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Please call us on
01724 860151
or
Curriculum and the School Day
The school is organised on a two week timetable each day having five lessons, a break in the morning, an hour for lunch and individual tutorials for some students at 3.25pm every day. All pupils follow programmes of study based on the National Curriculum supported by the academic, personal and social development programme, which is the foundation for all of our work.
All pupils at Frederick Gough are placed on a curriculum pathway that best meets their needs with regard to their ability and aspirations. The curriculum offered aims to enable all young people to become:
We encourage all pupils to aim high, know what they are aiming for and strive to achieve their best. Employers tell us that when they look to appoint young adults they focus on those that have achieved 5 or more A*-C GCSE or equivalent grades, including English and maths. We invite these employers into school to talk with our students about the skills and qualities which they look for when appointing candidates in their businesses. In school we refer to these as 'employability skills and qualities' and we provide opportunities for them throughout our 'Optimum' curriculum.
Optimum is a Latin word meaning 'to be the best' and we have identified the following as our key Employability skills:
All students are expected to set themselves three challenges for the academic year. By 'challenges' we mean activities which:
The challenges should be memorable or life-changing experiences which possibly take students out of their comfort zone but which definitely have a positive outcome. Two challenges are personal to the student but the other aims to make a positive difference to someone else's life. We refer to this as a 'community challenge'.
Staff and students have developed the School's 'Learning Statement' which identifies the key elements of the learning process and encourages all students to take responsibility for their own learning. The statement begins with the quotation:
and so, our curriculum aims to create strong learners that are able to adapt and cope with such rapidly changing situations in today's global economy.
In key stage 3, students are grouped by ability based on their key stage 2 (Standardised Assessment Tests) SAT results and the Teacher Assessments (TA) from our partner schools. This information is used to place students on one of three pathways (blue, yellow or green) which helps each individual to study at the appropriate pace and also allows more effective targeting of any intervention support which may be required. Early in Year 7, students also take three Cognitive Ability Tests (CAT) tests which provide us with further information about each student's potential (rather than what they've achieved so far).
In key stage 3, all students follow the statutory National Curriculum Programmes of Study in the following subjects:
English, Maths, Science, a Modern Foreign Language (MFL, French in Year 7), Design & Technology (DT), Physical Education (PE), Religious Education (RE), Geography, History, Information & Communications Technology (ICT), Art, Music and a course called PSHCE which supports students in their understanding of key skills in Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education. In addition Frederick Gough offers drama, because we believe that this is crucial to develop confidence in verbal reasoning and presentation.
In each pathway students are set separately for maths. For each other subject they are set based on their literacy skills, as we firmly believe that this is the key factor in students being able to access the curriculum. It is important to note that we monitor progress very closely and there are systems in place for students to be able to move between groups and pathways. This requires much discussion with Curriculum Leaders, particularly in English and maths and parents clearly need to be involved in the consultation.
Students on the Yellow pathway in Year 7 study a course called PBL (problem based learning). This is a new learning approach that we trialled for the first time in 2007/8 and it has received very positive feedback from both staff and students about the successful outcomes. Rather than focus on discrete subject content in all subjects, the subject leaders of History, Geography and RE have planned schemes of work together so that students work on a set problem and identify the skills required to be successful. We have found that this type of approach helps students to be able to apply these new skills successfully throughout other areas of the curriculum as well. Having the same teacher for these lessons has also helped with the transition from Primary School where they traditionally have only had one main teacher each academic year.
We are proud to be a specialist Language College and throughout key stage 3 students on the blue pathway have the opportunity to study two modern foreign languages (French, German, Spanish or Russian). We have also created the opportunity for students on the yellow pathway to fast track their modern foreign language and work towards achieving their GCSE in French at the end of Year 9. Students on the green pathway study French throughout key stage 3 and receive extra support with their English literacy skills, rather than studying 2 modern foreign languages.
In key stage 4, students are also placed on three pathways (blue, yellow, green) based on their progress during key stage 3 and also their SATs, TAs and CATs (similar to Year 7). The curriculum developments which we have made in key stage 4 mean that we are able to offer a much more personalised curriculum to our 14 year old students. There is a great deal of information, advice and guidance which we provide as the curriculum choice in key stage 4 is so wide and diverse.
In key stage 4, all students follow the statutory National Curriculum Programmes of Study in the following subjects:
English, Maths, Science, a Modern Foreign Language, Physical Education (PE), Religious Education (RE), Information & Communications Technology (ICT), and PSHCE.
Students on the blue pathway follow a more traditional GCSE based curriculum, whilst students on the yellow pathway study a BTec Diploma in Applied Science (equivalent to 4 A*-C GCSEs) which has been very successful with our learners. Students on the green pathway spend more curriculum time developing their English language skills, study a BTec Certificate in Applied Science (equivalent to 2 A*-C GCSEs) and follow a certificate of personal effectiveness (CoPE) course which again has proved to be very successful with our learners.
The range of option choices is significant and students have an open option choice as to whether they study a more academic or applied course or a blend of both. This is not dependent on the pathway which students follow – all options are open to each individual, although less able students would really struggle with Separate Sciences and would be less likely to succeed on this type of course. Our students are used to researching lots of information on our interactive, bespoke, careers website, called "Fast Tomato". This provides much guidance as to which courses would be most suitable for each individual and what that course allows each person to progress onto. It also details the qualifications which are required for any profession, which has proved to be helpful when deciding option choices.
Students choose what they would like to study in 30% of their key stage 4 curriculum time from the following options:
Languages
Students on the blue pathway will choose a modern foreign language from Russian, German, Spanish and French in their core curriculum. (Many students also choose to study another language in their option choice to become either a dual or triple linguist) and a choice from the following:
Art, Child Development, Dance, Drama, Electronics, Food, Geography, Graphics, History, Music, PE, Resistant Materials, Separate Science, Systems and Textiles, Travel & Tourism, which take up 1 option;
or/and
Sport and Construction are both double options and are based on the school site and Hairdressing at Melior Community College.
Examples of breadth of options that students chose to study last academic year:
All pupils at Frederick Gough are placed on a curriculum pathway that best meets their needs with regard to their ability and aspirations. The curriculum offered aims to enable all young people to become:
- successful learners who enjoy learning, make progress and achieve
- confident individuals who are able to lead safe, healthy and fulfilling lives
- responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society
We encourage all pupils to aim high, know what they are aiming for and strive to achieve their best. Employers tell us that when they look to appoint young adults they focus on those that have achieved 5 or more A*-C GCSE or equivalent grades, including English and maths. We invite these employers into school to talk with our students about the skills and qualities which they look for when appointing candidates in their businesses. In school we refer to these as 'employability skills and qualities' and we provide opportunities for them throughout our 'Optimum' curriculum.
Optimum is a Latin word meaning 'to be the best' and we have identified the following as our key Employability skills:
- Effective Participator: taking an active role and being responsible for your own actions
- Independent Enquirer: becoming independent and making reasoned decisions
- Creative Thinker: being enterprising, creative and exploring new ideas
- Reflective Learner: identifying strengths and monitoring your own progress
- Team Worker: working confidently with others, finding solutions to problems
- Self-manager: showing initiative, organising yourself and being responsible.
All students are expected to set themselves three challenges for the academic year. By 'challenges' we mean activities which:
"Stretch their ability and determination and/or
show that they can deal with demanding situations successfully".
show that they can deal with demanding situations successfully".
The challenges should be memorable or life-changing experiences which possibly take students out of their comfort zone but which definitely have a positive outcome. Two challenges are personal to the student but the other aims to make a positive difference to someone else's life. We refer to this as a 'community challenge'.
Staff and students have developed the School's 'Learning Statement' which identifies the key elements of the learning process and encourages all students to take responsibility for their own learning. The statement begins with the quotation:
"The top ten jobs that will be in demand in 2015 didn't exist in 2004.
We are learning to prepare ourselves for jobs that don't yet exist"
We are learning to prepare ourselves for jobs that don't yet exist"
and so, our curriculum aims to create strong learners that are able to adapt and cope with such rapidly changing situations in today's global economy.
In key stage 3, students are grouped by ability based on their key stage 2 (Standardised Assessment Tests) SAT results and the Teacher Assessments (TA) from our partner schools. This information is used to place students on one of three pathways (blue, yellow or green) which helps each individual to study at the appropriate pace and also allows more effective targeting of any intervention support which may be required. Early in Year 7, students also take three Cognitive Ability Tests (CAT) tests which provide us with further information about each student's potential (rather than what they've achieved so far).
In key stage 3, all students follow the statutory National Curriculum Programmes of Study in the following subjects:
English, Maths, Science, a Modern Foreign Language (MFL, French in Year 7), Design & Technology (DT), Physical Education (PE), Religious Education (RE), Geography, History, Information & Communications Technology (ICT), Art, Music and a course called PSHCE which supports students in their understanding of key skills in Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education. In addition Frederick Gough offers drama, because we believe that this is crucial to develop confidence in verbal reasoning and presentation.
In each pathway students are set separately for maths. For each other subject they are set based on their literacy skills, as we firmly believe that this is the key factor in students being able to access the curriculum. It is important to note that we monitor progress very closely and there are systems in place for students to be able to move between groups and pathways. This requires much discussion with Curriculum Leaders, particularly in English and maths and parents clearly need to be involved in the consultation.
Students on the Yellow pathway in Year 7 study a course called PBL (problem based learning). This is a new learning approach that we trialled for the first time in 2007/8 and it has received very positive feedback from both staff and students about the successful outcomes. Rather than focus on discrete subject content in all subjects, the subject leaders of History, Geography and RE have planned schemes of work together so that students work on a set problem and identify the skills required to be successful. We have found that this type of approach helps students to be able to apply these new skills successfully throughout other areas of the curriculum as well. Having the same teacher for these lessons has also helped with the transition from Primary School where they traditionally have only had one main teacher each academic year.
We are proud to be a specialist Language College and throughout key stage 3 students on the blue pathway have the opportunity to study two modern foreign languages (French, German, Spanish or Russian). We have also created the opportunity for students on the yellow pathway to fast track their modern foreign language and work towards achieving their GCSE in French at the end of Year 9. Students on the green pathway study French throughout key stage 3 and receive extra support with their English literacy skills, rather than studying 2 modern foreign languages.
In key stage 4, students are also placed on three pathways (blue, yellow, green) based on their progress during key stage 3 and also their SATs, TAs and CATs (similar to Year 7). The curriculum developments which we have made in key stage 4 mean that we are able to offer a much more personalised curriculum to our 14 year old students. There is a great deal of information, advice and guidance which we provide as the curriculum choice in key stage 4 is so wide and diverse.
In key stage 4, all students follow the statutory National Curriculum Programmes of Study in the following subjects:
English, Maths, Science, a Modern Foreign Language, Physical Education (PE), Religious Education (RE), Information & Communications Technology (ICT), and PSHCE.
Students on the blue pathway follow a more traditional GCSE based curriculum, whilst students on the yellow pathway study a BTec Diploma in Applied Science (equivalent to 4 A*-C GCSEs) which has been very successful with our learners. Students on the green pathway spend more curriculum time developing their English language skills, study a BTec Certificate in Applied Science (equivalent to 2 A*-C GCSEs) and follow a certificate of personal effectiveness (CoPE) course which again has proved to be very successful with our learners.
The range of option choices is significant and students have an open option choice as to whether they study a more academic or applied course or a blend of both. This is not dependent on the pathway which students follow – all options are open to each individual, although less able students would really struggle with Separate Sciences and would be less likely to succeed on this type of course. Our students are used to researching lots of information on our interactive, bespoke, careers website, called "Fast Tomato". This provides much guidance as to which courses would be most suitable for each individual and what that course allows each person to progress onto. It also details the qualifications which are required for any profession, which has proved to be helpful when deciding option choices.
Students choose what they would like to study in 30% of their key stage 4 curriculum time from the following options:
Languages
Students on the blue pathway will choose a modern foreign language from Russian, German, Spanish and French in their core curriculum. (Many students also choose to study another language in their option choice to become either a dual or triple linguist) and a choice from the following:
Art, Child Development, Dance, Drama, Electronics, Food, Geography, Graphics, History, Music, PE, Resistant Materials, Separate Science, Systems and Textiles, Travel & Tourism, which take up 1 option;
or/and
Sport and Construction are both double options and are based on the school site and Hairdressing at Melior Community College.
Examples of breadth of options that students chose to study last academic year:
| Student | Option 1 | Option 2 | Option 3 | GCSE Equivalent |
| A | Hairdressing | Hairdressing | Art | 3 |
| B | Construction | Construction | Drama | 4 |
| C | Drama | Food Tech | Dance | 5 |
| D | Systems | Geography | Drama | 4 |
| E | PE | Electronics | Music | 4 |
| F | Food Tech | French | Travel & Tourism | 4 |
| G | History | Geography | Music | 3 |
| H | Art | Music | Drama | 5 |
| I | Child Development | Geography | Separate Sciences | 5 |
| J | Textiles | Food | Child Development | 3 |
| K | French | Spanish | Drama | 4 |
| L | Textiles | Graphics | Music | 3 |
