Curriculum Overview

Curriculum intent 2024-25

Our curriculum:

• is a broad and balanced curriculum well matched to students’ needs and interests
• is well designed, inclusive and carefully sequenced to provide all students with a foundation for future progression
• provides the depth that enables students to master the key knowledge and skills essential to prepare them for the responsibilities and experiences in their future
• raises aspirations and builds students’ independence, resilience and self-belief
• offers students a range of personalised opportunities in order to develop existing talents and interests and discover new ones
• enables students to take their education beyond the classroom to develop their cultural capital, creative thinking and foster a lifelong love of learning
• develops students’ character, health and wellbeing  so they are able to make a valuable contribution to society
• prepares students for adulthood, life in modern Britain and to be successful in the world of work

 

Curriculum Implementation

At Cheam High School we believe that a carefully planned and structured curriculum is the foundation upon which excellent learning and development is built.  The curriculum is designed and implemented in such a way that it builds on prior knowledge and prepares students for the next stage in their education. This ensures that lessons are engaging and challenging.

Development of language and building knowledge are integral to curriculum planning.  Subject Leaders, who are experts in their subjects, carefully construct a curriculum that promotes a deep understanding of a wide range of topics.  Teachers plan learning that allows students to embed and recall knowledge through techniques such as interleaving of topics and recapping knowledge.  This builds firm foundations for progression to the next level and exam success. 

KS3

At KS3 the curriculum is designed to be broad and balanced to enable the students to build on the skills and knowledge they have gained at primary school.  The curriculum allows students to develop the skills, resilience and depth of learning to successfully access their next step.  The students are prepare to make positive and informed choices for their future at the end of the Key Stage.  Each subject has a planned learning journey with clear statements setting out what students need to know, understand and do to reach their aspirational target grade. The National curriculum content is carefully tracked to ensure that students have covered all areas of non-statutory KS4 subjects by the end of Year 8.

Year 9

At the end of year 8 students choose 4 options to study in depth in Year 9, after a curriculum in Years 7 and 8 which has embedded the key foundations across NC subjects.  This is popular with students and parents. 

This further motivates and engages students.  It also allows the students to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the subjects they choose.  In the option subjects students have a foundation term which allows them to move between subjects to ensure they are motivated by their choices. 

KS4

Options are structured to allow students a free choice.  This ensures equity of delivery, with all students having equal access to subjects. The options are designed to stretch and challenge students. Students are offered a mixture of practical, vocational and academic subjects from all areas of the curriculum. This gives every student a wide choice and a broad and balanced curriculum.  This model also maintains the widest possible choice for students’ next steps as students will have a greater range of subjects on which to choose future opportunities for education and training.

 

Subjects	Year 9	Year 10	Year 11
English	4 hours	4 hours	4 hours
Mathematics	4 hours	4 hours	4 hours
Science	6 hours	6 hours	6 hours
PE (Games)	2 hours	2 hours	2 hours
Life/Religious Studies	1 hour	1 hour	5 lessons
EBAC Option (MFL or Hums)	2 hours	2 hours	3 hours
Option 1	2 hours	2 hours	2 hours
Option 2	2 hours	2 hours	2 hours
Option 3	2 hours	2 hours	2 hours

 

• At KS4 core subjects are set by ability
• Option groups are largely mixed ability with some setting if there is more than one group in an option block.
• All lesson are 1 hour in length and there are 25 lessons per week.

 

KS5

Students are able to pick subjects which meet their career aspirations.  We are a large Sixth Form which enables us to offer students a wide range of subjects both academic and vocational, in numerous combinations.  The subjects are in option blocks which are reviewed annually.  There are a number of subjects included in numerous blocks to enable students’ flexibility in selection.  There is a focus on progression and building aspiration.  The students are taught to be resilient, reflective and independent to enable them to be successful lifetime learners. 

• Students are largely mixed ability with some setting if there is more than one group in an option block.
• All lesson are 1 hour in length and there are 30 lessons per week.  All subjects have 5 hours per week. 

 

Curriculum Review

• Weekly line management meetings with all subject leaders and their attached member of leadership.  These meetings regularly involve discussions about curriculum to ensure it is ambitious, coherently planned and sequenced.  Also how broad and balanced and inclusive the curriculum is for all the different groups of students. 
• In these meetings  schemes of work are discussed to ensure the interleaving, memorisation, challenge and cross-curricular knowledge and skills are taught
• Curriculum implementation will be reviewed and quality assured through line management meetings, annual department reviews, exam reviews, book scrutinies and learning walks.
• Department reviews are discussed at governors on an annual rolling programme.
• The curriculum delivered in each subject is reviewed and developed throughout each school year.  It is also formally reviewed annually by subject leaders to ensure the sequence of delivery allows students to build on their knowledge and that students are sufficiently stretched and challenged.
• The curriculum hours and subjects offered will be analysed by the senior leadership team on an annual basis and discussed with governors.
• Feedback from student and parent surveys.