Curriculum Vision
Curriculum Vision at SCHS - our ten principles
Planned in detail, our curriculum…
1. Provides an ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum as the foundation of thinking and learning, based on the National Curriculum ‘Importance Statements’, KS4 specification requirements and statutory expectations such as Fundamental British Values, Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Relationships and Sexuality Education, Careers amongst others - aiming to not only just to meet these, but to go beyond. With departments supporting each other with cross-curricular links and skills such as reading.
2. Contributes to pupils’ human and intellectual development in every subject area, recognising that, for some who do not take up the subject after KS3 or KS4, this will be the last opportunity to develop this aspect of their thinking and learning.
3. Provides a clearly sequenced curriculum recognising knowledge is cumulative so our curriculum has clear building blocks that take into account what pupils need to know for the next stage of their learning. This can be seen in our learning journeys which map progress across 5 years.
4. Recognises our local and pupil context through viewing the curriculum as a mirror initially, so that all pupils see themselves and their lived experiences within our curriculum (inclusion), then moving to view the curriculum as a window thus introducing things beyond their experience (diversity).
Delivered by subject experts who…
5. Ensure lessons are delivered by subject specialists who plan lessons which excite our teachers and our pupils, stimulating intellectual curiosity and thinking, accepting that ‘Learners are curious’ (Daniel T Willingham), and through this to engender a love of learning, and a value in academic pursuits. We introduce pupils to the ‘best that has been thought and said. (Matthew Arnold/Ofsted)’
6. Use questioning as a core skill to build knowledge and understanding, and challenge misconceptions.
7. Recognise that, for pupils to become experts, they need to develop ‘automaticity’ and ‘connectivity’ (schema/connections between things already learned).
Ensuring on high expectations for all by…
8. Providing Quality First Adaptive Teaching (QFAT) for all - responsive teaching to the top with appropriate structures and scaffolding to ensure teaching meets the needs of all (built on Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction)
9. Ensuring learning is ‘Effortful’ (Peter Brown et al ‘Making it Stick’) because ‘Thinking is hard’ (Daniel T Willingham) with appropriately high demand and challenge as an expectation throughout. Built on the principle of ‘high challenge but low threat’.
Developing pupils as a whole through…
10. Developing pupils as learners around growth mindset, celebrating failure, taking risks and building resilience. Support opportunities for extending values for the Futures Award: Health, Leadership, Resilience, Community, Careers, Initiative and Communication in KS3, and VESPA: Vision, Effort, Systems, Practice and Attitude in KS4. Our curriculum is underpinned by enrichment activities.
