A three year KS4
Why?
We believe that our school is made up of individuals so our curriculum is therefore modified and tailored to meet the needs of all our students, raise their aspirations and build their resilience and self- belief. Our ambitious curriculum across all the Key Stages motivates our students and leads to successful outcomes as they learn the skills and knowledge which will help them in their future careers. Many of our students take vocational options and go on to run their own successful businesses in the local community.
How?
Our curriculum is broad and balanced and gives the opportunity for students to access a wide range of curriculum domains: practical and creative as well as academic.
In Years 7 and 8, all students study a broad and balanced curriculum that is rich, ambitious and well sequenced. Students will have an extra period of history and geography that also supports their communication skills. Art, music and drama are taught as discrete subjects once a week and there is an opportunity for some students to study two languages. All students cover the expectations of the national curriculum and more. We believe that this provides students with the best start to secondary education. It builds on the gains that students have made in their primary schools.
In Years 9, 10 and 11 our curriculum is rich and well matched to students’ needs and interests. We provide opportunities for students to study both the English Baccalaureate combination of subjects and vocational and art options. All students will study a language, history or geography and have two hours a week for each of the single sciences. Some students also have a bespoke curriculum involving off site vocational experiences and more practical lessons in vocational subjects. All students benefit from KS4 going deeper into content and being broader than just the specifications from the exam boards.
All students benefit from an excellent, well-taught curriculum. The effectiveness of this approach is shown by the strong outcomes for the students in Year 11 and Year 13.
What?
Students make their option choices at the end of Year 8 having been prepared for this process in Life lessons and assemblies. These choices are made in consultation with their parents and after an individual meeting with their form tutor or members of the year team at 13+ Evening. We encourage students to take the English Baccalaureate combination of subjects, however, we do not insist that students take them. We believe that building a curriculum around students’ choices allows them to:
- Study subjects they enjoy and value which leads to better enjoyment and therefore progress
- Study the subjects they have chosen in greater depth and beyond the specification requirements which develops their cultural capital
- Choose an appropriate range of subjects to fulfil their aspirations
- Choose a wide curriculum regardless of their academic ability
13+ booklet: advice and guidance for KS4 (click here)
The 13+ booklet gives more information about the courses offered at KS4 (Years 9, 10, 11) along with the content of the courses.
All students also have the opportunity to experience the world of work for two weeks in Year 10 and again for a week in Year 12 through Work Experience and are invited to our Next Steps Evening.