Curriculum Statement

Our students will achieve to the highest possible level. The attainment of our students is based on a ‘will do culture’ that begins on the first day or arrival. Achievement is based on the ethos of Work Hard, Be Kind and there are no excuses.

The school focuses on a culture of no shortcuts. We firmly believe that all students must build up their literacy skills as the very basic framework for all attainment across all subjects. Literacy is the key to achievement and as such everything we do revolves around the essential requirement of developing literate and confident learners.

In Year 7 we have a totally skills based curriculum where everything other than Maths, English and PE is delivered in a Skills based project model. All of the students entitlements of science, humanities, DT, languages, the arts etc are delivered in this programme. Underpinning everything students receive in Year 7 is a relentless focus on literacy. In this model we both carry on the excellent work in KS2 and we model learning in close communities and minimise the staff/ pupil movement. The year is characterised by a strong community bond between teams of staff and students.

In Year 8 this skills based learned learning is still a strong approach that creates a strong focus on independent learning continues. In this model the focus for project based learning is reduced as a movement towards a greater autonomy required in the delivery of strong GCSE and Level 2 qualifications. By now, students are much more equipped to meet these challenges and have the array of capacities to be successful at this stage of their learning journey.

In Years 9,10 an 11 we have developed a strong curriculum model that delivers an impressive range of qualifications that suite the personalised needs of all students. Every student will succeed and be in the strongest position possible at the end of KS4 to progress into vocational educational courses, traditional academic routes to 6th form and university and indeed any and all roads to success. The crucial point for us is that by this point every child will have the capacity to be fully aware of what is their pathway, they will be focused and strong independent young people that fully understand that success requires them to complete with the best and surpass any preconceived limits they had previously had about their capacity to achieve.

Our 6th form is developing rapidly in along with our university partners. We focus on both strong vocational routes that offer access to both employment and further education in areas that can develop strong and realistic roads to employment and regeneration of our community. Alongside this clear and underprovided areas of post 16 education we are rapidly developing post 16 routes to university through an array of traditional academic courses, again, along with very effective links to our partner universities.

Work Hard! Be Kind! Every day in Every way - the 100% school