Curriculum

Curriculum Intent

The Vyne’s curriculum is ambitious, inclusive and coherently planned, ensuring that all students, regardless of background or starting point, gain the powerful knowledge, skills and cultural capital they need to succeed in education and in later life.

Our curriculum is designed to improve life chances, enabling students to achieve strong academic outcomes while developing the knowledge and personal qualities required to lead safe, healthy and fulfilling lives.

It is carefully sequenced and well-structured, building on students’ prior learning and ensuring that key knowledge is retained over time. The curriculum prepares students effectively for public examinations, further study, employment and active participation in society.

Key features of our curriculum intent include:
 

• Ambition for All: A curriculum that is challenging and appropriately adapted to meet the needs of all learners, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged students.

• Breadth, Balance and Entitlement: A broad and balanced curriculum that ensures all students access a wide range of subjects, including the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), alongside creative, technical and practical disciplines.

• Knowledge-Rich Design: A focus on the acquisition of well-sequenced, cumulatively sufficient knowledge that enables students to think deeply and make connections across subjects.

• Literacy and Communication: A whole-school commitment to developing students’ reading, writing, vocabulary and oracy so they can access the full curriculum.

• Personal Development: Planned opportunities to develop students’ character, resilience, independence and understanding of fundamental values.

Curriculum Implementation

The curriculum is implemented through consistently high-quality teaching, underpinned by subject expertise and informed by evidence-based practice. 

• Subject Expertise and Leadership: Subject leaders have a clear vision for their curriculum and ensure it is well-sequenced, coherent and consistently delivered. 

• Sequencing and Progression: Learning is structured so that new knowledge builds on prior knowledge, enabling students to know more and remember more over time.

• Adaptive Teaching: Teaching is responsive to students’ needs, ensuring that all learners can access the curriculum and make progress.

• Assessment: Assessment is used effectively to check students’ understanding, inform teaching and address misconceptions. It is purposeful and does not create unnecessary workload.

• Literacy Across the Curriculum: Teachers explicitly teach subject-specific vocabulary and support students to read, write and communicate with increasing fluency and confidence.

• Developing Independence: Students are supported to develop metacognitive strategies, enabling them to plan, monitor and evaluate their learning.

Curriculum Impact

We evaluate impact through a range of measures, including students’ work, assessment outcomes and wider development. As a result of our curriculum, students:

• Achieve Strong Outcomes: Students attain well across subjects and are well prepared for the next stage of education, reflected in strong progress measures.

• Retain and Apply Knowledge: Students demonstrate secure understanding and can apply their knowledge confidently across different contexts.

• Progress to Positive Destinations: Students move on to appropriate and aspirational next steps, including sixth form, further education, apprenticeships and higher education.

• Develop as Well-Rounded Individuals: Students are confident, articulate and respectful, with the knowledge and skills to contribute positively to society.

Curriculum Structure by Key Stage

Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9)

The Key Stage 3 curriculum provides a broad and balanced foundation, ensuring that students develop secure knowledge across a wide range of disciplines. All students study:

• Core Subjects: English, Mathematics, and Science.
  EBacc Subjects: History, Geography, Modern Foreign Languages (French, with Spanish and German in Yr 7), and Computer Science.

• Foundation Subjects: Art, Design and Technology, Dance, Drama, Information Technology, Literacy, Music, Physical Education, Religious Education and Textiles.
  
  

This ensures students develop disciplinary knowledge and keep future curriculum pathways open.

Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11)

At Key Stage 4, the curriculum builds on prior learning and provides rigorous academic and vocational pathways, preparing students for GCSEs and other recognised qualifications.

Compulsory Core:

• English Language and English Literature

• Mathematics

• Science (either Combined Science or three separate sciences: Biology, Chemistry, and Physics)

• Physical Education

• Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE)

Optional Subjects:

Students select from a broad range of subjects to create a balanced and aspirational pathway, including:

• Humanities: History, Geography, Sociology, Child Development and Religious Studies (available within the curriculum and as an additional subject).

• Languages: French (available within the curriculum and as an additional subject).

• Creative and Technical: Art, Drama, Food Preparation and Nutrition and Design and Technology and Music.

• Technical: Business, and Computer Science

• Physical: Dance, Physical Education

This structure ensures students are well prepared for their next stage, with pathways that reflect their interests, strengths and ambitions.