At Hillcrest Academy, Deep Curriculum Analysis (DCA) enables pupils to synthesise their knowledge and learning, making conceptual links and connections across curriculum areas, across time and across cultures. This adds relevance and depth to learning and provides opportunities for high quality research. Deep Curriculum Analysis generates critical thinking by creating thoughtful citizens who can: consider, represent, question, analyse and argue from different perspectives; utilise powerful skills such as inference and understand important concepts such as prejudice, reason and bias. The teaching of sophisticated vocabulary is prioritised throughout DCA units to develop a deep understanding of powerful vocabulary and its impact, giving pupils the opportunity to practise and deepen their understanding.
Our DCA Study
Modern Day Slavery
Our DCA study on Modern Day Slavery is a powerful and challenging exploration of human rights in the modern world. The unit encourages pupils to look beyond the surface of everyday life and question where products come from, who makes them, and what hidden costs may be involved. By examining how basic rights can be removed through exploitation, pupils gain a clearer understanding of their own rights and responsibilities as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Throughout the study, pupils investigate what slavery looks like today, how it differs from historical practices, and why it continues to affect millions of people worldwide. They explore global data, news stories and real case studies, considering the factors that make certain groups more vulnerable—such as conflict, poverty, inequality and weak labour protections. Using the example of mobile phones, pupils trace how products can be linked to forced labour and conflict minerals, making direct connections between their own consumer habits and global supply chains.
This DCA places strong emphasis on critical thinking, SMSC development, ethical awareness and aspiration. Pupils compare mobile phone companies using ethical ratings tables, debate key questions about responsibility, and consider how governments and industries respond to modern slavery. Importantly, they learn that action is possible: through raising awareness, writing to decision‑makers or making informed consumer choices, young people can contribute to positive change.
The unit culminates in an action plan where pupils reflect on what they have learned and consider how they can help build a fairer, safer world for others.
Operation Chastise
Operation Chastise builds on the chronological knowledge of the Battle of Britain and WW2, focusing on a specific action that arguably had significant impact on British morale and the future development of the war in favour the Allies.
In Operation Chastise, we look in depth at the scientific and engineering challenges required to build the lightest bomb possible that could do maximum damage to a heavily defended target. We look at the fundamental physics underpinning each aspect of the Upkeep Bomb design and consider the trade-off between flight-crew losses and the achievement of the strategic goal of destroying enemy infrastructure – in this case the Ruhr Valley dams of the Sorpe, the Möhne and the Eder.
Trinidad
The Trinidad DCA introduces our children to key principles in biology using examples from the natural world drawn from the similarities and differences between two places: The UK and Trinidad. These principles include the interdependence of living things in ecosystems, how the environment influences the evolution of organisms and the creation of new species, and what biodiversity is, how it can be measured and why it should be maintained.
These concepts build on ideas about what living things are, what a biome is and simple feeding relationships taught in Key Stages 1 and 2, by using Key Stage 4 content covering evolution by natural selection and ecosystems. Students then progress on to applying Key Stage 5 content from A Level biology, specifically sampling techniques and calculating Simpson’s Diversity Index in order to quantify the biodiversity of the environment around them.
These steps equip students with the skills and knowledge that they need to make informed recommendations on how biodiversity may be increased in their academies. This DCA has been designed so that successive cohorts of students build on the work of those that have gone before them, by suggesting new ways to increase the biodiversity around them. The diversity index for an academy will be revised with each new cohort, and should increase over time as improvements to the natural spaces around the academy are made.
Volcanology
Our DCA study called, “Volcanology: from Leeds to Goma” is a comprehensive study which examines the interdependence which exists between the physical, human and environmental, within these often hostile and dangerous environments. This ambitious study focusses predominantly on the location of the world’s volcanoes, encouraging pupils to consider why there is no volcanic activity where we live. Following on from this we then consider why millions of people live within the vicinity of very explosive volcanoes, before acknowledging that many people who live within the shadows of these volcanoes, do so at significant risk. Therefore, we focus on how we can mitigate against the damage caused by eruptions and how we can help to better protect people and communities, especially those living in the poorest regions of the world. Underpinning the DCA is a development of pupils’ teamwork, SMSC and presentation skills. Additionally, throughout sessions 5-6, there is a clear focus on careers and aspiration, which underpins the culmination of the DCA.
The National Curriculum and Beyond
PSHE:
Pupils deepen their understanding of global human rights by examining complex issues such as forced labour, child labour, and unethical resource extraction—topics that go significantly beyond the KS2 expectations of basic fairness, relationships, and personal identity. They consider their role as ethical consumers and analyse how everyday choices influence global supply chains and labour practices.
History:
Pupils explore the historical development of human rights and compare historical slavery with modern forms of exploitation, which focuses on discrete historical periods rather than thematic, ethical, or socio‑political continuity. They evaluate how ideas of justice, equality, and freedom have evolved over time.
Science & Maths:
Pupils investigate how minerals such as cobalt are extracted and analyse both environmental and human consequences of the processes involved. This exceeds KS2 scientific content by connecting materials and their origins to global industry, ethical issues, and the scientific tracking of supply chains. Pupils interpret and critique data from the Global Slavery Index and ethical ratings tables, working with real‑world datasets
Geography:
Pupils examine global inequalities, economic systems, and the geographical patterns of modern slavery—elements far beyond KS2, which focuses primarily on locational knowledge and physical/human features. They analyse conflict minerals, global interdependence, and the economic and political factors that contribute to exploitation.
English:
Pupils develop advanced persuasive writing and debating skills, synthesising information from multiple complex sources to build structured arguments about corporate responsibility, human rights, and ethical consumption by requiring critical evaluation, rhetorical strategy, and evidence‑based argumentation.
Science: Operation Chastise provides pupils with the opportunity to explore angular momentum (a concept only covered at A-Level) and the stability of spinning objects. The concept of inertia is explored which extends their learning beyond the KS2 knowledge of forces. Water pressure is explored with pupils as they learn that water pressure increases with depth.
Mathematics: Pupils are able to use their mathematical skills throughout Operation Chastise to solve problems. Throughout their investigative work, pupils will utilise their mathematical understanding to calculate the mean of their results and subsequently plot these results using tables. They will interpret data to make links between scientific concepts.
Science: Students are taught about the structure of ecosystems and how to quantify and measure biodiversity. They learn that evolution by natural selection can increase biodiversity (through speciation) or decrease biodiversity (through extinction). Student apply the scientific method by measuring the biodiversity of their school environment.
Geography: Students are taught the components that make up the biome of a place and how plate tectonics have changed environments and created islands, prompting natural selection.
English: Students articulate their analyses of graphs when presenting to their peers and lobby for change using persuasive writing.
Maths: Students describe the relationships between variables and use a complex formula to make calculations.
Geography: Pupils explore the composition of the earth’s layers and the complexities in plate boundaries. As they progress throughout the unit, pupils investigate a country in South-East Asia and develop geographical inferences. They complete work using the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) and the The Human Development Index (HDI) which are concepts beyond the National Curriculum for KS2.
English: Pupils develop their oracy and Spoken language as they present their findings on the city of Goma. They articulate their ideas with clarity and participate in discussions to consider strategies that will improve the lives of those affected.
Computing: Volcanology provides pupils with the opportunity to enhance their computing and technology skills as they work with their peers to create an effective presentation. They will use search technologies effectively whilst demonstrating that they can use responsible information from the internet.
