Curriculum Intent 

• Our school motto ‘in Christ we flourish’ and school values of wisdom, compassion and vocation inform the purpose and goals of our curriculum.  We seek to develop exceptional, well qualified, well rounded young people through a broad and balanced curriculum that nurtures all facets of the human experience – intellectual, spiritual, moral, social, cultural and physical. Holistic education is a key construct of our curriculum supporting students in the process of flourishing through a focus on the development of wisdom, compassion and vocation.
• The curriculum is designed to offer a rigorous and equitable academic learning journey where all students are offered every opportunity to deepen their knowledge, understanding and skills. All students are empowered by knowing more.  High expectations and aspirations underpin our curriculum and practices.  Everyone can achieve regardless of background or circumstance and aspirations for the future can be attained with hard work, determination and resilience. To this end we are firmly committed to challenging and mitigating inequalities so that all are enabled to achieve their potential.
• The curriculum aims to develop growth in personal excellence, personal identity and purpose enabling students to discover, build and value strengths / talents in their many varied forms.  Our Christ centred curriculum builds and sustains a culture where faith and good character can grow and thrive. Religious Education has a rightly privileged place within the school curriculum. It is fundamental to the school’s vision to educating the whole person, an essential element of students’ formation and personal development in supporting their discernment of the meaning of their existence, engaging with questions of belief, value, purpose, truth and their influence within society.  The care and value we show towards others impacts on our mutual flourishing and so our curriculum aims to build students’ wisdom and compassion, a generous spirit that broadens perspective beyond the self recognising that fulfilment and worth comes from using gifts and talents in working towards a greater good. Our curriculum encourages an altruistic, broad and service oriented approach to development and life – this is at the heart of well-being and flourishing.

 

Impact is evident in the following ways: 

• Students develop comprehensive and specialist knowledge and skills across the curriculum and as a result achieve exceptionally well. This is reflected in very high academic standards and achievement.
• Students are well acquitted to transition to the next phase of their education, employment or training and progress to destinations that meet interests and aspirations.
• Students are empowered to move confidently into the world, are openminded, empathetic and armed with the knowledge and skills that enables them to make informed and just decisions.
• Through engaging with questions of belief, value, truth students develop an understanding and appreciation of diversity, of the inherent dignity of all and are prepared for an increasingly interconnected world.
• Students are equipped on their journey of discerning their purpose; use and develop their talents and gifts for the good and well-being of themselves, others and society.

 

Curriculum Principles 

We believe our curriculum should:

• Be broad, balanced, rich and appropriate, remaining broad for as long as possible regardless of starting point or demographic.
• Form students’ intellectual, spiritual, moral, social, cultural and physical potential with an engaging education in the best that has been thought, said and done in the differing disciplines engendering an appreciation of human creativity and achievement.
• Be well matched and responsive to student needs, interests and aspirations and meet NC requirements.
• Inspire and engage all on a lifelong learning journey by fostering an environment which invites students to reflect on their purpose and calling.
• Ensure equal access to the full curriculum offer with high ambition and appropriate challenge and support stretching the boundaries of individual ability.
• Be academically rigorous inspiring excellence and aspiration in all its forms.
• Ensure the tradition and rigour of subject domains is respected, developing intellectual curiosity and the knowledge and skills required for deep, meaningful and sustained subject engagement.
• Develop core knowledge and conceptual understanding through a coherent and appropriately sequenced curriculum so that new knowledge and skills build on previous learning.
• Ensure continuity and progression as students transition across key stages/ year groups/ next destinations.
• Promote high standards of literacy and numeracy.
• Provide wide ranging experiences and opportunities that enrich personal development supporting well-being, fostering excellent attitudes to study and nurturing personal growth.
• Ensure explicit links to career and further education pathways with a high-quality curriculum of advice and guidance that meets the Gatsby Benchmarks and the Baker Clause.
• Develop autonomous and resilient individuals who are self-directed and self- motivated.

 

Curriculum Planning

Careful thought is put into curriculum planning with subject experts leading and developing the curriculum in their area of expertise. Curriculum planning is underpinned by the following principles:

• Balanced – developing the spiritual, intellectual, moral, cultural, social and physical potential of students; ensuring each area of learning and experience is given sufficient attention in relation to others and the whole curriculum.
• Rigorous – cognitively demanding and suitably challenging, aiming to support high standards of achievement and nurture aspiration.
• Coherent – making explicit connections and links between different units of work and different subject domains developing an appreciation of the interconnectivity of knowledge.
• Vertically integrated – focusing on progression by carefully sequencing knowledge and skill development; providing clarity about what ‘getting better’ at the subject means.
• Appropriate – meets the needs of all students, matching and extending levels of challenge to a student’s current level of maturity / knowledge / skill.
• Focused – keeping the curriculum manageable by teaching the most important knowledge, the big ideas or key concepts within a subject.
• Relevant – identifying valued outcomes of a curriculum both in terms of progress within school and the world beyond school.

At KS3, there is a strong focus on curriculum breadth with students studying all core and foundation subjects of the National Curriculum across the three years. Religious Education is at the heart of the curriculum and all students study Theology. All students study either French or Spanish at KS3.

The KS3 curriculum is designed to be knowledge – focused across the range of subjects, ensuring that we not only fulfil the National Curriculum but fuel students’ intellectual curiosity instilling an appreciation of our world and our place within this. Throughout KS3 we seek to nurture students’ enjoyment and love of learning, cultivating essential skills and disciplined habits of mind required for successful study. The broad and balanced diet at KS3 acknowledges that our students are individual and is designed to give a range of experiences and opportunities to help students develop into rounded individuals with a range of strengths and talents. Importantly, the KS3 curriculum is challenging and rigorous, building the academic foundations for GCSE and further study.

The curriculum is taught through discrete subjects though opportunities for cross curricular connections are exploited to support  coherence. Across a 20 – period week students study the following subjects in years 7-9. Most subjects are taught within a weekly timetable, whilst in certain years, Music, Technology and Art are taught on a fortnightly timetable. Curriculum time, in terms of periods allocated, is outlined below.

Key Stage 3 Subjects	Year 7	Year 8	Year 9
English	3	3	3
Mathematics	3	3	3
Theology	2	2	2
Science	2	2	3
Art	0.5	1	1
Computing	1	1	0
Design / Food Technology	1.5	1.5	1.5
Geography	1	1	1
History	1	1	1
Modern Foreign Languages	2	2	2
Physical Education	2	2	2
Music	1	0.5	0.5
CPR	See below	See below	See below

In Years 7-9, Citizenship PSHE and RSE (CPR) is embedded in form time and across the curriculum; it is an integral part of a wide range of activities.

As part of the KS3 D&T curriculum all students complete the Level 2 Edexcel Home Cooking Skills BTEC qualification. The Cambridge Latin course is offered to KS3 students as an additional qualification studied after school.

Relationship and Sex Education within a Catholic context is led by the Theology Department,  within Theology lessons each term. The programme follows the approved Catholic Education Service curriculum, developed in partnership with the DfE and Ten-Ten Resources, delivering RSE education through cinema, film and in- class debate and discussions. Other subjects contribute to the RSE curriculum, for example Science and CPR.

Careers education and guidance makes a major contribution to preparing students for the opportunities and responsibilities of adult life. A planned, progressive programme during KS3 supports students to make informed choices about KS4 options enabling students to develop realistic and ambitious aspirations which suit interests and aptitudes – for more information refer to the Careers information on the school website.

The school is built upon the ethos of equality and it is on this basis that the philosophy of mixed ability is structured. With the exception of mathematics (and a very small number of groupings within English and MFL) classes are taught in mixed ability groups across the key stages.

Students with special educational needs are provided with a balanced and broad curriculum which enables them to have full access to the curriculum. Teaching is differentiated to meet the needs of all students through quality first teaching strategies. Further support is provided for students with SEND  through in-class and tailored interventions. Where more intensive or specialist support is required, students are sometimes withdrawn from normal classes.

Students with greater needs in their literacy and numeracy skills are identified and supported from the outset of Y7.

We offer an extensive and ever- evolving range of clubs, educational visits and events to enhance our students’ educational experience. Across the curriculum there are excellent opportunities for students to engage in a broad or specialist range of activities – artistic, cultural, speaking, mathematical, sporting, scientific and technological. Homework clubs and targeted intervention classes are provided to support academic achievement.

 

Reading at KS3

Reading is the master skill for cross-curricular success in secondary schools. The curriculum is dominated by text, both in print and on screen, and our learners need to be able to read effectively in order to understand, make sense of and take meaning from the wide range of texts presented to them. The transition to secondary school sees a shift in the type of texts students are required to read: rather than predominantly fiction, students must be able to access dense, expository texts. For a significant number of learners who enter secondary schools with a reading age below their chronological age, the reading demands of the secondary curriculum prove extremely challenging. It is our duty as teachers to provide effective support strategies and equip students to approach these texts strategically so that they know more. Secondary school students who continue to have difficulty accessing text have already struggled with learning to read for up to seven years. They have experienced years of falling further and further behind their peer; as a result, many struggling readers have low self-esteem and lack confidence in the classroom.

Consequently, it is our responsibility as a body of staff to ensure that we use available data on students’ reading ability in order to make informed choices about appropriate texts and to plan appropriate support for our students in order that they can successfully access a wide range of texts.

We must provide every student with reading skills that are portable and functional, ensuring that they have every chance to make accelerated progress in their reading, are eager to access the curriculum and who go on to fulfil their potential and achieve economic well- being later in life. Students who are confident readers and writers are likely to have more choices open to them and make a positive contribution to society.

All students’ reading ability is assessed upon entering Trinity through the New Group Reading Test (NGRT). This provides a standardised score to identify students who would benefit from further support in their reading. For students identified as ‘developing readers’, further intervention is provided through the Lexia PowerUp programme or phonics support. These students are re-tested every term to identify progress. Progress is recognised and celebrated through praise postcards/certificates and assemblies.

We believe that active encouragement of reading for pleasure is a core part of every student’s educational entitlement, whatever their background or attainment because extensive reading and exposure to a broad range of texts can contribute widely to each student’s educational achievement.

All students in Years 7-9 are required to bring a book of their choice (of an appropriate reading level) to school with them. Reading periods each day, at the start of period 3, are dedicated to independent reading. Classrooms are stocked with book bags/shelves should students not happen to have their reading book with them. Form teachers check to ensure that students have an appropriate reading book with them.

Academic reading is embedded into schemes of learning to enrich the curriculum experience of our students by exposing them to the work of scholars, latest scientific findings, economic analysis, geographical / environmental findings etc. In addition, students are set the challenge of reading 30 books during the course of the year, or 15 ‘classic reads’. Students record these books within their English exercise books and those who achieve this goal are rewarded with praise postcards, certificates and entry in to a prize draw to win a Kindle.

All students are most welcome in our wonderful Bethan Library on the Upper Site. The library is open Monday to Thurs 8am-4.30pm and Friday 8am-3.30pm. We encourage our students to visit the library on a regular basis to borrow from a wide selection of books. Additionally, students can access and reserve books from the library via the following link: https://uk.accessit.online/trn16/#!dashboard. Through this link students not only have access to the school’s vast catalogue of texts, but also to many online resources as well. Students are also able to use the computers and printers available in our Learning Resource Centre for research or homework during our opening hours.

 

 

How can I support my child at KS3?

Many parents/guardians might feel at a loss when their children start secondary school. Involvement in these crucial years can make an enormous difference. Below are some ways in which you can support your child to learn and improve.

• Please do encourage your child to engage with the Digital Learning Hub on the school website. We have compiled some of the best online digital resources to support learning, exploration and subject specific resources used by students within the school. Some subject resources will require individual student log in details. All students that require access will have these details. The hub also includes useful study skills instruction videos such as the Cornell Note Taking Method, Independence Skills and Preparing Effective Flashcards, which will further assist the completion of independent work.
• Check the presentation and where possible the content of all home study. Home study should be done as soon as possible, preferably on the evening of the day it has been set. Please monitor progress and home study deadlines through Satchel. Let the school know if there are any problems with home study that cannot be resolved. Perhaps your child seems to be doing too much, or not enough, or is finding it too easy or difficult.
• Ensure that outside activities/clubs whilst important do not hamper your child’s quality of work and place them under undue pressure.
• Students should be regularly testing themselves at home to demonstrate a high level of success. Assist your child with past papers and exam questions so they become further familiar with exam format, question style and time pressures.
• Parents can assist students with revision through active use of knowledge organisers. They provide a useful overview of some key elements of factual knowledge that students can refer to as a basis for self-quizzing.
• Staying motivated can be one of the biggest obstacles to studying and revising. Students must set scheduled breaks alongside their study targets. Distractions should be removed where necessary. Students should de-activate gaming or social accounts and turn off their phone when revising or studying. As a reward, they can access these once they achieve set revision tasks.
• Establishing a revision routine is important. Students should make use of revision plans/wall planners and allocate more time to subjects and topics they are unsure about. Students should be creating their own revision ‘hit lists’. These are the topics that students need to focus on further. Student plans need to be flexible to allow for some topics that may take longer than they expect.
• Discuss with your child revision strategies that they have completed in the past for tests and mock examinations. What techniques have they found useful and what has not worked so well?  What obstacles does your child face when it comes to revision?  Aspects such as these will need to be considered before a plan is put in place.
• Students should have the environment necessary for success. Students need a place to revise, which is quiet, calm and comfortable. Things to consider are noise levels, lighting, ability to store their work tidily and not being disturbed by other family members. If there is not a good place to revise at home, please consider the local library. Varying the revision space can often be helpful.

 

 

Home Study at KS3

 

Home study refers to tasks given to students by their teachers to be completed outside of usual lessons. Home study plays a vital role in consolidating and extending learning, develops independent learning skills, raises standards of achievement and is fundamental to both success as a student and in adult life. At Trinity, home study is an integral part of the curriculum, planned and prepared alongside schemes of work to instil in all students the  importance  of  life-long learning,  meet  curriculum  objectives  and  facilitate  progression  to  the  next stage of a student’s educational journey, for all groups of students.

Students need to have somewhere quiet, away from distractions, where they can work on their home study. We suggest a golden hour where the TV is turned off and mobile phones are handed to parents to have until the work has been completed. If students do get stuck on their home study then they should inform their class teacher before work is due to be submitted and get help to ensure that they can complete the activity set to the best of their ability. Students must maintain a focus on presentation and pride in work undertaken.  Students submitting poor quality home study will be required to re-do the home study.

Home study activities may take a variety of forms such as:

• Independent learning.
• Flipped learning and forward planning.
• Pre-learning activities such as reading or notetaking.
• Specific tasks that consolidate and extend understanding, knowledge and skills from class to improve fluency and confidence.
• Preparation for formal or informal oral presentations to develop public speaking and spoken literacy skills.
• Consolidating knowledge and skills through online eLearning resources such as: Mathswatch; Tassomai; Kerboodle etc.
• Extended writing activities.
• Simple experiments.
• Academic reading.
• Research work, fact-finding, gathering information, gathering or analysing sources, evaluating evidence, forming judgements.
• Interviewing
• Evaluating learning.
• Extended projects/ structured tasks within extended projects.
• Designing
• Making models.
• Practising a particular skill.
• Listening to/watching a particular relevant broadcast or film.
• Revision for formal tests, mock examinations and low stakes testing.
• Learning spellings.

NOTE: In Year 7, for the first half term, home study will only be set by Theology, English, Maths, Science and MFL. All other subjects start after half term.

 

Year 7 Home Study Timetable
Department	Frequency
English	Every Lesson
Maths	Once a week
Science	Once a week
Theology	Once a week
Art	Half termly projects to complete.
Computing	Fortnightly
Design and Technology	Fortnightly
Food Technology and Textiles	Written home study fortnightly
Geography	Fortnightly
History	Fortnightly
MFL – French & Spanish	Every Lesson
Music	Once every two lessons
PE	Termly home study activities set.

The time necessary to complete home study tasks will range in times, but on average will take from 30 to 40 minutes per subject to complete. Students will be directed by their teachers as to how long each piece of work will take.

 

Year 8 Home Study Timetable
Department	Frequency
English	Every Lesson
Maths	Once a week
Science	Once a week
Theology	Once a week
Art	Half termly projects to complete
Computing	Fortnightly
Design and Technology	Fortnightly
Food Technology and Textiles	Written home study fortnightly
Geography	Fortnightly
History	Fortnightly
MFL – French and Spanish	Every Lesson
Music	Fortnightly
PE	Termly home study activities set

Home study will range in times, but on average will take from 35 minutes to 50 minutes per subject to complete. Students will be directed by their teacher as to how long each piece of home study should take.

 

Year 9 Home Study Timetable
Department	Frequency
English	Every Lesson
Maths	Once a week
Science	Every Lesson
Theology	Once a week
Art	Half termly projects to complete
Design and Technology	Fortnightly
Food Technology and Textiles	Written home study fortnightly
Geography	Fortnightly
History	Fortnightly
MFL – French & Spanish	Every Lesson
Music	Fortnightly
PE	Termly home study activities set.

Home study will range in times and can be from 40 minutes to 1.5 hrs. Students will be told by their class teachers the expectation in terms of the required time to be spent on the home study tasks set.

 

Assessment at KS3

The assessment system at Trinity focuses on the specific elements of the curriculum an individual has understood well (mastered) and those they have not. Teachers will aim to ensure that all students have developed a sound level of understanding of the key knowledge, skills and understanding in a unit of learning prior to moving onto the next unit. Those who do not reach the required level are provided with a range of additional in class interventions and support so that they can reach the expected level. This is a mastery approach to teaching.

The assessment system at Trinity is:

• cohesive, showing a mapped path from KS2 to KS4 through flightpaths.
• based on developing the key knowledge, skills and understanding required for success in the new KS4 curriculum.
• based upon high expected standards for all our students.
• based upon formative feedback and subsequent student response which allows all to succeed.
• structured to incorporate periodic summative assessments to support ongoing formative feedback and prepare students effectively for linear examinations.
• one that allows for specific high quality intervention targeted at students’ misconceptions.
• flexible, allowing students to develop at their pace – flight paths reassessed in light of performance and progress made – i.e. not set in stone.
• rigorous in terms of assessment and tracking students’ progress.

Starting Points: We continue to incorporate many of the practices we have already used for many years to ensure students are being assessed meaningfully, focusing on what a student has mastered and what they need to do to reach their next steps. The use of pre-assessments, identifying the core skills to be taught and developed and post-assessments to measure progress made are built into schemes of learning. This allows for students to continually be developing their knowledge and skills within a subject area and not wasting time revisiting work covered the previous year.

In addition, Year 7 students sit baseline assessments in English, mathematics and science and pre-topic tests in all other subjects in the autumn term. By assessing students on entry, we can reassess them at the end of the academic year and show real progress made.

Furthermore, on entry to Trinity students undertake a “Star Reading” assessment so that we can quickly identify students that may struggle with reading and/or spelling look to provide appropriate interventions.

Using all the information obtained – teacher assessments, baseline tests etc. – students are then placed on a KS3 Flight Path (noted on the front of exercise books) – information is given in the table below:

KS3 Flight Paths	KS2 Standardised Scores	GCSE (New grades)
Mastery	111-120	9-7
Secure	105-110	5-6
Developing	98-104	5-4
Emerging	80-97	3-1

What do the flight paths mean? Each department identifies the core “Knowledge and Skills” that students will need to understand and master in order to be successful at GCSE. These are based on the knowledge and skills that subject staff know to be key to success in year 10 and 11 and from a thorough understanding of examination syllabi. All subjects studied at KS3 are fully compliant with the national curriculum for their subject areas. All subjects stretch and challenge students appropriately. We have high expectations for all our students and expect high standards of work from all. Descriptions for each of the flight paths are given below:

 

Feedback: Teachers will provide written teacher comments on specific pieces of work in exercise books/folders. The feedback will comment on the content and accuracy, literacy and presentation. Teachers will often use the codes WWW – what went well and EBI – even better if. In addition, students may be set a specific “Green Pen Question” to further develop / extend their understanding. It is the expectation that students will correct work and respond to teacher feedback in green pen, before attempting the next piece of assessed home study.

Please note that at Trinity we place a strong emphasis on assessment for learning (AFL) strategies in the classroom. AFL helps in making understanding and knowledge “more visible”. It helps learners understand what excellence looks like and how students can develop their own work to reach that level. AFL activities may include questioning, mini whiteboards, traffic light (RAG) activities, multiple- choice activities, quizzes in class etc.

Tracking Progress: Departments regularly assess progress made towards the schemes of learning:

• through home study tasks set and assessed.
• through low stakes testing built into lessons to help develop students’ ability to recall information from previous units of work and so develop their long term memory.
• in class assessments, such as pre and post assessments, use of mini whiteboards and other assessment for learning activities built into lessons.
• through formal school assessments, undertaken at mid-year and at the end of year assessment points.

Progress is noted as follows:

Indicator
Above Expected Progress	AEP
Meeting Expected Progress	MEP
Below Expected Progress	BEP

It must be stressed that a student meeting expected progress is making good progress. A student can be “Secure” in year 7, 8 and 9 and still be making progress towards the criteria explicitly noted by departments.

Reporting to Parents: After the main assessment points (at mid-year and at the end of year), reports go home to parents. Each report indicates whether students are on the Mastery, Secure, Developing or Emerging flight path or “Track”– it reports the level of progress made as either “Below expected progress”; “Making Expected Progress” or “Above Expected Progress” in terms of the formal tests and in terms of classwork / home study. In addition, teachers award a grade for ‘Home study Effort’ and a grade for ‘Behaviour’. After the “End of Year” assessments, the reports that go home to parents are in a written format and feedback is provided on progress made and further action needed.

Teachers give verbal feedback to parents on students’ strengths of knowledge and skills and areas for further development at the subject evening following the mid-year assessments.

Our students continue with a broad and rigorous curriculum at KS4. Core subjects, English, mathematics, science (combined or Triple), PE and CPR are compulsory. All students study for a GCSE in Theology.

Three optional subjects are chosen by students and all students have access to the full range of choices. Students are encouraged to choose options which relate to their interests and which facilitate future career aspirations. Students are well informed about the benefits of an academic pathway such as the EBacc and are encouraged to continue with a humanities subject and a modern foreign language and/or heritage language. Our options reflect a broad and balanced curriculum comprising languages, humanities, technology and arts subjects. Most students study for 9 GCSEs (some 10). A small number of students will study fewer and are supported with extra English and mathematics and a ‘Careers and Experiencing Work’ short ASDAN course.

In summary:

• All students study the following subjects: GCSE English Language, GCSE English Literature, GCSE Mathematics, GCSE Combined Science, GCSE Theology and core PE.
• All students study CPR (Citizenship, PSHE, and RSE). This programme is integrated across subject areas and has dedicated time during form periods across the week.
• All students study for two GCSEs in Combined Science. However, there is choice for students to select Triple Science as part of the options process.
• Core PE does not lead to a qualification though there is the option to extend the study of PE by choosing GCSE PE within the option blocks.
• Students in the top two sets for mathematics study for an additional GCSE in Statistics; some students additionally study for FSMQ Additional Mathematics.
• Careers Education and Guidance continues throughout KS4, supporting raised aspirations and giving students the knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions about further study and employment options. Students partake in a week-long work experience programme in Y10.

 

Across a 20 – period week the period allocation for KS4 subjects is as follows:

Key Stage 4 Subjects	Year 10	Year 11
English	3	4
Mathematics	4	3
Science	3	4
Theology	2	2
PE	2	1
CPR	See above	See above
Option 1	2	2
Option 2	2	2
Option 3	2	2

Typically subjects tend to be taught in double period blocks allowing time for the rigorous, in-depth study required for the sustained engagement necessary for high academic achievement and subject mastery.

Optional Subjects

Art	Business	Computer Science
Construction	Design Technology	Drama
Economics	French	Food Preparation and Nutrition
Geography	History	Media
Music	Physical Education	Psychology
Triple Science	Spanish

The curriculum is broadened further through wider extracurricular opportunities beyond the classroom, that are responsive to individual needs and aspirations. Such opportunities impact positively on student engagement, their wellbeing and help foster successful attitudes to learning. A particular strength in the examination years is the extensive   study support with revision classes and /or small group tutorials offered across subjects. This provision makes a valued contribution to our very high academic standards at KS4.

 

Reading at KS4

Reading is the master skill for cross-curricular success in secondary schools. The curriculum is dominated by text, both in print and on screen, and our learners need to be able to read effectively in order to understand, make sense of and take meaning from the wide range of texts presented to them. The transition to secondary school sees a shift in the type of texts students are required to read: rather than predominantly fiction, students must be able to access dense, expository texts. For a significant number of learners who enter secondary schools with a reading age below their chronological age, the reading demands of the secondary curriculum prove extremely challenging. It is our duty as teachers to provide effective support strategies and equip students to approach these texts strategically so that they know more. Secondary school students who continue to have difficulty accessing text have already struggled with learning to read for up to seven years. They have experienced years of falling further and further behind their peer; as a result, many struggling readers have low self-esteem and lack confidence in the classroom.

Consequently, it is our responsibility as a body of staff to ensure that we use available data on students’ reading ability in order to make informed choices about appropriate texts and to plan appropriate support for our students in order that they can successfully access a wide range of texts.

We must provide every student with reading skills that are portable and functional, ensuring that they have every chance to make accelerated progress in their reading, are eager to access the curriculum and who go on to fulfil their potential and achieve economic well-being later in life. Students who are confident readers and writers are likely to have more choices open to them and make a positive contribution to society.

We believe that active encouragement of reading for pleasure is a core part of every student’s educational entitlement, whatever their background or attainment because extensive reading and exposure to a broad range of texts can contribute widely to each student’s educational achievement.

Academic reading is embedded into schemes of learning to enrich the curriculum experience of our students by exposing them to the work of scholars, latest scientific findings, economic analysis, geographical / environmental findings etc.

All students are most welcome in our wonderful Bethan Library on the Upper Site. The library is open Monday to Thurs 8am-4.30pm and Friday 8am-3.30pm. We encourage our students to visit the library on a regular basis to borrow from a wide selection of books. Additionally, students can access and reserve books from the library via the following link: https://uk.accessit.online/trn16/. Through this link students not only have access to the school’s vast catalogue of texts, but to many online resources as well. Students are also able to use the computers and printers available in our Learning Resource Centre for research or homework during our opening hours.

 

 

How can I support my child at KS4?

Many parents/guardians might feel at a loss when their children enter their examination years at KS4. Involvement in these crucial years can make an enormous difference. Below are some ways in which you can support your child to learn and improve.

• Please do encourage your child to engage with the Digital Learning Hub on the school website. We have compiled some of the best online digital resources to support learning, exploration and subject specific resources used by students within the school. Some subject resources will require individual student log in details. All students that require access will have these details. The hub also includes useful study skills instruction videos such as the Cornell Note Taking Method, Independence Skills and Preparing Effective Flashcards, which will further assist the completion of independent work.
• Check the presentation and where possible the content of all home study. Home study should be done as soon as possible, preferably on the evening of the day it has been set. Please monitor progress and home study deadlines through Satchel. Let the school know if there are any problems with home study that cannot be resolved. Perhaps your child seems to be doing too much, or not enough, or is finding it too easy or difficult.
• Ensure that outside activities/clubs whilst important do not hamper your child’s quality of work and place them under undue pressure.
• Students should be regularly testing themselves at home to demonstrate a high level of success. Assist your child with past papers and exam questions so they become further familiar with exam format, question style and time pressures.
• Parents can assist students with revision through active use of knowledge organisers. They provide a useful overview of some key elements of factual knowledge that students can refer to as a basis for self-quizzing.
• Staying motivated can be one of the biggest obstacles to studying and revising. Students must set scheduled breaks alongside their study targets. Distractions should be removed where necessary. Students should de-activate gaming or social accounts and turn off their phone when revising or studying. As a reward, they can access these once they achieve set revision tasks.
• Establishing a revision routine is important. Students should make use of revision plans/wall planners and allocate more time to subjects and topics they are unsure about. Students should be creating their own revision ‘hit lists’. These are the topics that students need to focus on further. Student plans need to be flexible to allow for some topics that may take longer than they expect.
• Discuss with your child revision strategies that they have completed in the past for tests and mock examinations. What techniques have they found useful and what has not worked so well?  What obstacles does your child face when it comes to revision?  Aspects such as these will need to be considered before a plan is put in place.
• Students should have the environment necessary for success. Students need a place to revise, which is quiet, calm and comfortable. Things to consider are noise levels, lighting, ability to store their work tidily and not being disturbed by other family members. If there is not a good place to revise at home, please consider the local library. Varying the revision space can often be helpful.
• Students must attend all revision classes  and small group tutorials if required to do so. Staff give up their own time to work with students during these sessions and therefore if your child is invited, they are expected to attend. Parental support with this is very much valued.

Year 7 Learning Journey

Year 8 Learning Journey

Year 9 Learning Journey

Year 10 Learning Journey

Year 11 Learning Journey

The curriculum is broadened further by addressing gaps in opportunity through wider extracurricular opportunities beyond the classroom, developing a curriculum that is flexible, promotes equality of opportunity and is responsiveness to individual needs and aspirations.  Such opportunities impact positively on student engagement, their wellbeing and help foster excellent habits of mind and attitudes to learning. Typically, students develop and discover their interests and talents through wider extracurricular opportunities including work experience; rock and pop concerts and other musical performances; computing competitions; mathematical enrichment challenges; theatre performances; gallery visits; fieldtrips; a wide variety of masterclasses from outside speakers; ‘top’ university trips and talks; gym clubs; Duke of Edinburgh’s Award; sporting activities and a large wealth of other initiatives.

 

KS4 Intervention Programmes

A particular strength in the examination years is the extensive extracurricular study support with revision classes and small group tutorials offered across all subjects. This provision makes a valued contribution to our very high academic standards at KS4. In Year 11 students receive study support in the form of the Darius programme. Darius is a well-established intervention programme that is implemented to raise achievement for those students who are on the borderline for their target grade and could, with a little help and effort, achieve their academic goals.

Digital Learning Hub