Meeting CFW Requirements

Curriculum reform is at the heart of the development of our School Development and Improvement Priorities and that we had been focusing as a staffing body on devising a common approach to whole-school curriculum planning. We are now pleased to report that we have finalised the planning templates and staff are well under way with planning for the delivery of a broad and balanced curriculum, which meets the Fours Purposes and our curriculum vision. Miss Gilsenan is happy to share these new templates with Governors, should it be required.

In order to work towards achieving a transformational curriculum that builds on existing excellent teaching practices at Hawarden High School, we have recently reviewed our Faculty structure to support its delivery. There are some slight changes and subjects will now sit within the following areas:

Communications: English Language, English Literature and Media Studies

Art, Culture and Well-Being: Art, Drama, Food and Nutrition, Health and Social Care and Childcare, Music and Digital Media, Photography, Physical Education and Sport,

Mathematics: Mathematics, Numeracy and Further Mathematics

Science: Applied Science, Biology, Chemistry, Criminology, Physics, Psychology, Sociology

Cymru, Ewrop a’r Byd: French, Geography, German, History, Law, Religious Values and Ethics, Spanish, Welsh, National Baccalaureate

Technical and Vocational: Business Studies, Computer Science, Digital Technology, Engineering, Product Design, Public Services

Integral to a curriculum that aims to raise academic standards and realise the Four Purposes, is the development of cross curricular skills throughout the curriculum. Staff across all subject areas are working hard to plan for meaningful opportunities to develop literacy, numeracy and digital competence across the curriculum. Miss Gilsenan updated Governors last June about emerging plans to implement a ‘ladder of learning’ from Year 7-13. This ladder will comprise of opportunities across the whole curriculum for students to develop holistically in terms of their skills, experiences, opportunities and achievements. We decided to introduce a ‘LEAD lesson’ (leadership, excellence, aspiration, and determination to succeed) into the KS3 curriculum and re-brand Skills Challenge lessons at KS4 and KS5 as LEAD. They initially comprised of opportunities to develop integral skills such as creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, personal effectiveness and planning and organising. We will now be devoting extra time within the KS3 curriculum LEAD time further and will exploit opportunities to develop cross-curricular skills in more depth and breadth by utilising this extra time in an effective way.