and others.

Our ambitious, challenging and contemporary curriculum exceeds the minimum expectations of the National Curriculum through the implementation of the IB PYP framework. Our children develop their knowledge and skills through a broad and balanced curriculum as National Curriculum objectives are interwoven into units of inquiry, with plentiful opportunities to apply this in context through lines of inquiry. Our curriculum is sequenced around the following six themes:

  • Who we are
  • How we express ourselves
  • Where we are in place and time
  • How the world works
  • How we organise ourselves
  • Sharing the planet

The way that we plan for this 21st century curriculum has collaboration at its core, working not only with colleagues at Marden Primary Academy, but also with colleagues across Leigh Academies Trust. This enables us to draw on subject knowledge expertise from across our teaching and learning community.

Through our ambitious curriculum, we develop learners that are:

  • Inquirers
  • Knowledgeable
  • Thinkers
  • Communicators
  • Principled
  • Open-minded
  • Caring
  • Risk-takers
  • Balanced
  • Reflective

Considered planning and robust assessment strategies ensure that all children make appropriate progress and master concepts. Rigorous monitoring of curriculum coverage and teaching will ensure that the challenge to deliver highly effective outcomes is ever-present. All teachers will undertake an active role in the development and deployment of our unified curriculum via our Hub Leadership framework, ensuring complete coverage and consistency across all year groups.

We develop maths mastery, using White Rose Maths. This builds a culture of deep understanding, confidence and competence in maths that produces strong, secure learning and progress. The framework provides consistency in teaching and learning as well as ensuring the complete coverage of all skills across all year groups.

Our children learn to read and write using a systematic synthetic phonics approach via Phonics International. They begin to explore meaning through Reading Rainbow and deepen their understanding and comprehension of texts through Vipers. This is all underpinned by a love of reading.

At Marden Primary Academy, all children have opportunities to express their interests and talents through an extended curriculum offer, which includes: music; performing and visual arts; sporting competitions and languages.

Our children deliver meaningful change by establishing their own authentic action projects which are determined by the learning journey of each unit of inquiry.

Evidenced through monitoring, observations and discussions with teachers and children, all children at Marden Primary Academy will make effective progress. Outcomes for children will be in line with national expectations.  The children will have the knowledge, skills, understanding and experiences needed to articulate their thinking across a broad and balanced curriculum.  As confident communicators, the children will be able to share their learning with wider audiences, including parents and the local community.  Fundamentally, as a result of the curriculum implementation, all of the children will be ready for the next step in their educational journey as internationally-minded citizens.

For more information on our curriculum, please visit our dedicated page.

PYP Curriculum Framework