The King’s School offers a broad and balanced curriculum tailored to meeting our primary focus: to instil a lifelong love of learning while creating confident learners who can live a life full of opportunity and choice.
The Course Composition Document can be found here
Its key principles are as follows:
- To ensure our students experience a curriculum that gives them the best opportunities in later life and is underpinned by our belief in the limitless potential of our students;
- To provide a rigorous academic curriculum that is challenging, enriching and accessible to all, while offering equally challenging vocational opportunities to students for whom these are best suited;
- To differentiate our curriculum in appropriate pathways for specific cohorts of students, e.g. our most vulnerable, our highest starters etc.;
- To provide continuity and progression between the key stages, using assessment intelligently and to inform learning, and not solely as a tool for summative judgement;
- To provide a coherent programme of personal, health, social and economic education (supported by our Learning 4 Life curriculum) that ensures our students become confident citizens;
- To recognise the importance of both the formal and informal taught curriculum within the school’s timetabled programme and that which takes place out of normal lesson time or the school day;
- To provide expert, up-to-date careers guidance that is presented impartially and gives our students access to the best information available to schools;
- To promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs;
- To ensure that students are best prepared for national examinations and the increasing academic demands of terminal examinations; and
- To maintain the highest standards of literacy and numeracy across the curriculum so that students have essential skills for life.
Further information on the national curriculum can be found here
Lessons Per Week
| Subject | Years 7 & 8 |
|---|---|
| English | 5 |
| Mathematics | 4 |
| Science | 3 |
| Art | 1 |
| Design Technology | 1 |
| History | 1 |
| Geography | 2 |
| Computing/ICT | 1 |
| French | 2 |
| Music | 1 |
| Drama | 1 |
| PE | 2 |
| Social Studies (RE/Citizenship) | 1 |
| Total | 25 |
| Subject | Year 9 | Triple Science Students |
|---|---|---|
| English | 5 | 5 |
| Mathematics | 5 | 4 |
| Science | 5 | 6 |
| PE | 1 | 1 |
| Geography or History | 3 | 3 |
| Option 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Option 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Option 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Total | 25 | 25 |
| Subject | Year 10 |
|---|---|
| English | 5 |
| Mathematics | 5 |
| Science | 6 |
| PE | 1 |
| Option 1 | 2 |
| Option 2 | 2 |
| Option 3 | 2 |
| Option 4 | 2 |
| Total | 25 |
| Subject | Year 11 |
|---|---|
| English | 5 |
| Mathematics | 5 |
| Science | 6 |
| PE | 1 |
| Option 1 | 2 |
| Option 2 | 2 |
| Option 3 | 2 |
| Option 4 | 2 |
| Total | 25 |
Curriculum in Year 7 & 8
The start of secondary school marks an exciting phase in the lives of our students. It's the period when they build on their primary education and prepare for their GCSE choices. We are currently working on exciting changes to the curriculum which will see a three year Key Stage 3 from September 2020. Our curriculum is designed so that students can master the basics as well as offering flexibility for teachers to tailor their teaching to students’ needs and aspirations. As a trust, we are committed to providing a curriculum which allows students to be the best versions of themselves. Our intent is rooted in the long term development of all individuals, regardless of background, personal or social context. We are passionate to ensure that our students leave us with a high level of knowledge about the world around them, have secured a range of skills and have developed into well rounded citizens. GCSE Options will be taken in Year 9 and will ensure that there is a seamless building on the skills and knowledge acquired at Key Stage 2. This will provide our students with a platform that prepares them for making informed decisions about their GCSE options. Breadth of the curriculum is key and more importantly will play a fundamental part in ensuring our students retain more knowledge and are better prepared for the challenges in post-16 education and beyond.
The number of lessons may be slightly adjusted in Year 8. The guided choices process takes place in Year 8 where students are supported to choose their options for Year 9. We operate a 25 lesson week, incorporating 60-minute lessons. Each day will have 5 lessons, a 15-minute morning break and a 30-minute lunchtime. After Period 5 ends there will be an enrichment programme involving a mixture of sport, performing arts, creative and subject activities. Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 will be expected to take part in at least one of these activities a week. There are also opportunities for enrichment activities during lunchtimes and before school most days.
We also have Enterprise activities, where students work on a similar theme and work with students from other year groups. This will also involve working on key life skills such as resilience, problem solving, teamwork and independence.
We're committed to ensuring that our students develop into young adults with the knowledge, understanding and skills to make informed decisions in their future life. We have designed Personal Development Studies around the QCA Guidance for Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education. This occurs during form time registration and also within Drop Down Afternoons and mornings.
Reading List
Below please find an extended reading list for those students who wish to extended their learning and add 'cultural capital' to supplement their knowledge understanding at G.C.S.E.
This will also stretch students at KS3 who wish to prepare for the more challenging texts at KS4.
Reading List
Long Term Curriculum Plans
Please click on the subject below to find out more about the curriculum content delivered for each year group:
You can find out more information about the curriculum by visiting the National Curriculum website.