AIMS
At Fearnhill School the curriculum is led by our vision of the ‘Fearnhill Student’, a young person equipped with the knowledge, skills and personal attributes needed to succeed in an ever changing, challenging world. The curriculum is designed to:
- Ensure that all students experience a broad and balanced range of academic subjects, leading to the highest possible standards of achievement and preparing them for the next stage in their learning
- Harness and bring together the full range of experiences outside the classroom that contribute to our vision of a holistic education to promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural growth. This includes extracurricular and enrichment activities as well as timetabled subjects.
- Grow young people with a strong sense of themselves and their place as citizens in modern Britain, engaged with their community at both local and national level.
CURRICULUM STRUCTURE
The taught curriculum is delivered in five one hour subject lessons per day, as well as 25 minutes of form time each morning. Form time is used for assemblies, pastoral development, literacy and dealing with day to day issues. The role of the form tutor is key to the development of the ‘Fearnhill Student’.
At Key Stage Three subjects are taught in mixed ability settings except in maths and science. Teaching groups are kept under continual review and student progress is closely monitored. The school employs intervention teachers in English and maths, and these colleagues are deployed according to identified need across the key stage as well as working with those students who enter Fearnhill below age-related expectations in the core subjects. The Key Stage Three curriculum is designed to give students a broad experience in all national curriculum subjects.
At Key Stage Four students are encouraged to take EBacc subjects unless a different pathway is better suited to their needs and aspirations. The guiding principle for transition at Fearnhill is to match the curriculum to the needs of individual students, and we keep our courses under continual review to ensure the best possible match. This is underpinned by high quality and personalized Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) at every stage and regular liaison with outside providers to provide bespoke programmes where appropriate.
At Key Stage Five students have the opportunity to pursue a full course of A Level and Level 3 BTEC study in preparation for application to university, higher education or apprenticeships. There is also a full vocational option at Level 2, combining BTEC courses with work experience and core teaching in English and maths.
To view the full policy, click here.