Art

The aim of the Art and Design Department is to guide pupils to achieve their full potential in an enjoyable and stimulating learning environment. Through exploring a wide variety of media and techniques, pupils are encouraged to develop and broaden their skills and confidence. Our ethos is to help prepare pupils for life and work as individuals, contributors to society, the economy and the environment through investigating sensory and creative media.

Business Studies

In Business Studies we aim to enable every pupil to leave school with an accredited qualification. We strive to reduce the attainment gap between groups of students by making effective use of data to inform teaching and learning any by constantly developing our skills as a teaching team. All staff have up-to-date knowledge and understanding of our subject and working as a team helps us to help our students to reach their full potential. We play a key part in developing skills that will prepare students’ workplace skills which in turn will contribute to their economic wellbeing. Our curriculum contextualises learning through the use of real life situations and problem solving scenarios. Our students develop personal qualities such as the ability to work effectively in teams.

Careers

The aims of the Careers Department is to embed the vision that here at Strabane Academy we strive to support every young person in fulfilling their potential. This includes not only making positive contributions to the economy but also importantly – society! Work needs to be seen as rewarding, not just financial gain but in bringing purpose and focus to the young person in their lives post-school. We help to identify pathways and ways to progress that will take them through school to further study and/or training, and eventually into employment. We explore careers provision that will help them to know what routes are available to them, and what will be required of them to make this progress as successful as we can.

English

We, the English department in Strabane Academy, hope to instil, nurture and develop a wide variety of communication skills in our pupils. Communication skills are a vital tool that all our young people should be equipped with in today’s society, now more so than ever. With the increasing presence of the media, the ever-present political dialogue, the advent of ‘fake news’ and the encroachment of social media on the lives of today’s children, it is essential that we teach our pupils skills of analysis, interpretation, inference and empathy for people whose lives, represented through fiction and non-fiction, are very different from our own. These are the goals we will help our pupils pursue throughout their studies in English at Strabane Academy.

Geography

The Geography Department in Strabane Academy has the aim of allowing students to acquire knowledge, develop skills, and achieve academic success in an atmosphere where they enjoy learning! Our vision is to enthuse our pupils and make them passionate about the world around them, developing an understanding of the complexity of human life and its physical surroundings. We want our pupils to be independent thinkers who are fully prepared to engage meaningfully in an ever-changing world. We believe this is best achieved through inspirational teaching!

History

We believe that History is a chronicle of human behaviour – a real-life drama full of villains and heroes, the mighty and the meek; we aim to try and understand it!

Home Economics

The Northern Ireland Curriculum seeks to empower pupils to achieve their potential and to make informed and responsible decisions throughout their lives. It is about helping pupils prepare for life and work as individuals;

as contributors to society;
as contributors to the economy and environment.
Home Economics has a significant role to play in this. Home Economics provides pupils with opportunities to explore real issues explicitly relevant to real-life contexts. These experiences lead to the development of a wide range of transferable skills. Of particular value is the contribution of the subject to the development of skills such as decision making and working with others.

ICT

The IT Department aims to provide a broad and balanced ICT curriculum, providing experience within and beyond the parameters listed in the National Curriculum requirements.

Learning For Life

The aim of this course is to provide students with the skills they require to think independently, make informed decisions, and take appropriate action when faced with personal, social, economic and employment issues.

Mathematics

The mathematics department welcomes learners of all abilities and instils high expectations. Mathematics is all around us, and students have the opportunity in Strabane Academy to develop skills that are essential for the workplace and further study. Our aim is to develop our students skills in problem solving, logic and reasoning, and attention to detail. Mathematics can lead to careers in the IT industry, engineering, business, and teaching.

MFL

The aim of the department is to introduce pupils to the language and culture of France and French-speaking communities and countries. To build pupil confidence in producing language in all 4 skill areas of listening, reading, speaking and writing. To enhance thinking skills and personal capabilities, and in doing so allow pupils to become independent learners.

Music

For all pupils to explore music through listening, composing and performing music. Our music department aims to engage all pupils in music by developing1) A knowledge and appreciation of music from many different genres by listening and studying a range of periods of music, composers and styles.2) An enthusiasm for the creative process of composing music by learning about rhythm, melody and harmony.3) A confidence in performing, using classroom percussion and keyboards. Our music department aims to be a welcoming and nurturing environment for all pupils to be able to explore their musical interests and talents in a supportive atmosphere.

Physical Education

To ensure every child has access to at least 2 hours high quality PE and School Sport, developing an active healthy lifestyle. Those studying PE at examination level create a pathway to success after leaving school by developing the skills required to develop, technically, tactically physically and psychologically.

Religious Studies

To explore a range of beliefs and values about religious, philosophical and ethical issues, considering different viewpoints and encouraging independent thought as students evaluate worldviews and perspectives alternative to their own. Strabane Academy’s RE department strives to be inclusive of all our students’ voices, valuing diversity of opinion, faith and belief.

Science

The Science Department supports and strongly contributes to the School Aims. In particular, the Department promotes:
1) To stimulate and maintain an interest in Science.

2) To encourage the application of knowledge of Science.

3) To develop safe practical skills in Science.

4) To promote environmental awareness.

5) To make personal decisions about moral and ethical issues arising in Science.

Technology and Design

In Technology and Design, we encourage the development of creativity and practical skills through making links between existing solutions, technological knowledge and good design. We aim to give pupils the opportunity to communicate design ideas using various media and to make quality products using a board range of resistant materials.