Academic Curriculum

Our academic curriculum is underpinned by our Core Values of Faith, Justice, Truth, Responsibility and Compassion and carefully aligned with Our Intent.

We are committed to ensuring that each student realises their unique potential and that no student will be left behind or left out because of social, learning or other disadvantage. Delivering on this ambition enables our students to progress successfully through the key stages and beyond school to further study or employment.

Underpinning our curriculum design is the recognition that our students are entitled to access what poet and cultural critic Matthew Arnold described as the “best which has been said and thought in the world”. As a result, our schemes of work are carefully planned. They are sequential and knowledge-driven. Lessons have a rich language base and intellectual rigour inherent within them. Where necessary, there is access to additional learning support, whether for a specific learning difficulty, disability or for subject intervention.

Key Stage 3 lasts for Years 7-9 to allow the range of subjects to be studied and to build secure foundations for the two-year GCSE programmes of study.

Students are taught in sets for some subjects (e.g. Mathematics); in others, they are taught in mixed ability groups (e.g. History).

Students also take part in a range of other activities to enhance classroom learning. These include STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) days, team building residentials, sporting, languages and creative arts events.

In Year 9, students choose which Key Stage 4 courses they wish to follow. These courses lead to qualifications which have integrity and enable our students to move confidently into the next stage of their lives.

Our curriculum at Key Stage 4, in line with our intent, is unapologetically academic. Around 90% of our Year 10 and 11 students are currently entered for the EBACC suite of subjects. This gives them access to a full range of employment options when they leave school and the broad knowledge which employers are looking for.

A small number of students follow a bespoke, alternative curriculum but will still take up to 8 GCSEs.

Like Key Stage 3, students take part in a variety of events such as Enterprise Day, Holocaust Awareness Day, sporting and creative arts activities.

There are around 25 A Level subjects on offer to students – providing high challenge across the curriculum in the arts, sciences, humanities and languages. Students usually study three subjects for two years.

Alongside the taught curriculum, there are impressive university-style study facilities to support independent study. In Year 12, students’ Personal Development curriculum complements the Academic curriculum to ensure highly effective study skills and successful progression. Extracurricular sports and extensive subject-related activities are all part of the ‘BSS6’ experience. Further details of our A Level courses are available here.

For more information on the curriculum, please contact Mr G Kirke.

Our Intent
Subject InformationYear 9 OptionsCurriculum Booklets and Termly SchedulesFoundation LearningReading Matters