Curriculum

At Tiverton High School our curriculum provides students with the knowledge and characteristics they need to understand and contribute positively to the world in which they live. Five core values have been identified across our school community. They underpin all that we do and what we intend our curriculum to impart to all students;

• Prepared
• Respectful
• Ownership
• United
• Determined

Our curriculum design has been guided by Tim Oates’ work on key constructs, Lucy Crehan’s work on a mastery curriculum, and Michael Young’s concept of powerful knowledge which “enables students to think beyond their own experiences rather than be trapped by them”.  Our strategies for curriculum delivery are influenced by Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction. By using our curriculum as a progression model, we work to make knowledge stick so it can be used and applied in a variety of contexts and situations and in a way that will open doors and maximise the life chances of our students.

Our curriculum is guided by the following principles:

1. The key constructs for every subject identify ‘the fundamental knowledge, skills and understanding that form the key building blocks to making progress in a subject.’
2. All key constructs are underpinned by component knowledge. Combined this creates the powerful knowledge students need to succeed in life beyond school.
3. All aspects of our curriculum are founded upon a ‘mastery’ principle. By ‘mastery’ we mean that there is a persistent understanding of a ‘key construct’ that will allow secure progression to the next stage in learning.
4. There is a focus on ‘Lead lessons’ where key constructs are introduced through high quality carefully planned learning sequences to ensure as far as possible that understanding is secure and misconceptions are explicitly uncovered.
5. Our curriculum is coherent and expertly sequenced. This means that new knowledge and skills are built upon previous knowledge and skills so that students build rich, subject-specific schemata.
6. Our curriculum is broad and balanced and meets the needs of all learners. Our curriculum allows students to study a wide range of subjects for as long as possible.
7. Students with SEND have access to the full curriculum which is adapted to allow students to achieve appropriately ambitious curriculum goals.
8. Our curriculum promotes a love of and fluency in reading. Fluency in reading is vital for students to access their curriculum and the world around them.
9. Our curriculum extends beyond purely academic subjects. Students’ personal development’ includes a comprehensive PSHE program, excellent careers provision and a wide range of extra curricular opportunities.

The KS3 curriculum serves a clear purpose. We ensure students have the widest experience possible across languages, performing arts and design, food and design technology, humanities and computing whilst maintaining a strong focus on the core subjects of English, mathematics, science, RPS and PE. Each subject covers the content of the National Curriculum and puts high challenge, enjoyment, and breadth of experience at the heart of learning. The learning from primary school is built upon and not repeated. A small number of students who have been identified as not yet fully ready for the transition to secondary education begin Year 7 in a ‘nurture group’ setting where they have one primary trained teacher for the vast majority of their lessons. The majority transition into the mainstream curriculum when appropriate.

At KS4 all students, regardless of their ability, are able to follow an English Baccalaureate curriculum to GCSE if they wish. However, we place equal value on the contribution that vocational and technical learning makes to every child’s development. Therefore, whilst it is encouraged, students are not expected or pressured in to an ‘Ebacc curriculum’ if their interests, talents or passions lie in other curriculum areas.