The King’s School
Curriculum Review
Parents’ Forum, 17 September
2013
Why a new curriculum?
• It’s about time!
• A changing educational and employment
landscape
• We want to ensure that we are offering
the best possible academic education and
preparation for work and lifelong learning
skills
The journey so far
January 2013: staff consultation
February–April: working party meetings
February – April: parental consultation
May – June: research and SMT discussion
June 2013: draft curriculum published
June/July 2013: further staff consultation
October 2013: further parental consultation
and presentation to the Education Committee
• September 2014: implementation
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Key Principles
• A refinement rather than a revolution
• to ‘challenge pupils to aspire, work hard and achieve’
and ‘to develop lively and enquiring minds’;
• to ‘develop a distinctive King’s curriculum that
provides breadth with academic challenge and makes
independent learning a reality.’
• a range of subjects to ensure breadth of knowledge
• greater opportunity for developing key learning and
thinking skills and the ability to study independently.
• a more efficient and streamlined curriculum, whilst
still allowing choice
A Thinking Curriculum
• ‘Critical Thinking’ as a separate subject in Years
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7 and 8;
‘Philosophy for Children’ taught through Religion
and Philosophy and Drama
‘Let’s Think in Science’
Building Learning Power across the curriculum –
building on the work in the Infant and Junior
school
Individual projects to encourage independent
study in Year 9
Critical Thinking
• Develops higher order thinking skills
• Requires students to be active learners rather than
passive receivers
• Education for life
• Transferable skills
• Provides an opportunity to develop ideas and explore a
range of cultural, moral and spiritual issues
• Requires students to express themselves with clarity and
precision in speech and writing
Years 7-9
• Increased contact time in all subjects, particularly the
core subjects
• Languages: the same experience in Year 7 (Latin,
French with German and Spanish tasters) and then two
options chosen from the four, to be studied in Year 8 and
Year 9
• Creative subjects (Art, D and T, Drama, Music) as
now: two chosen in Year 9 in preparation for GCSE
• ICT given more time to complete the ECDL by the end of
Y9
• Critical Thinking in Year 7 and Year 8
Years 10-11 (GCSE)
• A more flexible approach allowing 9 or 10 GCSEs
• GCSE Options designed to encourage breadth of
study: managed choice
• The same amount of time given to triple science
and dual science
• Compulsory options in MFL, Humanities, Creative
and Technical and then a further option block to
allow specialism
• More contact time in the majority of subjects
• No timetabled ICT for all (ECDL already
completed) but the option of GCSE Computing.
Years 12 and 13 (A Level)
• Very similar to the current model in terms of
time and subjects (subjects to stay the same)
• Extended studies in y12 and y13 to allow greater
breadth and more vocational subjects alongside
academic subjects
• PSHE and Activities sessions remain to ensure a
breadth of experience
• Further Maths to be in the option blocks
The New School Day
8.40 - 9.00
Registration/tutor time
9.00 - 9.50
Period 1 (50)
9.55 - 10.50
Period 2 (55)
10.50 - 11.10
BREAK
11.10 - 12.00
Period 3 (50)
Period 4 (55)
(Year 7 and 8 early lunch at 12.55)
12.05 - 1.00
1.00- 2.00
LUNCH
2.00 - 2.50
Period 5 (50)
2.55 – 3.50
Period 6 (55)
What are the benefits?
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Greater contact time and greater frequency of lessons
A breadth of subjects and managed choice
A stronger focus on thinking skills and independent study
A more flexible approach to GCSE to respond to pupils’
needs and the opportunity to study for 10 GCSEs
ECDL to be taken earlier in Key Stage Three
GCSE Computing and Critical Thinking as new subjects
A better shape to the day within a similar framework
Extended Studies in Year 12 to develop wider skills
What do you think?
• Final parental consultation open until Friday, 11 October
• Please let me know your thoughts and opinions, positive or
negative, by letter or by e-mail.
• There is a specific e-mail address for responses to the
curriculum review, which is:
curriculumreview@kingsmac.co.uk