Curriculum

• Teaching Groups
• Year 7
• Year 8
• Year 9
• Years 10 & 11
• Teaching Methods
• Homework
• Special Educational Needs
• Sex Education
• Careers and Work Experience

We provide a broad and balanced education designed to meet the needs of all our children. The National Curriculum determines much of what we teach, with the exception of Religious Education which receives particular emphasis and is central to our curriculum provision.

In Years 7, 8 and 9 all children study the following subjects - RE, English, Maths, Science, French, History, Geography, Art, Drama, Music, PE, Technology, Information Technology, and Personal and Social Education. Most children will also study a second foreign language, either Spanish or German, from Year 8 onwards. In Year 9 greater emphasis is placed within Science on the distinctive features of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, which are taught by specialist teachers. In preparation for 2003 we are reviewing some aspects of the curriculum in the light of the National Strategy for Key Stage 3. Any changes to our current arrangements will be minor.

In Years 10 and 11 most children study 10 subjects to examination level. Compulsory subjects are RE, English (both Language and Literature), Science (Double Award), together with general programmes in Physical Education and PSE. Students with high ability in Science will have the opportunity to take examinations in the three separate Sciences. Most students are also required to include a Foreign Language and a Technology subject in their programme, together with two other subjects from History, Geography, Second Foreign Language, Music, Art and Design, Business Studies, GCSE PE. We currently also offer applied GCSE courses in Leisure and Tourism and Health and Social Care and we are considering some expansion in this area. The exact subjects available are reviewed each year.

Our Sixth Form is very strong, with 250 students enrolled this year. We offer a wide range of subjects at A/S and A2 levels, together with a number of Advanced and Intermediate Vocational courses. Fuller details of the Key Stage 5 specifications for each subject are available within the school department areas. You can also view the Sixth Form Booklet here.

Teaching Groups
We believe that the ways in which children are grouped for teaching purposes are very important. They influence children's attitudes, confidence, motivation and achievement. All arrangements about groupings are considered carefully and reviewed each year.

Our main aims are to keep expectations high for all children, and to avoid labelling them negatively, while at the same time ensuring that all children are challenged to achieve their full potential.

Some teaching groups are mixed-ability, notably in Year 7 (first year). Setting by subject becomes more common as children move through the school. Arrangements are sophisticated, flexible and sensitive to the needs of individuals. When children are setted, it is done on the evidence of performance in that particular subject. They may be in different sets for different subjects. The following shows the broad pattern of grouping:

Year 7
Teaching in mixed-ability form classes in all subjects except Mathematics where setting is introduced from October.
(Some SEN pupils are withdrawn in Maths, English and Science).

Year 8
Setting in Mathematics, English, Languages, History, Geography and Science with mixed ability continuing in RE, Art, Music, Technology and PE.

Year 9
As in Year 8, with setting extended to RE and Music.

Years 10 & 11
Setting by subject in all areas, except Art, PE and PSE.

Teaching Methods
Throughout the school a wide range of teaching methods and strategies are used to ensure that all pupils achieve well in relation to their capability.

Homework
We believe that children have a right to regular homework and a responsibility to complete it. It should be closely linked to work done in school and can take various forms, all of which are useful in helping children to learn and to take responsibility for their own learning. Ideally it should be done soon after arriving home and before other evening activities. A quiet place to work, away from other distractions, is a great help. As a broad guideline we would expect children in Year 7 to spend about one hour per night on homework, rising gradually through Years 8 and 9. In Years 10 and 11, they should be spending at least ten hours per week on homework, in order to achieve maximum success in examinations.

Parents are encouraged to take an interest in homework, to check that it is being done regularly and to contact us if problems arise, e.g. too much or too little. Each child is given a Homework Timetable and Homework Diary, which parents are asked to sign.

Special Educational Needs
Children with special educational needs are given support and assistance in a variety of ways to help them fulfil their potential.

Teachers work closely with our primary schools so that we are aware of children's needs before they arrive and can plan support accordingly. Support can come in the form of Reading Club, support in the classroom by teachers, classroom assistants and sixth form students, small group teaching and withdrawal from the classroom for individual group work or a variety of these measures. A philosophy of inclusion underpins our work for students who have learning, physical, emotional or behavioural difficulties. We work very closely with the LEA and outside agencies to provide flexible support for pupils. An accessibility plan is being formulated in school.

In addition to the Co-ordinator for Special Needs, the school has a designated member of staff whose role it is to work with subject departments to co-ordinate strategies to meet the needs of gifted and talented pupils.

Sex Education
Sex education is covered in a planned, progressive programme throughout the school, beginning in Year 7. It is covered primarily via the Personal and Social Education Programme, but also via Religious Education and Science. It is set clearly in the context of relationships and responsibility, with due emphasis always given to moral and social considerations.

Careers and Work Experience
A structured programme of careers education is provided from Year 9 onwards. Children are encouraged to explore many areas, to learn how to make choices and decisions, and to research various careers, and more importantly, routes to them. They are encouraged to appreciate the value of qualifications and training in planning their future. Our work experience programme is well established, with all children completing a placement at the end of Year 10. Further opportunities exist in the Sixth Form. Full use is made of Connexions to complement work done in school. The school also offers a wide range of work related learning experiences in KS 4. These add another dimension to the curriculum and help in the preparation of students for life in the working world.