Curriculum Policy

Policy Reviewing

Statement of intent

The Blandford School recognises the importance of offering a broad and balanced curriculum which is underpinned by our shared school vision.

Our curriculum consists of activities designed to promote the intellectual, personal, social, physical and cultural development of students. It includes the formal programme of lessons, assemblies and the tutorial programme, based on the national curriculum and exam board specifications, and the informal programme of extra-curricular activities and trips that we organise to enrich students’ experiences of their lives and education.

Through this policy, the school aims to:

• Put students at the centre of all curriculum decisions, putting their needs above that of the school.
• Have a curriculum that is fit for purpose, offering differentiation and personalisation.
• Prepare all students for the next stage of their education and for life in modern society.
• First achieve and then exceed national standards in achievement, attainment and progression.
• Be committed to excellence and continuous improvement.
• Provide courses which meet the needs of students.
• Nurture the talents of all and celebrate success.
• Work with feeder schools to ease transition.
• Involve the stakeholders, including parents, in curriculum development.

1. Curriculum intent

It is our intent to offer a broad and balanced curriculum for all students, providing the opportunity to study the range of EBACC subjects, while also offering a wide range of appropriate qualifications.

Our curriculum is built on a strongly held belief that effective learning takes place when research based methods of instruction, engagement, challenge, feedback and questioning lead to knowledge and skill acquisition and the development of key characteristics, such as resilience, self-motivation, honesty, integrity and care. Therefore, our curriculum:

• Will secure a joy for learning
• Will be inclusive and support all children to do more than they thought possible
• Will discover and develop children’s talents through variety and innovation
• Will build resilience
• Will empower children to make informed decisions
• Will be delivered by experts
• Will be broad, balanced and stretching
• Will be rich in knowledge and skills, secured through application, developing understanding
• Will link together and blend to provide for rounded young people
• Will allow children to seek meaning and achieve personal growth
• Will educate children about diversity and empower them to challenge discriminatory beliefs and behaviours
• Will be progressive across the key stages so that it logically builds knowledge, skills and understanding by stage

How we intend to deliver the curriculum

Below, we have outlined how we intend to deliver the curriculum through a variety of methods that are both classroom-based and extra-curricular.

Classroom-based learning: we encourage teachers to make cross-curricular links where possible within their lesson plans and use different learning resources to teach core content. One-to-one teaching sessions are carried out for students who require additional support. We will also deliver SRHE and Drugs education in an age appropriate way.

Catch Up: Where appropriate and needed students will be offered additional tuition to catch up.

Assemblies: A variety of assemblies will be held, including guest speakers, celebration events and careers assemblies.

Extra-curricular activities: we provide a variety of extra-curricular activities for students that enhance their learning experience.

Tutorial programme and drop down sessions and days: Our tutorial programme covers a wide range of themes to help ensure students develop into well rounded individuals, where necessary we also suspend the timetable to allow additional specialist input.

How we involve stakeholders in curriculum planning and delivery

Our school values the input of its students, parents and the local community with regards to the planning and delivery of the curriculum. We believe students receive a well-rounded education if everyone is involved in shaping it. We seek the views of students through student voice work and parents via formal and informal discussion.

How the curriculum benefits students’ learning and personal development

Our curriculum has been designed for a range of learners, providing equal opportunities for all – by doing this, students will benefit in the ways outlined in 2.2.

2. Curriculum aims

2.1 The overall aims of the curriculum are to:

• Enable all students to be successful learners and achieve high standards.
• Enable students to understand the skills and attributes needed to be a successful learner.
• Enable those who are not achieving age-related expectations to narrow the gap and catch up with their peers.
• Enable students to develop and be able to use high-quality functional skills, including key literacy, numeracy and ICT skills.
• Enable students to develop their own personal interests and develop a positive attitude towards learning, so that they enjoy coming to school and acquire a solid basis for lifelong learning.
• Enable students to value their learning outside of the curriculum and relate this knowledge to the taught curriculum.
• Teach students to be able to discern right from wrong, that actions have consequences, and the value and importance of forgiveness.
• Enable students to be creative and to develop their own thinking.
• Help students to develop an independent approach to their learning.
• Teach students about their ever-changing world, including how the environment and society have changed over time.
• Help students understand the fundamental British values and enable them to be positive citizens in society who can make a difference.
• Help students understand the importance of truth and fairness, to ensure they grow up committed to equal opportunities for all.
• Enable students to have respect for themselves and others and to be able to live and work cooperatively with others.

2.2 Through the aims outlined above, students will benefit by:

• Learning how to lead safe, healthy and fulfilling lives.
• Understanding that failure is part of the road to success.
• Being rewarded for academic successes.
• Being supported with their next stages in education or training and feeling prepared for life after school.
• Becoming responsible individuals who contribute to community living and the environment.
• Achieving to the best of their ability.
• Acquiring a wealth of knowledge and experience.
• Becoming critical thinkers.
• Finding a sense of belonging to the school and its community.
• Learning how to cooperate with their peers and respect one another, inside and outside the classroom so that their embrace diversity and challenge discrimination in any format.
• Developing personal moral values, respect for religious values and tolerance of others’ beliefs and ways of life.

3. Legal framework

3.1 This policy has due regard to all relevant legislation and statutory guidance including, but not limited to, the following:

• Children Act 2004
• Education Act 2004
• Equality Act 2010
• DfE (2020) ‘School attendance’
• Working together to improve school attendance (Sept 2022)
• DfE (2020) ‘Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years’
• DfE (2014) ‘The national curriculum in England’

3.2 This policy operates in conjunction with the following school policies:

• Assessment Policy
• Exams Policy
• PSHE Policy
• RSHE Policy
• Work related learning Policy
• Equal Opportunities Policy
• Homework Policy
• Relationships and health education Policy
• SEND Policy
• Curriculum Statement
• KCSIE and Safeguarding Policy
• Anti-bullying Policy

4. Roles and responsibilities

4.1 The governing board is responsible for:

• Approving and monitoring the content of this policy.
• Liaising with the headteacher, subject leaders and teachers with regards to student progress and attainment.
• Contributing towards decisions made about the curriculum through the ACSR.
• Monitoring the curriculum through the standards committee.
• Ensuring the curriculum is inclusive and accessible to all.

4.2 The headteacher is responsible for:

• Devising long- and medium-term plans for the curriculum in collaboration with subject leaders, teachers and other members of the SLT.
• Communicating the agreed curriculum to the governing board on an
  annual basis.
• Ensuring the curriculum is inclusive and accessible to all.
• Assisting teachers with the planning and implementation of the curriculum, ensuring their workload is manageable.
• Ensuring the curriculum is implemented consistently throughout the school and ensuring any difficulties are addressed and mitigated as soon as possible.
• Making any necessary adjustments to the curriculum where required.
• Keeping up-to-date with any relevant statutory updates and taking action where required.
• Creating and maintaining an up-to-date curriculum intent statement.
• Updating and maintaining this policy.

4.3 The Heads of Faculty / subject leaders are responsible for:

• The overall provision of the curriculum at the school including a curriculum plan including links to SMSC, Personal development, Careers and Literacy ensuring in all cases that the curriculum at least meets the National Curriculum and wherever practical exceeds it.
• Developing a curriculum that provides students with a range of opportunities and the skills they need to prepare for later life.
• Ensuring that the curriculum is well sequenced to support learning, with opportunities to revisit previously learnt material.
• The strategic leadership and management across their curriculum areas, developing and implementing plans, policies, targets and practices within the context of the school’s aims and policies.
  Managing subject leaders and staff within their curriculum areas, providing appropriate support, challenge, advice and information as necessary.
• Implementing the school’s schemes of work.
• Supporting and offering advice to colleagues on issues relating to the subject or curriculum area.
• Monitoring student progress within the department and reporting on this to the headteacher.
• Providing efficient resource management for their department.
• Ensuring the curriculum is inclusive and accessible to all.
• Ensuring there are specialist resources available for students in need so that everyone can have full access to the curriculum.

4.4 Teachers are responsible for:

• Implementing this policy consistently throughout their practices.
• Devising short-term lesson plans that are reflective of the school’s curriculum.
• Implementing the curriculum in creative ways, appealing to different learning types and keeping students engaged in content.
• Creating short-term plans for the curriculum with fellow colleagues and reporting these plans to the headteacher.
• Creating weekly lesson plans in collaboration with colleagues and sharing these with the SLT where required.
• Collaborating with the headteacher and the SENCO / Inclusion lead
  to ensure that the curriculum is inclusive and accessible to all.
• Working closely with the SENCO/ Inclusion lead and TAs to ensure those in need receive additional support in lessons.
• Ensuring academically more able students are given additional, more challenging work to celebrate their talents.
• Celebrating all students’ academic achievements.
• Reporting progress of students with SEND to the SENCO / Inclusion lead and ensuring any difficulties identified are discussed and resolved.
• Monitoring the progress of all students and reporting on this to the headteacher.
• Working to close the attainment gap between academically more and less able students.

4.5 The SENCO / Inclusion lead is responsible for:

• Collaborating with the headteacher and teachers to ensure the curriculum is accessible to all.
• Ensuring teaching materials do not discriminate against anyone in line with the Equality Act 2010.
• Carrying out SEND assessments where necessary and ensuring students receive the additional help they need.
• Liaising with external agencies where necessary to ensure students who require additional support receive it.

5. Organisation and planning

5.1 The school’s curriculum will be delivered over 190 days and equally throughout the school week.

5.2 In collaboration with subject leaders, teachers and other members of the SLT, the headteacher will devise the following plans:

• Long-term plans that deal with the major areas and strands of the national curriculum to be covered across all key stages.
• Medium-term plans that deal with the activities within units of work that are set out termly.
• Short-term plans that are concerned with individual lessons or sessions on a weekly and address issues of curriculum differentiation and access for individual students.

5.3 Where possible, teachers will look for links between areas of learning that will support one another and allow students to reinforce their skills from one subject within another.

5.4 Lessons will use a range of techniques to motivate and inspire students.

5.5 Teachers will plan lessons which are challenging for all students and ensure that there are provisions in place for more academically able students, e.g. completing additional work that is above the academic level of their peers.

5.6 Students who are identified as needing additional support will receive it, e.g. those with SEND – this will include dedicated time with TAs and access to specialist resources and equipment where required.

5.7 TAs will be deployed within and outside lessons strategically so that they can assist with students who require additional help.

5.8 Students with EAL will be given the opportunity to develop their English ability throughout lessons where necessary.

5.9 Planning will be used to identify any possible difficulties within the curriculum and will break down barriers to learning.

5.10 Any difficulties identified will be addressed once curriculum planning has commenced.

5.11 Classrooms will be organised so that students have full access to resources and equipment – they will be provided with a rich and varied learning environment.

6. Curriculum content

6.1 The school will have due regard to the national curriculum at all times throughout the academic year.

6.2 The school will ensure every student has access to the following core subjects:

• English
• Mathematics
• Science
• RE
• Relationships, sex and Health education (RSHE)
• PE
• PSRE and Citizenship

6.3 The school provides a wide range of other subjects, these are listed in the supplementary information booklet and options booklets for GCSE and Post 16.

6.4 Students will choose their subjects for their GCSEs at KS4 in Year 9 ready to begin in Year 10.

6.5 Students will choose their subjects for KS5 in Year 11, ready to begin in Year. Students not intending to return for the Sixth Form will be supported to ensure they have an appropriate progression plan.

6.6 Students will be informed that if they do not achieve a grade 4 or higher in GCSE mathematics and English by the end of KS4, they will be required to continue working towards this aim as part of their 16-19 programme of study.

7. PSHE / RSHE

7.1 As part of the curriculum, the school will make provision for PSHE where everyday topics, such as raising awareness of different cultures or anti-bullying, can be addressed.

7.2 Topics covered within these sessions include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Anti-bullying
• Celebrating different cultures
• British values

7.3    Age appropriate RSHE will be delivered to all students by specialist teachers, in-line with national and local guidance.

8. Careers education

8.1 The school will work to encompass careers education and guidance into subjects across the curriculum, in line with the Work Related Learning Policy.

8.2 The school will ensure that every student is exposed to a range of opportunities to learn about the world of work.

8.3 The school will engage with and ensure students have access to local employers, businesses and professional networks, and providers of post-14, post-16 and post-18 education and training, inviting visiting speakers, with whom students can relate to.

8.4 The school will host a range of careers events for each year group as appropriate. These encounters will include:

• Careers events such as careers talks, careers carousels and careers fairs.
• Transition skills workshops such as CV workshops and mock interviews.
• Mentoring and e-mentoring.
• Employer delivered employability workshops.
• Business games and enterprise competitions.

9. Equal opportunities

9.1 There are nine protected characteristics within the Equality Act 2010, these are:

• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Marriage and civil partnership
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Race
• Religion or belief
• Sex
• Sexual orientation

9.2 Care is taken within all schemes of work to ensure that all students have access to the curriculum content.

9.3 The school’s curriculum will celebrate diversity and the SLT has a responsibility to ensure the curriculum does not discriminate against any of the above characteristics.

9.4 When planning and implementing the curriculum, the school will have due regard to the Equal Opportunities Policy at all times.

10. Supporting students with SEND

10.1 The curriculum is designed to provide access and opportunity for all students who attend the school.

10.2 Students with SEND will receive the additional support they require both academically and with their personal development, in line with the school’s SEND Policy.

10.3 Students with SEND will not be discriminated against in any way.

10.4 The progress of students with SEND will be monitored by teachers and reported to the SENCO / Inclusion lead and Governors.

10.5 The SENCO / Inclusion lead will work closely with teachers to help them break down any barriers students with SEND have to education.

11. Extra-curricular activities

11.1 The school offers students a wide range of extra-curricular trips and activities to enhance their academic learning and personal development.

11.2 Extra-curricular trips and activities occur outside school hours and can include overnight stays both in the UK and abroad.

11.3 All students are able to participate in the activities and trips available. Wherever there is an instance where a student cannot participate, the trip or activity will be adapted so that the student can take part.

11.4 Details of extra-curricular activities will be published on the school website each term.

12. Comlaints about the curriculum

12.1 Should any stakeholder wish to make a complaint regarding the curriculum they should do so by following the normal school complaints policy and procedure and the matter will be dealt with in-line with the policy.

13. Monitoring and review

13.1 This policy is reviewed annually by the headteacher.

13.2 Any changes made to this policy will be communicated to all members of staff and relevant stakeholders.

13.3 The scheduled review date for this policy is in the Summer Term.