our Curriculum
School Curriculum Overview
Our school curriculum comprises all the learning and other experiences we provide for our pupils. Although we are part of a multi-academy trust, we follow the National Curriculum prescribed by the Department for Education to ensure pupils have a broad and balanced curriculum.
Curriculum Intent
The curriculum at Rivington and Blackrod High School is stimulating, exciting, challenging and wholly inclusive. It provides pupils with opportunities to ‘discover their dreams, achieve their ambitions and transform their lives’.
Our curriculum includes everything that supports pupils’ intellectual, personal, social and physical development. Alongside lessons and extracurricular activities, this includes our approaches to teaching, learning and assessment, the quality of relationships within school and the values we uphold.
We want our pupils to become resilient, confident and independent young people with high aspirations. We want them to experience the joy of success and be ready to make significant contributions to society.
Our curriculum is broad, balanced, challenging and relevant, allowing all pupils to acquire the knowledge, skills and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. It is ambitious and reflects the interests, aspirations and destination profiles of our pupils.
A Broad Range of Subjects
We offer a three-year Key Stage 3, delivering the entirety of the National Curriculum and ensuring pupils study a broad range of subjects for as long as possible. This gives them a firm grounding in different subjects and helps them make informed choices at Key Stages 4 and 5.
At Key Stage 4, all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, can pursue qualifications in each of the four National Curriculum entitlement areas. The EBacc plays an important role in our curriculum and is an inclusive pathway available to all pupils.
We also recognise the importance of high-quality performing arts, technology and vocational subjects. Our curriculum is flexible enough to respond to pupils’ needs, talents and aspirations and can be personalised for the individual.
To support pupils in progressing into further education, training or employment, we aim to provide expert, independent and up-to-date careers guidance about the opportunities available to them.
Personal Development
Across all year groups, pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and the promotion of fundamental British values, are at the heart of learning both in and out of the classroom. We want our pupils to cooperate, embrace diversity and show tolerance, respect and fairness.
Developing our curriculum is an ongoing process and the responsibility of all staff. Teachers work together to plan an ambitious curriculum that helps pupils to ‘know what’ and ‘know how’, and to remember what they have learned in the long term.
This supports our pupils to ‘Work Hard’ throughout their time at Rivington and prepares them for success when they leave us in Year 11, or in Year 13 if they continue their learning journey with us.
An extensive extracurricular programme enhances the taught curriculum and supports pupils’ growth and development. Our ‘Take Part’ mantra is reflected in a varied range of opportunities for pupils to be creative, participate, try something new and enjoy themselves.
Curriculum Implementation
High-quality teaching is a top priority. For a number of years, our continuing professional development (CPD) programme has focused extensively, though not exclusively, on improving teaching and learning. We also prioritise time for departments to work together on curriculum development and progression, including teaching approaches and assessment.
Considerable thought, planning and time go into the content and sequencing of the curriculum in each subject. Subject leaders ensure that relevant knowledge, skills and concepts are introduced from Year 7 onwards, with learning in subsequent years building on what pupils have already been taught.
Each department has its own vision for the most relevant and appropriate subject content, and a model of curriculum progression. Curriculum leaders have autonomy when designing their curricula, while staff have considerable input into curriculum decisions through a trusting relationship with senior leaders.
Key Stage 3
Pupils receive an engaging and varied curriculum in Years 7, 8 and 9 in accordance with the National Curriculum. This is enriched by additional opportunities for learning and personal development.
Our three-year Key Stage 3 gives pupils the time and opportunity to study a wide range of subjects, helping them make more informed choices at Key Stage 4.
Through effective teaching and learning, we aim to help pupils enjoy learning and develop the attitudes, understanding, skills and confidence to thrive and ‘discover their dreams, achieve their ambitions and transform their lives’.
Key Stage 4
Pupils make their option choices at the end of Year 9. The curriculum is designed to ensure all pupils continue to study a broad and balanced range of subjects suited to their individual needs. They work towards a manageable number of qualifications, allowing appropriate curriculum time for each subject.
At Key Stage 4, pupils work predominantly towards GCSE qualifications. We offer a curriculum based on core subjects that gives every pupil the opportunity to study a modern foreign language and Geography and/or History as part of our commitment to the EBacc (English Baccalaureate).
We also offer a range of other approved, high-value qualifications for 14- to 16-year-olds, including GCSEs and Technical Awards. These reflect pupils’ destination profiles and broaden the pathways available to them. Further details can be found in the Year 9 Options section of our website.
In line with National Curriculum requirements, all pupils have curriculum time devoted to non-examined subjects, including PE and Religious Education (including PSHCE). All pupils also study English Language, English Literature, Maths and Science as examination subjects, taking either Combined Science or Separate Sciences.
Key Stage 5
Throughout their time at Rivington, we support pupils in preparing for their next steps in education, employment and training through our comprehensive careers education programme.
We hope many students will continue their journey with us into the Sixth Form, where we offer a wide variety of academic A-level and vocational subjects. Students can also combine A-levels with vocational choices to create a curriculum that prepares them for university, employment or further study.
Alongside academic study, we place great importance on the skills and personal qualities students gain through work and activities in and out of school. Students can take on leadership roles within the Sixth Form, participate in extracurricular activities and benefit from trips and guest speakers.
Curriculum Impact
We measure the success of our curriculum primarily, though not exclusively, through pupils’ performance. This includes:
- Progress and attainment
- Progress compared with pupils nationally who have similar starting points
- Pupils’ destinations after leaving Rivington and Blackrod High School
We also measure the success of our curriculum throughout Years 7 to 11, rather than only at the end of Key Stage 4. We use formative and summative assessments to evaluate how well pupils are learning the curriculum content, measure progress and inform future learning. Teachers within each department routinely moderate assessments.
Results at both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 are analysed in detail to ensure parity across subjects and cohorts. This helps us identify areas for curriculum development, which are included in the school improvement plan.
We also consider pupils’ enjoyment and engagement through their attendance, participation and attitudes to learning.
Feedback is another important measure. Pupil voice, parental feedback, governors’ meetings and daily professional conversations within departments and across the school all help us evaluate the impact of our formal and informal curriculum.
Drawing on these sources helps us judge the effectiveness of our curriculum and make adjustments to ensure we ‘discover dreams, achieve ambitions and transform lives’.
For more information about our school curriculum, please see below or contact Miss J Lyons, Deputy Headteacher for Quality of Education.
For more information about our school curriculum, please see below or contact Miss J Lyons, Deputy Headteacher Quality of Education.