Curriculum Overview
Our curriculum builds on each student’s starting point to ensure that knowledge and skills are taught in depth and allow every student to develop their literacy, numeracy and character virtues.
Students are challenged and supported through a bespoke curriculum which prepares them for their next steps, where they can make the most of the guided choices and options available to them post-16.
Students experience engaging Quality First Teaching
We have supported our teachers through the introduction of lesson principles in our continuing professional development programme, which prioritises Quality First Teaching. Teachers focus on the embedding of key vocabulary in schemes of work and ensure that their teaching makes links to the bigger picture of students’ lives and aspirations.
Literacy and numeracy are at the core
We prioritise engagement, literacy and numeracy. We recognise that these aspects are fundamental in the progression of student learning across all subject areas. We have embedded Literacy based ‘Do Nows’ to promote the skills of decoding, fluency and comprehension at the start of each lesson. Weekly reading in tutor time continues this focus. Numeracy is also planned within each subject area, ensuring students are mathematically ready for life post 16.
Active Learning / Home cooking skills / Personal, Social, Health and Economic Eduction (PSHE) / Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development (SMSC)
Every week students take part in Active Learning which provides the students with experiences they would not otherwise have. This engages, challenges and broadens horizons. The Prince’s Trust personal development accreditation provides dedicated time to focus on personal development.
Food, delivered through ‘home cooking skills’ is a core part of the curriculum. This engages students through the opportunity to succeed and build relationships with peers and staff through cooking. It also offers personal development and opportunities to demonstrate our school's character virtues – for example, demonstrating our Kindness virture by sharing food with peers and staff. In our lessons, students are exposed to different cuisines which allows them to overcome anxieties around unfamiliar food and cultures. We embed nutrition as a key focus of knowledge to help our students make better decisions, and to empower their food choices.
PSHE is designed to promote the spiritual, moral, social, cultural, emotional and physical wellbeing of Heath students. We address PSHE & SMSC in lessons and tutor time. Each term, our PSHE Lead uses the behaviour data to inform their planning of a ‘Responsive PSHE’ tutor time session that addresses key trends.
The PSHE curriculum is structured so that the topics follow a progression from one year to the next and are appropriate for the age and experience of students. In addition to the curriculum, students also participate in themed 'drop down' days from external providers.
