Curriculum Overview

Year 9 Options

Year 9 Options; for those starting Year 10 in September 2019 - View the Booklet HERE

(This also shows the Curriculum for Years 10 & 11.)

Curriculum Statement September 2018

Our curriculum is designed to reflect our Christian ethos, and hence Religious Studies sits alongside Maths, English and Science as a Core subject. We provide opportunities for students to achieve in a range of academic and vocational subjects. We believe that it is vital that students are offered a broad and balanced curriculum in which the creative and practical subjects are highly valued. Full details of the curriculum delivered in each subject area can be found in the Curriculum Section of the school website.

Our aim is to provide students with an education which reflects the vision for Education as set out by the Church of England.

Educating for wisdom, knowledge and skills: enabling discipline, confidence and delight in seeking wisdom and knowledge, and developing talents in all areas of life.

Educating for hope and aspiration: enabling healing, repair and renewal, coping wisely when things go wrong, opening horizons and guiding people into ways of fulfilling them.

Educating for community and living well together: a core focus on relationships, participation in communities and the qualities of character that enable people to flourish together.

Educating for dignity and respect: the basic principle of respect for the value and preciousness of each person, treating each person as a unique individual of inherent worth.

We run a two week timetable made up of 50 periods a fortnight, with 5 x 1 hour lessons plus assembly and Tutor time every day. The day starts at 8.45am with registration and assembly and students are dismissed at 3.10pm, although there is a range of additional activities which take place after this time.

Key Stage 3

At Key Stage 3 the majority of students follow the curriculum as shown in the model below.

Key Stage 3 Curriculum Model September 2018 – number of periods per fortnight

Subject	Yr7	Yr8	Yr9
English	8	8	7
Maths	8	7	7
Science	7	7	8
Religious Studies	2	3	3
Art	2	2	2
Computing	3	2	2
Drama	2	2	2
Geography	2	3	3
History	2	3	3
MFL*	3	3	3/5
Music	2	2	2
PE & Dance	4	4	3
REACH (PSE)	3	1	1
Technology	2	3	4/2

All students study the full range of subjects, with the exception of Modern Foreign Languages.

In Year 7 all students study French.
Year 8 the majority continue with French, with the exception of a small number of students who receive additional help with literacy and numeracy skills.
In Year 9, just over 25% of students study a second language (Spanish). This gives them the opportunity to study either, or both of these subjects at Key Stage 4. The remainder of students have additional Technology; hence the two figures in the table above..

In Year 7 History, Geography and Religious Studies are taught by just one Humanities teacher, with blocks of time being allocated to each subject in turn. This helps to reduce the number of teachers a Year 7 student sees in a week, thus helping to support transition between Primary and Secondary school.

Grouping of Students:

On entry to Year 7 students are taught in mixed ability groups (average size 30) for the majority of their lessons. In Maths, English, Science and MFL students are set according to ability during the course of Key Stage 3. For Maths this happens very early in Year 7; the other subjects are set from Year 8.

A small group (less than 10% of the cohort) of students begin Year 7 in the ASPIRE group. This represents ‘All Students Prepared, Independent and Ready for Everything’ and is designed to aid successful transition. The group follows a modified curriculum including intensive input for literacy and numeracy aimed at closing the gap in attainment when measured against their peers. Alongside intensive literacy and numeracy, other aspects of the curriculum are delivered by a single teacher to allow a holistic approach. Students belong to a tutor group alongside their peers and share some practical lessons with them. Progress of these students is reviewed termly with a view to students being effectively integrated into the mainstream Year 7 curriculum when sufficient progress has been made. All students will be fully integrated by the end of Year 7.

Key Stage 4

Key Stage 4 begins after the May half-term in Year 9. Students all follow the same Core Curriculum plus three subjects of their own choice. Students are guided in their choice of subjects to help them follow a pathway which will enable them to succeed according to their needs and abilities.

Pathway 1 students take two of the following subjects; French, Geography, History, Spanish plus one free choice.

Pathway 2 students take one or more of the following subjects; Computing, French, Geography, History, Spanish with 1 or 2 free choice subjects.

Pathway 3 students take at least one of the vocational courses plus 1 or 2 other subjects.

The majority of students take nine subjects, but approximately 30% of the year group will gain an extra qualification by studying three separate sciences, rather than a combined, double science option.

In addition, all students continue to take Core PE and REACH (Personal and Social Education)

Key Stage 4 Curriculum Model September 2018 – number of periods per fortnight:

Yr10	Yr 11
8	8	English Language & Literature	Core Curriculum
7	7	Mathematics	Core Curriculum
10	10	Science	Core Curriculum
6	6	Religious Studies	Core Curriculum
3	3	Core PE	Core Curriculum
1	1	REACH (PSE)	Core Curriculum
5	5	Option 1	Constrained choice
5	5	Option 2	Free choice
5	5	Option 3	Free choice

During the course of Key Stage 4, a few students will have their curriculum reduced. This is exceptional and is usually for medical reasons.

Current Key Stage 4 Optional Subjects Studied

Subject	Year 10	Year 11
Art	GCSE	GCSE
Business Studies	GCSE	GCSE or BTEC
Child Development	OCR National	OCR National
Computing	GCSE	GCSE
Dance	GCSE
Design Technology - Timber or Electronics	GCSE	GCSE
Drama	GCSE	GCSE
Enterprise	BTEC
Food	GCSE	GCSE
French	GCSE	GCSE
Geography	GCSE	GCSE
History	GCSE	GCSE
ICT	OCR National	OCR National
Music	GCSE & RSL Diploma	GCSE & RSL Diploma
Music Technology	RSL Diploma	RSL Diploma
Physical Education	GCSE	GCSE
Spanish	GCSE	GCSE
Textiles - Fashion & Design		GCSE
Travel & Tourism	BTEC	BTEC
Work Skills	BTEC	BTEC

Visit the Curriculum -Departments pages for more detailed information on each subject, year by year. Click HERE for the quick link.

Key Stage 5

The majority of students study three subjects over two years, from a wide range of Level 3 courses. Students for whom four subjects is appropriate, have that opportunity. Similarly some study only two subjects and have a work experience element in their curriculum.

Each subject has 9 periods per fortnight of taught curriculum time. Students spend the remainder of their time doing a mixture of independent study, school responsibilities, preparation for further study or employment and a few do work experience. In order to keep the breadth of curriculum, some classes have both Year 12 and 13 students in them and where groups are small, teaching is more personalised and there may be fewer formal lessons.

Years 12 & 13 - The detailed curriculum information can be found at: - http://holytrinitycrawley.greenschoolsonline.co.uk/6th-Form-Prospectus/

Courses currently running in the Sixth Form:

Courses are A level unless otherwise stated.

Art

Basketball Academy (Vocational)

Biology

Business Studies

Chemistry

Computing

Design and Technology

Economics

Electronics

English Language and Literature

English Literature

French

Further Maths

Geography

History

Law

Maths (A level & Core Maths)

Media Studies

Music

Photography

Physics

Psychology

Religious Studies

Science (BTEC)

Sociology

Spanish

Sport (BTEC)

Textiles

Theatre Studies

Travel and Tourism (BTEC)

Extended Project (EPQ)

English and Maths GCSE retakes are offered for those who have not yet achieved a grade 4 in either/both subjects.

We have now established a partnership with Crawley Town Community Foundation. Forty Students are studying Sport BTEC at Level 2 or 3, which they are combining with intensive Football or Basketball Coaching. Students get the opportunity to retake GCSE English and/or Maths at Holy Trinity. There are a few students for whom functional skills is a more appropriate course in one/both of these subjects.

Additional support

Students joining Year 7 who have not met expected standards in English and Maths receive additional support to help them bridge the gap. This support is given in a variety of ways including being taught in an additional, smaller group; being withdrawn from some lessons or having help in their normal lessons. This is in addition to the ASPIRE group mentioned earlier.

Students with a special educational need or disability are mainly supported within the classroom, so that they can access the full curriculum. Students with a particular need identified on their EHCP/Statement, might have a slightly modified curriculum.

We have additional support in place for Pupil Premium students. Further details are to be found HERE.

In exceptional circumstances students might have their timetable modified in order to meet a particular need and ensure that they can reach their potential. Any modification is made on a temporary basis and is subject to regular review.

High Achieving Students

We have a number of strategies in place to extend our most able students. See our High Achievers’ Statement.

Accelerated Reader programme

Accelerated Reader is an online program in which a student’s reading level is evaluated using an online assessment tool. Students read a book at the correct level; take an online quiz, and get immediate feedback. Students respond to regular feedback and are motivated to make progress with their reading skills through differentiated selection of reading material. Students in Year 7 read in most English lessons and at the start of every afternoon lesson. Students are expected to have a reading book with them in school and we encourage parents, and other family members, to read with their child.

Extra-Curricular Activities

We run a range of extra-curricular activities including Christian Union, Creative Writing, Choir, Orchestra, a variety of sports teams. Further details are to be found HERE.