Curriculum Overview

CURRICULUM AIMS

We want to develop:

  • Successful students who enjoy learning, make good progress and achieve excellence.
  • Confident individuals who demonstrate the values of friendship, courage, resilience and high moral standards.
  • Responsible citizens who can make a positive contribution to society.
  • Young people who are engaged in the world around them.

It is essential that the curriculum is organised in such a way that it provides students with the opportunity to learn expected behaviours and be successful in their learning, so that we can deliver our mission and aims.

Strategic Intent

To develop a curriculum which:

  • Enriches students’ knowledge.
  • Creates a culture of aspiration and high-achievement.
  • Allows everyone to experience success.
  • Provides cultural capital that celebrates and captures students’ imagination.

Curriculum Principles

  • Traditional academic curriculum.
  • Challenging, knowledge-based curriculums with a focus on developing cultural capital.
  • Interleaved curriculum that allows for clear progress over 5 years.
  • At Key Stage 3, students are shown breadth across and within subjects.
  • Additional time is given to English, Mathematics and Science to ensure that students have the essential skills needed for life and to access the full curriculum.
  • Targeted support and additional challenge to ensure all students make at least national rates of progress.
  • Ensure all students’ progress is in line with national expectations.
  • To support induction into secondary school for all Year 7 students.
  • To instil British Values and promote the PSHE curriculum to develop citizens for the future.

The Curriculum

We have a very broad KS3 Curriculum covering 13 subjects meeting all the national curriculum requirements. This is taught in 29 lessons of contact time each week.

Current Curriculum until July 2024

Years 7-8

The curriculum includes:

  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • A modern foreign language – French, German or Spanish
  • Humanities – History, Geography and Religious Education
  • Performing Arts – Drama and Music
  • Creative Arts – Art and Design, Design Technology
  • Physical Education
  • PSHE and British Values

For students who are behind in their chronological reading age, additional support is provided through withdrawal to enable them to rapidly catch up.

An additional after-school enrichment programme includes a range of sporting activities, music, drama, debating among others. There is daily support for homework in the library.

Years 9-11

At Farnham Heath End, our students begin their option choices in Year 9, meaning they study Key Stage 3 subjects for 2 years and Key Stage 4 subjects for 3 years.  As well as ensuring that Key Stage 3 curriculums are well organised and encourage deep learning, it has enabled us to continue to offer 4 free option choices for all students.  Currently, our GCSE students experience a broad range of subjects. 

As part of the options process, to support students and their parents in making the right choices, we offer the following guidance:

  • Talks to students by all Heads of Department outlining the subject content and assessment.
  • Support from Tutors, Year Leaders and/or the Senior Leadership Team if required.

Students also have the opportunity to change their options up until December of Year 9. 

Our home learning strategy of Knowledge Organisers, alongside cumulative assessments and retrieval ‘do it now’ tasks, ensure that key content taught in Year 9 is constantly revisited and embedded as students move through KS4. 

In Year 9, students begin to specialise to provide them with the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the subjects they will choose to study to GCSE level.  They will mainly embark on the examined course at the start of Year 9.  This curriculum is taught in a mixture of single and double lessons with each individual lesson lasting 50 minutes.

Changes to the Curriculum from September 2024

As a school, after careful consideration we have decided that students will now be studying a three year Key Stage 3 and a two year Key Stage 4. This will begin from September and therefore students will be selecting options in Year 9. 

We have decided upon these changes to the curriculum structure because:

  • We want all students to study a broad and balanced curriculum for as long as possible.
  • We want to give time to students to make these choices, studying subjects long enough to make an informed decision.
  • We believe students need that extra year of maturity to make these decisions
  • GCSE option subjects are designed to be studied within two years, the Key Stage 3 curriculum is designed to ultimately prepare them for this
  • We believe it is the best decision for the students.

We understand that this is a change to the current system at FHES, but we believe that these changes will have a positive impact for all our students.

Please click on the link below to view our Curriculum Policy.

Curriculum Policy