Curriculum

Introduction

Kingsdown School operates a two-week timetable with 58 hours of taught lessons throughout week 1 and week 2. The school closes to students at lunchtime (12:50pm) on a Friday of week 2. The timetable includes 80 minutes a week of enrichment which students select each term.

Our five-year curriculum is designed to be ambitious and give all learners the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. Each department has planned and sequenced the curriculum to allow the development of knowledge and skills for future learning and employment. Most lessons begin with knowledge retrieval practice in the ‘Do Now Activity (DNA)’, so knowledge stays in long term memory. Home Learning supports students learning their knowledge organisers through quizzes and other retrieval activities.

All our Key Stage 3 assessments include knowledge-based tests so that students develop long term memory and master more of their subject content. In addition, summative tests assess how that knowledge is applied. These occur three times a year.

Both DNAs and home learning quizzes are planned so that students are retested at optimum times, using spaced learning (and the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve). Departments also plan their delivery of units to take advantage of spaced learning.

The curriculum is designed to be ambitious and to meet the needs of all of our students.

KS3: Years 7, 8 and 9 Curriculum

Throughout Years 7-9 students will study the core subjects of Maths, English and Science alongside Humanities (Geography, History, and Religious Education), Computer Science, PE, Music, Drama and Art. In year 7 students study French and will continue with this language when they take their options.

Skills in computing are acquired through a combination of specialist teaching and an increasing range of experiences across other subjects through the ChromeBooks and Google Classroom.

Years 10 and 11 Curriculum

The vast majority of students take 3 options alongside the core subjects of Maths, English and Science.  The options available for students consist of Religious Studies, Classical Civilisation, Business Studies, DT, Drama, Music, Art, PE, Computer Science, Health and Social Care, a Modern Foreign Language, History and Geography. Of the 3 choices one of these must be a humanities subject, a language or computer science.

A large number of our students will take 4 options and will follow the English Baccalaureate pathway.  This route requires students to take options in Maths, English, Science, a humanities subject and a modern foreign language. In addition to these option choices, they also choose a further 2 options of their choice, this ensures a broad and balanced curriculum and increases students’ opportunities for A level and other post-16 choices. 

Support and Intervention

Students who on entry to the school require support with literacy and numeracy receive additional tuition in champion time and through a withdrawal programme co-ordinated by our Inclusion Department. Over 70% improve enough each year to need no further Maths and English support.

Ongoing intervention is provided for students by teachers and additional support where identified is set in place.

If you need more information about the curriculum our school follows, you may contact us on 01793 822284.