Curriculum
We want to enable all our students to become:
- Successful learners, who strive to reach their potential in all they do
- Confident learners, who develop a fine sense of identity and self-worth
- Responsible citizens, well prepared for life and work and keen to make a positive difference to the world they live in
The aim of our curriculum is to ensure that all students grow in confidence whilst achieving the highest of standards in relation to student progress, allowing them then to succeed at college, university and beyond. Within this broad framework, we focus on enabling our students to develop knowledge, understand concepts and acquire skills, and be able to choose and apply these in relevant situations.
Mr Mike Rabey, Deputy Headteacher, is our overall lead for curriculum.
Our curriculum for Years 7, 8 and 9 is broad and balanced, enabling students to develop key literacy and numeracy skills, develop their wider learning skills and to experience a range of exciting curriculum opportunities.
Our grouping policy means that in Maths and English, students will be broadly set on entry in Year 7, which then drives the setting for most other subject areas. As students move though Key Stage 3, other subjects may group students by ability such as in Science, Humanities, Modern Foreign Languages and Physical Education. This means the needs of all students can be met. More able students will be able to learn at a pace and level of challenge which meets their needs and students who need to focus on key skills will be given the extra support and smaller class sizes to enable them to access the curriculum and to succeed.
Our Key Stage 3 curriculum allows students to study the following subjects, as per the requirements of the National Curriculum:
Modern Foreign Languages *
Personal, Social, Health and Enterprise Education
* At KS3, all students study either French or Spanish as their main Modern Foreign Language.
Our commitment to a broad and balanced curriculum continues into Key Stage 4.
During Year 9 we work closely with students and their parents through the options process, so they are able to choose a Key Stage 4 course which plays to their interests and strengths and ensures clear post-16 progression. This is a very important process, as students respond well to a more individualized, challenging and engaging curriculum which enables them to achieve of their best.
We provide a curriculum that offers breadth, balance and opportunity. The choices available for students are flexible, thereby allowing for personalisation by addressing students’ interests, abilities and aspirations.
We also incorporate the Government’s latest plans for the 14 – 19 curriculum. Students have the chance to follow both GCSE and vocational courses, where appropriate.
Many of our students also opt to take further GCSEs in one or two weekly after school sessions as a twilight. This particularly appeals to our more able students who want to add an extra qualification to their portfolio.
For a Key Stage 4 curriculum overview for each subjects, please consult the back sections of these documents.
The primary aim of any curriculum is to enable every child to succeed beyond their expectations.
In some subjects setting may support accelerated progress, whilst others achieve greater success when students are grouped in mixed ability classes.
The following information explains the setting structure for our core departments in Key Stages 3 & 4.
When writing the timetable there is often a necessity within a year group to schedule different subjects to be taught at the same time. This is most common in Year 7 where, for example, maths drives the setting for science, IT, RE and PD this year; whilst English drives the setting for French, Spanish, humanities and the creative arts.
All departments assess students at various points throughout the school year. Although we try to keep set changes to a minimum, we may feel that we need to move your child up or down a set to extend or support their progress further.
Maths – Head of Department: Mr Duncan Moulder Years 7 – 9 (Key Stage 3)
As in previous years, the class name will consist of the year group and the side of the year that your child is placed in (L or R). All students in key stage 3 year groups will work on the same topic at the same time. But the depth into which they will go will vary. The table below shows what scheme of work each key stage 3 class will be studying:
| Set name | Scheme of work depth |
| 7L1, 7R1, 7L2, 7R2 | Students will study to a greater depth in each unit of work |
| 7L3, 7R3, 7L4, 7R4, 7L5, 7R5 | Students will study core concepts in each unit of work |
| 7L6, 7R6 | Students will work on basic concepts in each unit of work |
| 8L1, 8R1, 8L2, 8R2 | Students will study to a greater depth in each unit of work |
| 8L3, 8R3, 8L4, 8R4, 8L5, 8R5 | Students will study core concepts in each unit of work |
| 8L6, 8R6 | Students will work on basic concepts in each unit of work |
| 9L1, 9R1, 9L2, 9R2 | Students will study to a greater depth in each unit of work |
| 9L3, 9R3, 9L4, 9R4 | Students will study core concepts in each unit of work |
| 9L5, 9R5, 9L6, 9R6 | Students will work on basic concepts in each unit of work |
Years 10 & 11 (Key stage 4) The decision of which tier of entry a student should be entered for at the end of year 11 is only finally decided in March of year 11. Until that time, we work on the following assumptions. Students in sets 1 to 3 will be learning higher tier work appropriate to their ability and students in sets 5 to 7 will be learning foundation tier work appropriate to their ability. Students in set 4 will learn primarily, the topics that are assessed in both the higher and foundation exams. Whilst historically the vast majority of set 4 students take the foundation tier, students will get the opportunity to take the higher tier if they have both the motivation and ability. We will identify this through our termly assessments.
The table below shows what scheme of work each key stage 4 class will be studying:
| Set name | Tier of entry |
| 10P1, 10Q1, 10P2, 10Q2, 10P3, 10Q3 | Higher |
| 10P4, 10Q4 | Most likely Foundation |
| 10P5, 10Q5, 10P6, 10Q6, 10P6P | Foundation |
| 11P1, 11Q1, 11P2, 11Q2, 11P3, 11Q3 | Higher |
| 11P4, 11Q4 | Most likely Foundation |
| 11P5, 11Q5, 11P6, 11Q6, 11P6P | Foundation |
English – Head of Department: Ms Amanda Hughes
Years 7 – 9 (Key Stage 3)
Years 7, 8 and 9 are broadly banded into three ability levels. Students follow centralised schemes of work which are differentiated to match their ability level.
| Name | Setting |
| 7L1, 7R1, 7L1P, 7R1P | Parallel top groups |
| 7L3, 7R3, 7L3P, 7R3P, 7L3Q, 7R3Q | Parallel middle groups |
| 7L6, 7R6 | Nurture groups |
| 8L1, 8R1, 8L1P, 8R1P | Parallel top groups |
| 8L3, 8R3, 8L3P, 8R3P, 8L3Q, 8R3Q | Parallel middle groups |
| 8L6, 8R6 | Nurture groups |
| 9L1, 9R1, 9L1P, 9R1P | Parallel top groups |
| 9L3, 9R3, 9L3P, 9R3P, 9L3Q, 9R3Q | Parallel middle groups |
| 9L6, 9R6 | Nurture groups |
Years 10 & 11 (Key stage 4)
Students continue to be broadly banded but the numbering system changes slightly. All students access the centralised schemes of work and they will all sit the same papers because there is only one tier of entry for both English Language and English Literature. Year 10 and Year 11 groupings follow the pattern below for the academic year 2020/2021:
| Name | Setting |
| 10P1R, 10P1L, 10P1S, 10Q1R, 10Q1L | Parallel top groups |
| 10P3R, 10P3L, 10P3S, 10Q3R, 10Q3L, 10Q3S | Parallel middle groups |
| 10P7, 10Q6 | Nurture groups |
| 11P1, 11P2, 11Q1, 11Q2 | Parallel top groups |
| 11P3, 11P4, 11P5, 11P6, 11Q3, 11Q4, 11Q5 | Parallel middle groups |
| 11P7, 11Q6 | Nurture groups |
Science – Head of Department: Ms Nicky Steen
Year 7 and Year 8
These sets are the same as the maths groups.
Year 9
Students in Year 9 will be studying the GCSE course. They are set by the science department numbered 1-6 based on science assessment data from the previous year. Group 1 is the top set. All students will study the same content (there are not separate courses for higher/foundation or core/triple science) Set changes will occur throughout the year.
Year 10
| Name | Setting |
| 10PA, 10QA, 10QB | Triple Science – higher tier |
| 10PB | Triple Science – foundation tier |
| 10P1, 10Q1, 10P2, 10Q2, 10P3 | Combined Science – higher tier |
| 10Q3, 10P4, 10Q4, 10P5 | Combined Science – foundation tier |
Combined Science groups are set according to their Year 9 science assessment data, set changes may occur during the year. Final tier of entry decisions are made during year 11.
Year 11
| Name | Setting |
| 11PA, 11PB 11QA, 11QB | Triple Science – higher tier |
| 11PC | Triple Science – foundation tier |
| 11P1, 11Q1, 11P2, 11Q2 | Combined Science – higher tier |
| 11P3, 11Q3, 11P4, 11Q4 | Combined Science – foundation tier |
Combined Science groups are set according to their Year 9 science assessment data, set changes may occur during the year. Final tier of entry decisions are made during year 11.
MFL: French and Spanish – Head of Department: Ms Emma Bennett
Years 7-9 (Key Stage 3)
From September 2022, all of 7L will learn French and all of 7R will learn Spanish. The Language studied in Year 7 will continue to be studied in Years 8 & 9.
Year 7, 8 & 9 classes will study Modern Foreign Language as follows:
7LL1, 7LA, 7LN, 7RL,7RA,7RN French
7LD1, 7LE, 7LR, 7LS, 7RD, 7RE, 7RR Spanish
8LL1, 8LA, 8LN, 8RL,8RA,8RN French
8LD1, 8LE, 8LR, 8LS, 8RD, 8RE, 8RR Spanish
9LL1, 9LA,9LN,9RL, 9RA, 9RN French
9LD1, 9LE, 9LR, 9RD, 9RE, 9RR Spanish
All Year 7 classes follow the same course books and teachers deliver appropriate material for the ability of the students
From Year 8 onwards, the teachers will choose material from both the Higher and the Foundation versions of the course, as appropriate for the students. This allows plenty of choice to differentiate to meet individual needs. This is especially important in Year 9, where we start delivering the GCSE course.
Years 10 & 11 – Students who have opted to study a language at GCSE.
Students are placed in classes according to which option block they have been allocated. In some option blocks there may be only one French or Spanish class; in others there may be more. The classes will not be setted unless there is more than one French or Spanish class in that block.