CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

At Mount St Joseph students enjoy dynamic lessons in a rich and varied curriculum designed to engage and motivate students. We believe that every child is uniquely talented, and we seek to provide a curriculum which meets the need of all our children. 

Our curriculum intent is to offer all students a broad, balanced and rich experience which will equip them to succeed in a rapidly changing world. The curriculum is enriched with a variety of extra-curricular activities to encourage students to make constructive use of their leisure time. We create the conditions in which all students can grow and develop resilience and creativity.   

 

KEY STAGE 3 CURRICULUM 

Transition from primary to secondary is a high priority for the school and students arriving new to the school in year 7 are initially taught in their form groups, this enables them to develop strong relationships with their peers and a strong sense of belonging.  

After the first term and throughout the remainder of year 7 and onwards, students are taught in ability groups, set in three bands (four in year 7), enabling lessons to be tailored to maximise each individual's potential. Whilst the curriculum focuses on literacy skills and mathematics it is also varied, so students can experience a wide range of subjects.   

Subjects within the Curriculum 

In accordance with National Curriculum guidelines all students follow a common curriculum at Key Stage 3 comprising: 

Art	Citizenship	Computing
Drama	English	Geography
History	Mathematics	French/Spanish
Music	Physical Education	Religious Education
Science	Technology

 

In year 9 Students are able to opt for certain subjects after following a core programme to support and guide them with these choices. This allows students to make informed decisions around choosing their subject specialisms for KS4.  

Students continue to study the compulsory subjects of the national curriculum across the three years of KS3 ensuring they experience a broad and balanced curriculum that prepares them for not only KS4 but also further education and beyond.

KEY STAGE 4 CURRICULUM  

In the spring term of Year 9 students opt for their final Key Stage 4 subjects, and it is these they will sit exams in at the end of Year 11. Students continue with these subjects for the remainder of their time at Mount St Joseph. 

The curriculum at KS4 is designed to enable students to achieve their best studying subjects they find stimulating and relevant. There are three pathways which students can follow. 

Students on the English Baccalaureate pathway study the core subjects of English, Maths, Science, RE, Computing and then either History or Geography and either French or Spanish. They also have the opportunity to study an additional subject of their choice. 

Students on our core pathway study English, Maths, Science, RE, Computing and a humanity subject and those who wish not to study a Modern Foreign Language can instead choose two options. Students on this pathway may sit a mixture of GCSE and equivalent qualifications such as BTEC’s and Technical Awards. 

The school has developed programmes with external providers TLG, Edstart, PLC and numerous work-based programmes. A Students' participation in alternative provisions still ensures they receive their entitlement to statutory education at a partnership project. All programmes provide access to a mixture of GCSE and equivalent Vocational qualifications such as BTEC’s or Technical Awards. 

Subjects within the Curriculum 

All students at Key Stage 4 study the core subjects:  

English	Mathematics	Science
Computing	Religious Education	Physical Education
Geography/History

Optional Subjects  

After consultation with parents and staff, students choose further subjects from: 

Art	Business/Enterprise	Computer Science
Drama	Health & Social Care	Food Technology & Nutrition
French/Spanish	Music	Photography
Physical Education	Design Technology

Our curriculum is constantly evolving to meet the needs of our students and to provide them with the knowledge and skills they need for their future working lives. We regularly take their feedback to see what we could do better and what subjects they may wish to study in the future. To complement the curriculum, we have a wide range of activities that go on across the year from enterprise events and careers workshops, visits by outside speakers and work experiences within the local area. We offer a variety of retreats and ethos events, sports days and celebrations throughout the year.  

Support is provided for all students through our tracking of student performance. The curriculum is flexible to allow students to have short-term support and intervention to address any specific learning issue and achieve the best progress possible. The personalisation of the curriculum at Mount St Joseph has something for everyone and encourages all our students to do their very best and reach their true potential.