Curriculum & Subjects

Our priority is to ensure that the curriculum experience every child receives in our school is first class. We firmly believe that every child is entitled to an ‘excellent education’

We wish to create:

• Successful students, who make good progress and achieve their potential
• Healthy learners, who are future ready and able to take on their next phase
• Global citizens who understand the wider world and can make a positive contribution to society.

It is essential that the curriculum is organised in such a way that it provides students with the opportunity to learn expected behaviours and be successful in their learning both inside and outside of the classroom, so that we can deliver our mission and aims.

Strategic intent

To develop a curriculum which:

• Is rich, engaging and inspires all students to achieve  
• Takes into account students’ individual needs and abilities so that all can succeed
• Embodies high expectations and challenge in order to build resilience and confidence so they are ready to contribute to a rapidly changing society
• Is ambitious in the depth which it brings, to embrace the students’ enquiring minds and thirst for success
• Is well designed, inclusive and carefully sequenced to provide all students with a secure foundation for their futures
• Enables students to embrace opportunities beyond the curriculum to develop their love of learning and mastery in their subjects
• Links to numeracy and literacy in all that we do 
• Empowers students to value education and thrive 
• Establishes strong behaviour for learning principles
• Supports the spiritual, cultural and moral development of our students.

 

Curriculum principles

• Clear progress over 5 years to meet the most ambitious targets
• The curriculum has both breadth and depth; students can develop the knowledge and skills in creative and traditional subjects
• The focus of literacy runs through the curriculum, to ensure that students have the essential skills needed for life and to access the full curriculum
• Targeted support and additional challenge to ensure that all students exceed national rates of progress
• Students with additional needs are identified and catered for in all lessons
• Carefully planned activities through tutor time and assemblies to address SMSC and aspirations
• Bespoke pathways for different groups to ensure that they experience a full a range of disciplines throughout their schooling
• Learning opportunities outside of the classroom
• Opportunities of careers advice and guidance are embedded through students’ time at the school.

 

Curriculum implementation

• Delivery is through quality first teaching, advice and guidance, coaching, mentorship, feedback and assessment, personal development planning, skills development and practice, and access to resources
• Each department plans, delivers and reviews its curriculum – the curriculum lifecycle
• Enhancement days support students to access their curriculum further through developing skills, knowledge and taking the specifications ‘off piste’
• Understanding each other’s curriculum is a key part of staff training
• Curriculum delivery focuses on PITCH, requiring students to be reflective, curious and have ownership over their progress
• Challenge and high order questioning are constant features of lessons
• Our curriculum gradually builds the learning experience. It allows for continuity of experiences as the learner progresses and grows
• Extra-curricular opportunities are integral to the whole curriculum offer
• Careers advice and guidance is an integral part of the curriculum offer and is supplemented  by an independent, third-party provider.

 

Mechanics of the offer

• 3 year key stage 3 and 2 year key stage 4; 5 x 60 minute lessons per day
• 2 week timetable with good balance throughout the fortnight
• Four option blocks at GCSE allow for students to opt for the EBacc without sacrificing creative subjects
• Year 9 begin their GCSE courses in the final half term of year 9
• All subjects taught by specialists.

 

Curriculum impact

• The curriculum is the core of the school, the cornerstone of our ethos and the bedrock of our professional development
• It has improved behaviour and behaviour for learning
• It is broadening understanding and the intellectual capacity of our students
• Subject leaders are making intelligent use of assessment to inform curriculum design
• It has improved reading, writing and numeracy.

Curriculum Provision