Areté Learning Trust Curriculum Vision
- Our Areté Learning Trust curriculum is ambitious and based upon the evidence of how students learn. It exposes them to the best that has been thought and said so that they are challenged to be the best they can be.
- Underpinning this, strong knowledge foundations and the highlighting of interdisciplinary links ensure learning is equitable for all.
- Rich, first-hand experiences broaden horizons and create fulfilment and enjoyment.
- Ultimately, students thrive academically, personally and socially enabling them to become active and responsible global citizens.
The curriculum at Richmond School and Sixth Form College is designed to provide for all students, in a safe and secure environment conducive to learning, the opportunities to:
- Develop on a spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical level
- Experience a broad, balanced and challenging learning experience
- Acquire and develop the knowledge, understanding, skills and qualifications to progress with confidence to the next stage of their life and education
Our Curriculum Intent and CREDIT Values
We place great value on subject knowledge and skills as a basis for developing competence and an understanding of the world. We value the qualifications that students achieve but we also want to ensure that we expand the knowledge and skills that students have, beyond those needed to pass exams. Our curriculum and school development agenda are based around the six core school values - Creativity, Respect, Excellence, Determination, Independence and Teamwork.
Our curriculum aims to raise students’ aspirations, develop knowledge, skills and understanding, and promote self-belief and self-confidence. We believe in the breadth of learning; the right of students to study a rich and broad curriculum. We believe in developing their literacy and numeracy, their physical, technical and artistic competence alongside empathy within a social and moral framework. We endeavour to stretch, challenge and support every student through the curriculum.
During Years 7, 8 and 9, students will study a broad and balanced curriculum which includes English, Maths and Science. Students will also study a wide range of subjects including Art, Dance, Drama, Design and Technology, Food Preparation and Nutrition, Textiles Technology, Geography, History, IT and Computer Science, French, German, Physical Education and Theology and Philosophy. In the main, students with SEN follow the school curriculum. Support for students with SEN, and those for whom English is an additional language, is provided in class. In Years 7, 8 and 9, some SEN students study additional literacy and/or numeracy. These students may have a reduced timetable in Modern Languages or a Humanities subject for a short period of intervention. Students who need a lower level of support access intervention sessions, for one or two sessions per week, during tutor time.
We continue to offer the full range of subjects as Level 2 courses over Years 10 and 11. Additional subjects offered include Media Studies, Engineering, Business Studies, Health and Social Care and Physical Education.
We fully support the entitlement that students have to study the group of qualifications which the government calls the English Baccalaureate (EBacc): English, Mathematics, two Sciences, one Humanities subject (Geography or History) and a Modern Language. Our Programmes of Study offer all students the opportunity to choose from a wide range of subjects.
The curriculum offered at Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 ensures that there are clear progression routes to enable students to continue their post-16 education at Richmond Sixth Form College, and to prepare them for higher education and/or the world of work. There is a strong careers programme that supports students to understand the options available and to make informed choices about their career aspirations.
Students are provided with opportunities to add depth to their learning and develop personal skills through a rich and varied enrichment programme. Students have the chance to enjoy new experiences and consolidate their timetabled learning through a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities and experiences.
As part of our commitment to spiritual, moral, social and cultural development (SMSC), specific content is delivered through the Learning for Life programme. Students also experience SMSC across other curriculum areas. Learning for Life lessons also promote students’ personal, social, health and citizenship development and understanding.