Curriculum Overview
Elevating Our Curriculum: Empowering Growth and Achievement
At Mossbourne Fobbing Academy, our curriculum stands as a testament to our unwavering belief in the potential of every pupil. It embodies our ambitious aspirations, driving an unyielding dedication to enhancing teaching quality to propel an exceptional educational experience.
Our commitment to fostering a vibrant learning environment is embodied in the broad, dynamic, and ambitious curriculum we've meticulously crafted. Tailored to meet the diverse needs of our local community, our curriculum not only aligns with but often surpasses national standards. As students progress through Years 7 to 11, they engage not only with core subjects but also explore additional dimensions like drama and dance, expanding their horizons beyond the conventional.
Curriculum Intent: In line with the Federation’s secondary curriculum intent, student learning at MFA is coherently planned and sequenced to ensure that students acquire and retain the knowledge and skills needed to fulfil their potential.
MFA offers a rich and stimulating curriculum that is tailored to student need, offering both support and challenge to all learners to ensure that every student achieves excellence. Our curriculum is broad in scope, yet also underpinned by the knowledge that a good secondary education requires a deep understanding of the core EBacc subjects. To this end, we dedicate substantial time and resources to maths, English, science, languages and the humanities subjects. Throughout the curriculum, we focus on delivering knowledge effectively, assessing it rigorously and ensuring our students retain it.
Finally, we believe in the importance of personal behaviours and attitudes to learning, without which no curriculum can be effectively delivered.
Curriculum: Students Currently in Years 6, 7 and 8: The curriculum for students currently in Years 6, 7 and 8 will be as described below and will mean that students in Years 6, 7 and 8 will attain 9 GCSEs:
*Art/Technology: Art and technology is taught on a rotation in Year 7 & 8.
** Creative Electives: Students have the option to select two arts or technology subjects in year 9. They study each subject for half a year. This does not mean they will study the subjects at GCSE but may opt to do so from Year 10. Progression to GCSE is not dependent on choice of the creative electives, indeed, students may wish to select the same or a different GCSE subject studied in the ‘Creative Electives’ in Year 9.
Curriculum: Students Currently in Year 9
The curriculum for students currently in Year 9 will be as described below and will mean that students in Year 9 will attain 8 GCSEs:
Curriculum: Students Currently in Year 10
The curriculum for students currently in Year 10 will be as described below and will mean that students in Year 10 will attain 8 GCSEs:
Sixth Form Curriculum Offer: We want the Mossbourne Thurrock Sixth Form to be the local area’s ‘post-16 destination of choice’. To achieve this in the longer term, the previous curriculum offer will be reduced. We are committed to ensuring that our offer must be delivered to the highest standard to support students to achieve the best results of which they are capable. The curriculum must be affordable, and we must create capacity to focus on other critical elements required for students to successfully transition to the next stage of their journey, whether that be further study, work, or an apprenticeship.
Following the consultation, the decision to discontinue both A Level Law and A Level Psychology was revised, and they will now be offered to Key Stage 5 students in September 2025. Our offer will be reviewed annually and is dependent on several factors, including the viability of subjects. The subjects available to study at the Mossbourne Thurrock Sixth Form from September 2025 are as follows:
Year 11 students, both internal (Fobbing and Port Side Academies) and external, who have applied to enrol at the Mossbourne Thurrock Sixth Form in September 2025, and have chosen subjects which will not be offered, will be contacted by the Sixth Form Team to arrange a time to discuss alternative options. Students not based at Fobbing Academy and who are not able to meet with the Sixth Form Team to discuss alternative options in advance, will have the opportunity to discuss this on enrolment day. Enrolment Day will take place on GCSE results day on Thursday, 21st August 2025.
The Bourne Scholar Programme: Many parents were understandably curious about the Bourne Scholar Programme which students will study for one lesson, or 50 minutes, per week from Years 7 -11. As such, we thought it may be useful having spoken about the programme at the Parental Engagement Evenings to re-share the explanation from our letter in November 2024.
The Bourne Scholar programme is a unique enrichment opportunity which we believe equips our students with key learning beyond curriculum. The aim is to foster a love of learning for learning’s sake without the pressure of examinations.
The Bourne Scholar and the co-curricular programmes includes various activities and subjects such as debating, performing arts, British Sign Language, rowing, dance, yoga, architecture, coding, and more.
At Key Stage 4 the programme is designed to keep the breadth of educational experience and enrichment at a time when the curriculum traditionally narrows. It also aims to build resilience and coping strategies for the
increased demands of KS4. Furthermore, KS4 sees the introduction whole-year activities, such as, Cadets, NHS Cadets, Duke of Edinburgh Award, medical bursaries, charities, and campaigning, and more. Specific offering may vary from site to site depending on the local offer.
For additional information on our curriculum, please email curriculum@gablehall.com
