Curriculum
Whitcliffe Mount is committed to providing a curriculum that will prepare students for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life. We are proud of the opportunities we provide for students outside the classroom. These opportunities generally fall in to two categories: bringing topics being studied in the classroom to life and enriching the learning experience for students. We are on a journey from ‘good to great’ and our core principles to underpin this are:
‘Students to be the best they can be’
Each student, regardless of ability, background or prior behaviour record, has the right to an outstanding education, care, guidance and support.
Our curriculum aims to:
-
provide students with the opportunity to enjoy learning, achieve their potential and celebrate success
-
deliver a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum to the highest standard
-
equip students with the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to be able to make informed choices about their lives
-
provide support and challenge for all students from the most vulnerable to the more able
-
provide a supportive learning environment
-
deliver the curriculum by using well qualified, specialist teachers and staff
-
offer a varied curriculum that caters for the needs of all students
-
ensure that strategies are put in place to ensure all students can access their learning and achieve their potential.
Students follow a two week timetable of fifty periods, each lesson is one hour in length and each day starts with registration and personal development time with form tutors.
Key Stage 3
The Key Stage 3 (KS3) curriculum (studied in Years 7, 8 and 9) provides your child with an opportunity to experience a wide range of subjects and broaden their understanding of what different subject specialisms looks like, beyond what they have experienced at primary school. Our KS3 courses are ambitious and engaging and cover the National Curriculum and beyond. Linking all key topics to students’ experiences beyond the classroom.
During Year 9, students will start to consider which courses they wish to study at GCSE level and will be in an excellent position to start and succeed at their chosen subjects due to the skills and knowledge they have learnt throughout KS3. You can find the topic areas and the components of learning covered each half term on our school website.
All students in KS3 currently study the following subjects:
Art, design and technology, English, geography, history, computing, mathematics, modern foreign languages, music, drama, Learning for Life, physical education, religious studies and science. The PSHCE curriculum is delivered through Learning for Life and Personal Development time.
|
Subject |
KS3 Hours Across the Two Week Timetable |
||
|
|
Year 7 |
Year 8 |
Year 9 |
|
English |
8 |
7 |
8 |
|
Maths |
8 |
8 |
7 |
|
Science |
7 |
7 |
7 |
|
Computing |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Geography |
4 |
4 |
4 |
|
History |
4 |
4 |
4 |
|
MFL |
4 |
4 |
5 |
|
PE |
3 |
4 |
4 |
|
Technology |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Art |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Drama |
2 |
1 |
2 |
|
Music |
1 |
2 |
1 |
|
Learning for Life |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Religious Studies |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
Total |
50 |
50 |
50 |
Key Stage 4
In Key Stage 4 (KS4), students will continue to follow a broad, balanced, ambitious and inclusive curriculum. Through our flexible and personalised routes, students continue to develop their understanding and knowledge of specialist subjects, to enable them to achieve their full potential and access the Post 16 provision they choose. Advice is given to individual students and their parents/carers before the option choices are made at the end of year 9.
All students study the core subjects: English language and literature, maths, science, core PE, Learning for Life and Personal Development (including RS.)
Additional subjects currently offered at Key Stage 4: engineering, art, 3D product design, textiles, food preparation/nutrition, geography, history, statistics, computer science, French, Spanish, sport science, music technology, performing arts, health and social care, enterprise and marketing.
|
Subject |
KS4 Hours Across the Two Week Timetable |
|
|
|
Year 10 |
Year 11 |
|
English |
9 |
9 |
|
Maths |
9 |
9 |
|
Science |
9 |
9 |
|
PE |
2 |
2 |
|
Learning for Life |
1 |
1 |
|
Option A |
5 |
5 |
|
Option B |
5 |
5 |
|
Option C |
5 |
5 |
|
Option D |
5 |
5 |
|
Total |
50 |
50 |
Curriculum Subjects & Exam Boards:
|
Course |
LEVEL |
DEPARTMENT |
Exam Board |
| ENTRY LEVEL MATHS | ELC | MATHS | AQA |
|
BIOLOGY |
GCSE |
SCIENCE |
AQA |
|
CHEMISTRY |
GCSE |
SCIENCE |
AQA |
|
ENGLISH LITERATURE |
GCSE |
ENGLISH |
AQA |
|
FRENCH |
GCSE |
MFL |
AQA |
| GEOGRAPHY | GCSE | HUMANITIES | AQA |
|
PHYSICS |
GCSE |
SCIENCE |
AQA |
|
SCIENCE TRILOGY |
GCSE |
SCIENCE |
AQA |
|
SPANISH |
GCSE |
MFL |
AQA |
|
STATISTICS |
GCSE |
MATHS |
AQA |
|
FURTHER MATHS |
LEVEL 2 CERT |
MATHS |
AQA |
| FINE ART (ART AND DESIGN (FINE ART) |
GCSE |
ART |
EDUQAS/WJEC |
|
ENGLISH LANGUAGE |
GCSE |
ENGLISH LANGUAGE |
EDUQAS/WJEC |
| MUSIC TECHNOLOGY | LEVEL1/2 AWARD | PERFORMANCE | NCFE |
|
ENGINEERING DESIGN |
CNAT |
DT |
OCR |
| ENTERPRISE AND MARKETING | CNAT |
DT |
OCR |
|
SPORTS SCIENCE |
CNAT |
PERFORMANCE |
OCR |
|
COMPUTER SCIENCE |
GCSE |
COMPUTING |
OCR |
|
FOOD |
GCSE |
DT |
OCR |
|
HISTORY |
GCSE |
HUMANITIES |
OCR |
|
3D ART AND DESIGN PRODUCT |
BTEC |
DT |
PEARSON/EDEXCEL |
|
3D ART AND DESIGN TEXTILES |
BTEC |
DT |
PEARSON/EDEXCEL |
|
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE |
BTEC |
PERFORMANCE |
PEARSON/EDEXCEL |
|
PERFORMING ARTS |
BTEC |
PERFORMANCE |
PEARSON/EDEXCEL |
|
PUBLIC SERVICES |
BTEC |
VOCATIONAL |
PEARSON/EDEXCEL |
|
MATHS |
GCSE |
MATHS |
PEARSON/EDEXCEL |
This curriculum is subject to annual review.