STEM & ICT

At Redwood Park Academy we strive to offer Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) through a hands-on practical approach. The curriculum offers a diverse, enquiry-based approach where the pupils can explore big questions with a range of engaging equipment. This approach allows for our pupils to explore at their own pace whilst considering how things work.

STEM can be seen across the curriculum with links to Art, Wider World, English, Maths, Design Technology, and ICT. We have an exciting range of ‘Tara Binns’ books that focus on a young person’s adventure when she takes on a different STEM focused job role. These books help support the big ideas behind STEM, furthermore the pupils can have fun replicating the experiments or design ideas in the books.

Our aims:

To provide enquiry-based learning through a hands-on approach.
Explore big questions about STEM by having the time to use specialist equipment.
To link learning to ECHP targets to ensure a personalised learning approach is supported by STEM activities.
To provide safe and well-maintained user-friendly equipment.

Skill development linked to The National Curriculum:

Asking simple questions and recognising that they can be answered in different ways.
Observing closely, using simple equipment.
Performing simple tests.
Identifying and classifying.
Using their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
Gathering and recording data to help in answering questions.

Solent Academies Trust have teamed up with STEM ENTHUSE partnerships for schools. The exciting initiative will improve young people’s engagement in STEM subjects. STEM explores Science, Technology, Engineering, and associated Maths skills to develop awareness and skills for lifelong learning.

Please click on this link to find out more. https://www.redwood-academy.net/Partnerships/

At Redwood Park Academy our main aim is to improve the provision of specialist ICT equipment to engage leaners in developing lifelong computing skills.

We have an exciting range of Indi and Sphero robots that inspire imaginative, play-based learning, by empowering pupils to design and build their own mazes while creating opportunities for pupils to learn the basics of coding, solve problems, and nurture computational thinking skills.

Supported by https://teachcomputing.org/hubs to improve teacher confidence, reduce workload and provide a progressive framework for pupils to develop computational thinking skills. The framework is adapted for stage not age starting with year 1 for all pupils across all key stages. Teachers can assess group needs and move pupils on as needed. This curriculum is in-line with The National Curriculum computing skill sets and supports sequential upskilling steps of learning. Lesson plans and supporting documents are available to adapt and personalise, where appropriate. Staff training is funded by the partnership through the National Centre for Computing Education.