Curriculum | North Oxfordshire Academy

An ambitious curriculum for every student

At North Oxfordshire Academy, our curriculum is designed to give every student the knowledge, skills and experiences they need to succeed at school and beyond.

We provide a broad and ambitious education, with high expectations for all students. Our curriculum develops secure subject knowledge, encourages students to think deeply and supports them to become confident, independent learners.

As part of United Learning, our curriculum is informed by the United Learning Curriculum and its shared principles, while reflecting the needs of students at North Oxfordshire Academy.

From Year 7 through to Year 11, students build their knowledge and understanding over time, preparing them for qualifications, further study and their future pathways.

Explore Our Subjects

Discover what students learn across the curriculum in Years 7–11.
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Year 9 Options

Find information about choosing subjects for Key Stage 4 and the Year 9 options process.
Explore Year 9 Options →

Reading & Literacy

Find out how we develop confident readers and support literacy across the curriculum.
Explore Reading & Literacy →

Sixth Form Curriculum

Explore the subjects and courses available to students continuing their studies in our Sixth Form.
Explore Sixth Form Courses →

Our Curriculum

Our curriculum is designed to provide students with a rich and ambitious education that builds knowledge over time and prepares them for future success.

We believe that every student is entitled to a challenging curriculum, regardless of background or starting point. Students study a broad range of subjects and are supported to develop the knowledge, understanding and confidence they need to progress successfully through each stage of their education.

As part of United Learning, we benefit from a shared curriculum developed by subject specialists across the group. This provides a strong foundation while enabling our teachers to respond to the needs of students at North Oxfordshire Academy.

Our curriculum principles

The United Learning curriculum is guided by six principles:

Entitlement

All students have the right to learn what is in the United Learning curriculum.

Coherence

Learning is carefully sequenced so that students build knowledge and understanding over time.

Mastery

Students are given opportunities to develop secure understanding before moving on to more complex learning.

Adaptability

The curriculum can be adapted appropriately so that students can access and succeed in their learning.

Representation

Students encounter a curriculum that reflects a diverse range of people, perspectives and experiences.

Education with Character

The curriculum contributes to students' wider development as well as their academic learning.

What this means at NOA

At North Oxfordshire Academy, these principles shape a curriculum that is ambitious, carefully sequenced and designed to help students build secure knowledge over time.

Students encounter a broad range of subjects and experiences, while teachers use their subject expertise to help students make connections, deepen their understanding and apply what they have learned.

Our curriculum also supports our wider commitment to character education, helping students develop the confidence, ambition, respect and determination they need for life beyond the classroom.

How our curriculum is structured

Students follow a broad and ambitious curriculum throughout their time at North Oxfordshire Academy. As they progress through the school, they build increasingly secure subject knowledge before making choices about some of the subjects they will study at Key Stage 4.

Key Stage 3 — Years 7, 8 and 9

During Key Stage 3, students study a broad range of subjects designed to establish strong foundations for future learning.

Students develop their knowledge and skills across the curriculum while experiencing the breadth of subjects that will help inform their choices for Key Stage 4.

Explore our subjects →

Key Stage 4 — Years 10 and 11

At Key Stage 4, students continue to study a strong academic core alongside subjects selected through the Year 9 options process.

This combination provides students with a broad education while allowing them to develop their interests and prepare for their next steps after Year 11.

Explore Year 9 Options →

Explore our subjects

Find out more about what students learn at North Oxfordshire Academy, including the knowledge and skills developed within individual subjects as students progress through the curriculum.

Explore Subjects →

Our Taught Curriculum

North Oxfordshire Academy operates a 50-period fortnight. Our taught curriculum is designed to provide a broad and coherent education, enabling students to build secure knowledge and understanding as they progress through each key stage.

At Key Stage 3, students experience a broad range of subjects before making choices for Key Stage 4. At Key Stage 4, students continue to study a strong academic core alongside subjects selected through the Year 9 options process.

At Key Stage 5, students can choose from a range of Level 3 courses alongside wider enrichment opportunities. Full details of our current Sixth Form curriculum and course offer, entry requirements and application process can be found in the Sixth Form section of our website.

KS3 - Year 7, 8 and 9

Students in Key Stage 3 study a broad and ambitious curriculum across Years 7, 8 and 9. This provides strong foundations in the core and wider curriculum and enables students to develop their knowledge, skills and interests before making their Key Stage 4 choices.

All students continue to study the full range of Key Stage 3 subjects until the end of Year 9.

Key Stage 3 Curriculum

Number of periods over a two-week timetable

10	English	2	RE
9	Maths	1	Art
7	Science	2	Music
4	History	1	Text in Performance
4	Geography	1	Design & Technology/ Hospitality
3	PE (3 periods of physical activity)	1	Computing
4	MFL	1	PSHE

KS4 - Years 10 and 11

Key Stage 4 Curriculum

At Key Stage 4, students continue to study a strong academic core alongside subjects selected through the Year 9 options process. This provides students with a broad education while enabling them to develop their individual interests and prepare for their next steps after Year 11.

Number of periods over a two-week timetable

The majority of our students take 9 GCSEs.

10	English Language & English Literature
9	Maths
9	Science x2 (triple science is an option and is taught over 11 periods)
5	History or Geography
5	French or Spanish (for pupils capable of taking a language)
5	10 periods — Two guided option subjects
2	All students follow a course of GCSE PE (2 periods of physical activity) but this is not taken as a GCSE

The subjects and qualifications available through the options process may vary. Current Year 9 options information, including available subjects and pathways, can be found on our Year 9 Options page.

Explore Year 9 Options →

KS5 - Years 12 and 13:

Key Stage 5 Curriculum

Students continuing into North Oxfordshire Academy Sixth Form can choose from a range of Level 3 academic and vocational courses, alongside wider enrichment and personal development opportunities.

Our Sixth Form section contains the current course offer, course information, entry requirements and details of the application process.

Explore Sixth Form Courses →

How We Teach Our Curriculum

Subject expertise is at the heart of curriculum delivery at North Oxfordshire Academy. Teachers use their subject knowledge, supported by collaboration within NOA and across United Learning, to deliver carefully sequenced learning that enables students to build secure knowledge and understanding over time.

Teaching builds on prior learning and provides appropriate support so that all students can access ambitious curriculum content. Teachers regularly check students' understanding and use explanation, questioning, guided practice, independent practice and feedback to help students make progress.

Retrieval and recall are used to strengthen students' knowledge over time, helping them connect new learning with what they already know and apply their understanding in increasingly complex contexts.

Our approach supports the wider curriculum principle of Education with Character, ensuring that students develop not only academically but also the confidence, ambition, respect and determination they need for life beyond the classroom.

Assessment

Assessment is an important part of teaching and learning at North Oxfordshire Academy. It helps teachers understand what students know and can do, identify gaps in understanding and plan the next steps in learning.

Teachers use formative assessment throughout lessons alongside more formal assessments at appropriate points during the year. Across United Learning, shared assessments in many subjects help provide a consistent picture of students' developing knowledge and understanding.

Assessment information is used to support teaching, help students understand their progress and provide parents and carers with information about how their child is progressing.

Find out more about Exams and Assessments →

Knowledge Organisers

Knowledge organisers support students in developing secure subject knowledge by identifying key information, vocabulary and concepts that they are expected to learn and recall. They can be used in lessons and at home to support retrieval practice and help students strengthen their understanding over time.