Curriculum Overview

Curriculum Intent

At Kingsbridge Community College we offer a curriculum that is inspiring, challenging, deep and broad so that all students will thrive.

The objectives for our curriculum are:

• To ensure that students experience a broad and balanced curriculum at all Key Stages.
• To ensure high quality, well sequenced and coherent series of lessons at all Key Stages that enables the incremental development of knowledge with subjects.
• To enable students to develop deep knowledge and understanding in a range of core, foundation and creative subjects.
• To ensure that students develop high levels of literacy across the curriculum.
• To develop transferable mathematical skills across the curriculum.
• To secure the best possible academic success, in terms of progress and attainment for all of our students.
• To develop problem-solving, decision-making and personal and social skills, as well as developing cultural capital that enables learners to be resilient and confident.
• To prepare students for their next phase of education or employment in modern Britain.

Kingsbridge Community College’s curriculum is strengthened by the understanding that it is developed so that the needs and individual requirements of all students are met, in order that all students can thrive. The curriculum is underpinned by the UN convention on the rights of the child with a particular focus on:

Article 3 (best interests of the child) The best interests of the child must be a top priority in all decisions and actions that affect children.

Article 12 (respect for the views of the child) Every child has the right to express their views, feelings and wishes in all matters affecting them, and to have their views considered and taken seriously.

Article 28 (right to education) Every child has the right to an education.

Article 29 (goals of education) Education must develop every child’s personality, talents and abilities to the full.

The curriculum intent and implementation of each department/subject can be found on the subject pages of the College website where there are detailed curriculum maps which are a framework for setting out the aims of a programme of education in each subject, including the knowledge and understanding to be gained at each stage as well as links to assessment and potential careers.

 

Curriculum Implementation

In Year 7-10 and Year 12 and 13, tutorial time each morning is used to develop our students’ reading fluency. Students in Year 7-10 read books from our Kingsbridge Reading Canon which are chosen to be diverse in terms of authors, cultural experience and genre. The books are challenging texts and tutors use a range of techniques to ensure that students are engaging with the development of their ability to read.

In Year 12 and 13, students read challenging academic and non-fiction texts that are chosen to help to broaden students’ cultural awareness and to develop their ability to read academic literature.

In Year 11, in response to the disruption to education caused by the pandemic, tutorial sessions focus on learning content taught online during lockdown in English, Maths and Science. These sessions have a particular focus on ensuring that there are no gaps in learning as a result of lockdowns. Students also have planned study skills sessions to enable them to practise techniques to help them to retain information in their long-term memories: to know and remember more.

In Year 7-10 our curriculum is divided into three learning cycles per year. These cycles follow a pattern that includes regular low-stakes testing which supports students’ acquisition of the key knowledge that they need to be able commit to their long-term memory in order to be successful learners.

The shape of our learning cycles is:

Key Stage 3

The first three years at KCC form Key Stage 3. All departments have written their own curriculum that is at least as broad as the National Curriculum. Some of our subject areas have written their KS3 curriculum in collaboration with schools in our Trust; this process has been developed in a small number of subject areas to be led by a Curriculum Design Lead appointed to work across the Trust due to their specific, expert skills in curriculum sequencing and development. In all subjects, the Key Stage 3 curriculum is designed to build on the knowledge that students have gained at primary school and provide a challenging foundation for their studies in Key stage 4. 

The subjects that are studied in Key Stage 3 are English, Mathematics, Science, Computing, Design & Technology, Geography, History, Art, Drama, Music, Physical Education, Religious Education and French or Spanish. Some students receive extra lessons in literacy to ensure that they have the necessary skills to be able to access their curriculum.

In order to develop personal and social skills as well as knowledge and understanding of aspects of our community such as equality, diversity, inclusion and respect for self and others, students’ academic lessons are supplemented Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE) education, which is a key part of the KCC curriculum and is delivered through taught sessions in Years 7, 8 & 9.

During Year 9, students choose which subjects they want to take forward to study at GCSE. These choices are made after extensive careers advice and guidance as well as discussions with parents.

 

Key Stage 4

The subjects chosen are studied in Years 10 & 11 and usually lead to a GCSE or equivalent qualification. All students take English Language, English Literature, Mathematics and Religious Studies. In addition, all students must take Science; either Combined Science GCSE or separate Science pathways, as well as either Geography or History. It is our aim that the majority of students take a Modern Foreign Language. Students also all take part in core physical education lessons. Students are then free to make choices of other courses to follow, many of which they had experience of in Key Stage 3.

During KS4, students are taught PSHE through timetable lessons each fortnight which cover all aspects of personal social and health education including statutory relationships and sex education (RSE).  The curriculum covers areas suggested by the PSHE Association suggested Scheme of Learning for Key Stage 4 and also is flexible to respond to the needs of each particular cohort. Through this curriculum, students develop a greater awareness of sex and relationships, how to stay safe in the modern world (including radicalisation and cyber-security) as well as careers education and British values.

 

Key Stage 5

At Sixth Form there is a balance of academic and vocational opportunities which leads to the large majority of our students staying with us. We offer a wide range of A Levels and provide Applied General and Technical courses in certain subject areas. Students in the 6^th form experience a broad pastoral curriculum including a range of enrichment opportunities and statutory religious education. The curriculum in the 6^th form ensures that students have the knowledge and skills to take them beyond the frame of their current experiences and to support students in developing excellent personal, social and independent learning skills.  

 

Curriculum Impact

We measure the impact of our curriculum through:

• How students talk about their learning and their experiences
• The outcomes they achieve: Progress and attainment at Key Stage 5 is well above the national average and progress and attainment at Key Stage 4 is above average.
• The destinations and pathways students pursue: All students have been in education, employment or training (not NEET) in the years 2016-21.