Curriculum

We intend that our curriculum supports our Trust ambition of ‘achieving more together’.  

We do this by offering an exciting, broad and balanced curriculum that aims to provide all students with the core and facilitating knowledge and skills that enable them to leave our school academically successful, and therefore be able to make positive contributions to society.  We intend that, by experiencing this curriculum, all students will be able to access the best further and higher education pathways, apprenticeships, or the world of work, and lead successful, happy and fulfilling lives.  

The curriculum across all subjects is carefully sequenced so that prior core declarative and procedural knowledge is built upon, with continual opportunities for core knowledge to be interleaved throughout both key stages so that students know more, remember more and can apply that knowledge in a range of contexts.  Facilitating knowledge adds important local, national, and global context to core knowledge, enabling a rich and diverse learning experience. 

The school curriculum is built on the following principles: 

• Reading and comprehension that aims to ensure all students leave with a reading age at least equivalent to their chronological age, enabling them to develop the confidence to explore the world through literature 

• Our school values of Work Hard, Be Kind with No Excuses aim to provide a productive climate for learning and culture that is safe, ensuring our students leave as well-rounded citizens

• A deepening understanding of core and facilitating knowledge that enables students to know and remember more

• Through our broad and aspirational curriculum, we foster an appreciation of the diverse world that we live in, and seek to expand the horizons of our students  

To ensure any gaps in our students’ knowledge are quickly identified, we check progress frequently through: a range of assessment opportunities; from lesson-by-lesson declarative knowledge tests; end of topic tests that assess knowledge retention and application; to more cumulative common assessments that assess students’ ability to remember and apply knowledge in a range of contexts.  The information from these assessments is used to adapt the curriculum to quickly close gaps in knowledge and keep students on track to achieve our ambitious academic flight paths.

At KS3 students access all subjects and our school curriculum meets and often extends beyond National Curriculum requirements, lasting for three years to ensure breadth and depth.  We are ambitious in what we expect students to achieve during this key stage and aspire for all our students to make strong progress from their entry points to the school that enables them to confidently access Level 2 courses at KS4.

At KS4, we intend that all students continue to follow a broad core curriculum over two years building on the breadth of experience at KS3.  Through our careers programme students receive careful guidance to help them select their option subjects in addition to the core curriculum, to ensure the most appropriate education pathways post GCSE studies. 

The main school curriculum is enhanced a range of co-curricular opportunities in areas of sports, the Arts, outdoor learning experiences, catch-up sessions, wellbeing, visits to places of interest and visitors coming into our school.

Our curriculum model has been developed to allow depth and breadth of knowledge, to build cultural capital and equip our students with the skills needed to be successful life-long learners.

Reading, literacy and numeracy are at the heart of our curriculum; students have the opportunity to develop their reading through our Accelerated Reader programme. Reciprocal reading and numeracy skills are part of our Personal Development programme.

Our curriculum is mapped out for each year group and cross-referenced against departments. This allows students to develop transferable skills, giving them the ability to adapt to different challenges which is vital to life beyond school. 

We have introduced TLAC strategies and Knowledge Organisers to promote independent learning. Virtual learning is used as part of the independent study programme and is also incorporated into lessons and homework via Google Classrooms.

The learning inside the classroom is enhanced by our extra-curricular programmes.

Our 3-year Key Stage 3 curriculum builds on the knowledge gained at KS2 and gives students the tools they need to carry on to KS4 and beyond. Towards the end of Year 9, students choose their GCSE options. Parents and students are supported through these choices by trained Careers advisers, their tutors and subject teachers, and via our Careers programme.

Our 2-year Key Stage 4 programme encourages students to develop their creativity and allows all students to follow the EBACC route.

Each unit of work in every subject is planned so the knowledge is built into the long-term memory of pupils.  The knowledge and skills that are selected in the curriculum is powerful, it should capture the imagination and stay with the pupils. The knowledge and skills are transferable between subjects and is carefully sequenced to build upon prior knowledge and to stretch and extend each individual pupil. The key knowledge and skills are re-visited frequently and assessed by knowledge tests, quizzes and past paper questions.

Our curriculum complies with duties set out in the Equality Act 2010.

Staff will take every opportunity to ensure all pupils, whatever their ability, make the best possible progress and achieve the highest standards in subjects and qualifications.  Pupils will be encouraged to discover their own strengths as staff recognise that equal opportunity does not mean identical provision for all. Pupils identified as being academically gifted will be encouraged to achieve exceptionally high standards.  Such pupils will be given extra support, guidance and appropriate opportunities to develop and will receive a challenging experience across the curriculum.

The curriculum complies with duties set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014.

Pupils with Special Educational Needs will be supported, both within and outside the curriculum and are expected to access, as a minimum, the 'core' knowledge across all subjects. Much of the support will be undertaken in class through ensuring that “quality first teaching” takes place.  Additional support in class will be provided by Keyworkers working closely with class teachers. Further support will occasionally be offered by small group work and on an individual basis through withdrawal sessions. The aim is to encourage mature, confident pupils who are proud of themselves and who can experience success.

For further information on how we make the curriculum accessible for those with disabilities or special educational needs please click here

The impact of the curriculum is assessed regularly using a variety of methods to ensure that the learning of knowledge has been effective and any gaps can be addressed.

The methods to assess students include:

• Low stakes knowledge tests

• End of unit / topic assessments

• Big Assessments (End of term tests)

• End of year exams

• Verbally in lessons

• Using AFL Techniques

• Mini Quizzes (Whiteboards)

• Any other creative techniques teachers feel are effective in their subjects.

Pupils' progress is monitored and tracked by each Head of Department or Subject Leader, who are overseen by a Senior Leader linked to each subject area.