Our Curriculum

 Key Stage 3

Our learning community reflects a culture of ambition and aspiration for all, where confidence is created through celebration and challenge, where students acquire knowledge in a way which develops skills and helps them to achieve their individual potential.

Our curriculum and pastoral programmes deliver our school values; one community, individual minds, creating futures. They provide outstanding learning opportunities which prepare students for the next steps of their learning journey.

Our curriculum aims to inspire students to develop as actors, artists, athletes, coders, cooks, craftspeople, dancers, engineers, explorers, geographers, historians, linguists, mathematicians, musicians, performers, scientists, writers and much more. 

In Year 7 students enjoy lessons in art, dance, design & technology, drama, English, French, geography, history, ICT, mathematics, music, PDC (Personal Development Curriculum), physical education, philosophy & religion and science  

In Year 8 students develop their enjoyment, knowledge and skills in all these subjects, as well as Spanish.

Key Stage 4

In Year 9, our curriculum provides a gateway, continuing to ensure breadth and depth in the learning experience, embedding confident understanding, recall and application, growing cultural capital and ensuring students are ambitious and resilient.

• The Year 9 Gateway Year encompasses learning in and out of lessons, as well as our school’s ethos and our social, moral, spiritual and cultural provision.
• Each student benefits from the knowledge, inspiration and cultural capital of our core curriculum, their options choices and our pastoral programme, alongside a comprehensive range of additional enrichment opportunities.
• Key elements of our Year 9 curriculum: developing GCSE skills; time to practice and reflect; structured careers advice; enrichment experiences; broad curriculum with depth of content.
• Key experiences for our Year 9 students: exploring how to study; understanding how I learn; developing a schema approach to knowledge; organising my work; enjoying time to explore topics in greater depth; making cross-curricular connections; learning to discuss and debate big questions; mastering note-taking, review and revision; getting the homework habit; developing leadership
• Pupils have core RE lessons in Year 9

Years 10 and 11

All students study English Language, English Literature, Mathematics, Triple or Combined Science, PDC, core Philosophy & Religion and core PE.

Options choices at Key Stage 4 include art & design, business studies, computer science or I-Media, dance, drama, film studies, French, food & nutrition, geography, history, music, philosophy & religion, photography, physical education (sports studies), product design (electronics & mechanisms, graphic products, resistant materials, textiles), sociology, Spanish and Triple Science.

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If you wish to find out more about our curriculum please contact: Rich Evans- revans@larkmead.vale-academy.org

Subject contacts details are available under each subject heading on "our curriculum structure" page.