Approach to Learning

Curriculum, Learning and Making Knowledge Stick at HAF

 

Our Approach to Curriculum Design

At Harris Academy Falconwood, curriculum design is the foundation of an exceptional education. Guided by our mantra, ‘Knowledge is Power. We make it stick’, every subject is deliberately built around powerful knowledge that broadens horizons, extends beyond everyday experience and prepares pupils to thrive in the modern world. Our subject leaders begin with absolute clarity about what pupils must know and be able to do, carefully sequencing learning so that new knowledge builds securely upon prior learning. This ensures a coherent, ambitious journey through every discipline.

One Ambitious Curriculum for All

We believe that access to a rich, challenging curriculum is a matter of equity and social justice. Every pupil, regardless of starting point, prior attainment, SEND need or background, is entitled to learn the same ambitious curriculum. At HAF, support is never created through lowering the level of challenge or narrowing the curriculum. Instead, we provide carefully planned scaffolds, guided practice, precise modelling and reasonable adjustments so that every learner can successfully access powerful knowledge. Our aspiration is simple but uncompromising: all students learn the same curriculum and all students succeed.

How We Teach and Make Knowledge Stick

Every decision we make about learning and teaching is governed by two fundamental truths: if nothing has changed in long-term memory, nothing has been learned; and forgetting is inevitable. This means that our teaching model is intentionally designed to move knowledge from short-term performance into secure long-term memory.

All lessons begin with a high-challenge retrieval ‘Do Now’ lasting 10–15 minutes, deliberately designed to stop the forgetting of vital knowledge, facts and skills from previous lessons, topics and even previous years. Teachers then move through our fully guided instructional sequence of ‘I do, We do, You do’. In the ‘I do’ phase, new learning is explained with clarity, strong examples and expert modelling. The ‘We do’ phase provides structured support through questioning, paired talk, deconstruction and guided practice. Finally, in the ‘You do’ phase, pupils apply their learning independently, with minimal support, so that knowledge is rehearsed, strengthened and embedded.

This approach ensures that lessons are intellectually ambitious, highly inclusive and relentlessly focused on long-term retention. We do not differentiate by task; instead, we teach with such clarity and support that all pupils can complete the same challenging work successfully.

The HAF Lean Lesson Planning Model

To ensure excellence in curriculum implementation, we have trained all staff to approach lesson planning by beginning with the endpoint firmly in mind. Teachers first identify exactly what they want pupils to know, understand and be able to do by the end of every lesson, sequence of lessons, unit of work and academic stage. This endpoint-driven approach creates absolute clarity around success criteria, strengthens curriculum coherence and ensures a highly consistent experience for pupils across subjects and classrooms. By planning backwards from clearly defined outcomes, every lesson becomes a deliberate step in a carefully sequenced journey towards long-term mastery.

World-Class Professional Development

At Harris Academy Falconwood, we believe exceptional teaching and leadership are sustained through world-class professional development that sharpens both the doing and the being. Our approach develops not only the highest-leverage aspects of classroom practice, but also the quality of our relationships, conversations and leadership presence.

1. Evidence Informed, Never Fashion Led

Every strand of our professional development is rooted in the best available educational research, cognitive science and evidence from highly effective classrooms. Our CPD is never driven by fad or fashion, but by strategies with a proven track record of improving pupil outcomes and strengthening professional expertise.

2. Highest-Leverage Practice First

We focus relentlessly on the small refinements in practice that create the biggest gains in the shortest time. From explanation, modelling and questioning to retrieval, feedback, routines and transitions, our development model helps staff identify and strengthen the teaching moves that matter most.

3. Bespoke Growth from Classroom to Leadership

Professional development at HAF is highly bespoke and designed to support colleagues at every stage of their journey—from early career teachers to middle leaders and senior leaders. Alongside subject expertise and classroom craft, we deliberately cultivate leadership capacity, systems thinking and the ability to influence others positively, ensuring staff are continuously prepared for their next stage of growth.

4. Rehearsal, Coaching and Actionable Feedback

We believe that professional excellence is as much about how we show up as it is about what we do. Through instructional coaching, leadership coaching and deliberate rehearsal, staff practise the precise moves that matter most—whether that is modelling a difficult explanation, refining classroom routines, or preparing for a courageous leadership conversation. This is strengthened through precise, actionable feedback that is specific, helpful and immediately transferable into practice. We deliberately develop staff to engage in skilful conversations with empathy and radical candour, ensuring that challenge and support coexist in a culture of trust, growth and continuous improvement.

5. Maximum Impact, Minimum Workload

Above all, our CPD model is designed to minimise workload and maximise effectiveness. By focusing on the highest-leverage improvements in teaching, leadership and communication, every refinement in practice translates rapidly into stronger learning experiences, greater consistency and improved outcomes for pupils.