Curriculum Policy 

Title of Policy           Curriculum Policy

Applies to                 Senior School: teaching staff

Endorsed by                 Head Master

Responsibility         Deputy Head (Academic)

Date reviewed         Michaelmas 2023

Next review                 Michaelmas 2024

Curriculum Policy

Our Purpose

The Wells Cathedral School curriculum is designed to enable us to meet our purpose of inspiring success in our pupils. We provide full-time supervised education for pupils of compulsory school age (construed in accordance with section 8 of the Education Act 1996), giving pupils experience in linguistic, scientific, technological, human and social, physical and aesthetic and creative education. Through this curriculum, pupils will acquire and develop their speaking, listening, literacy and numeracy skills. Details of the practical arrangements for this are given below, with specific information for year groups in the Curriculum Plan. The principal language of instruction is English. The School educates pupils from age two to eighteen. The programme of lessons and activities is delivered at an age-appropriate level, which takes account of the varying educational needs of pupils, in relation to personal, social, emotional, physical development, communication and language skills.

All pupils have the opportunity to learn and make progress and we aim to prepare them effectively for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life in British society.

PSHE and RSE

As part of the curriculum, personal, social, health and economic education and relationships and sex education reflect the School’s aims and ethos and encourages respect for others, in particular with regard to the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010, namely age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership and pregnancy and maternity.

Careers

Up-to-date careers and further education guidance is available for all pupils through the School’s PSHE and tutor programme (through the Unifrog platform). Pupils in Year 11 complete the Morrisby test, in order to provide evidence-based advice on potential subject choices and careers. In addition to this, a biennial careers event takes place, with visiting speakers, aimed at Years 11 and Lower Sixth. All advice is presented in an impartial manner, which enables pupils to make informed choices about a broad range of career options and helps to encourage pupils to fulfill their potential.

Our Objectives

The Wells curriculum should enable all pupils to:

• develop a genuine love of learning and an actively enquiring outlook
• develop a disciplined approach to learning which enables them to increase their knowledge and develop a broad range of skills that will prepare them for current and future study and careers
• be stretched by what they learn to achieve the best possible grades in the most appropriate qualifications
• become confident, creative and adaptable citizens able to develop the resilience required to cope with both success and failure
• develop the necessary communication skills to express their views in both written, oral and practical ways
• understand and learn from other cultures and societies taking their place as part of a global society
• develop academic and musical specialisms within the framework of a broad and balanced curriculum, understanding the benefits of both

To Achieve Our Purpose and Objectives we will:

• continually improve the quality and depth of our curriculum framework for pupils at the school; being aware of and responding to national initiatives
• focus on the educational and care needs of all our pupils
• recognise the value of the wider co-curriculum in achieving academic success.
• create an environment within which pupils are able to take risks and learn from their successes and failures
• appoint and invest in high quality staff

Working practice:

• Academic leaders and teachers work in a flexible team-based way, recognising and encouraging energy, commitment and the development of quality teaching and learning within an innovative curriculum
• To develop and implement innovative operational systems including the use of new technologies in student academic management procedures
• To manage academic finances in providing an affordable and flexible curriculum
• To encourage the involvement of outside experts in the field, across all areas of the curriculum.

Themes and Principles:

• We understand that the needs of all pupils are different, and that we require a flexible curriculum to meet these needs
• We commit to developing the best possible curriculum for our pupils within the framework of understanding  our pupils’ needs, and national and international curriculum changes

Practical Arrangements:

The School is unique in that it operates a specialist music department within a full academic school.

The curriculum is therefore tailored to meet the needs of both pupils working on a conventional academic programme and pupils needing to make time for high level music practice and performance. In Years 7-9 reduced timetables are created for Music Specialist pupils in the music (M) form. This enables the pupils to have dedicated timetabled practice time alongside their academic studies. Pupils can increase the amount of practice time that they have by ‘dropping’ subjects. However, English, Maths, Science, RPE, Music, MFL and PSHE remain core to the Music Specialist timetable, and pupils  are actively encouraged to study either Geography or History.

In Years 7-9, Specialist Mathematicians and those following the Study Skills programme also have tailored timetables and will miss lessons outside of the core curriculum to ensure that they have access to their required programmes of study.

As a result, there are many individual timetables inevitably within the philosophical outline articulated above.

The curriculum plan outlines the allocation of time to each subject in Years 7-9 and the range of GCSE and A level options. Pupils are expected to study 9.5 GCSEs as standard. Our core curriculum is English Language, English Literature, Mathematics, Combined Science and all pupils must study a Modern Foreign Language (from a choice of French, German or Spanish) and a Religious Studies short course. Pupils can then choose three other options alongside this. At A level, pupils opt to study four A level subjects in the Lower Sixth to ensure that a breadth of curriculum is maintained. Pupils will then confirm the three subjects they wish to follow in Upper Sixth after the Trinity Term end of year exams. Pupils may also choose to complete an EPQ alongside their A level subjects.

During GCSE and A level study, adjustments are made for Specialist Musicians with a tailored academic curriculum; a number of pupils take less than the load of four GCSE options plus the core subjects in Year 10 and Year 11 and begin with less than four A level courses in Lower Sixth to allow time for their musical studies.  In Years 10 and 11 Specialist Musicians may opt to be in the GCSE Combined Science class which operates on nine lessons a fortnight, rather than the standard 12 lessons a fortnight. Those pupils who require additional support (Study Skills) will not take a language at GCSE. Specialist Mathematicians will study three GCSE option choices alongside extra Maths lessons. They will have the opportunity to complete a HPQ and to take an Additional Maths qualification (FSMQ). Specialist Mathematicians in the Sixth Form are expected to study Maths and Further Maths A level.

The School sets in Modern Languages, Science and Mathematics and makes allowances for pupils who need an adjusted curriculum in English in Year 10 and 11.  

Remote Learning

At times where on-site school provision is prevented for any significant amount of time, the School will take steps to ensure that remote learning is facilitated for all pupils. This will align to our existing permanent provision of using Google Classroom, and may also include video link lessons where appropriate.

Deputy Head (Academic)

September 2023