Our vision states that

“We are committed to serving our community, making a difference by embracing excellence and transforming lives.”

Through our school values of  “Progress Opportunity and Individuality”

We will achieve this by delivering excellent results across a broad and effective curriculum of academic, vocational, cultural and sporting activities to equip students for the demands and opportunities of the 21st century.

Thomas Alleyne’s High School curriculum is based on the following wider school aims, to;

• create a stimulating environment in which individuals achieve their highest possible attainable academic standard through independent learning
• work with, and then build upon the achievement of our partner schools to ensure students have an effective and smooth transition from Key Stage 3 to 5.

• maintain a disciplined, enthusiastic, safe and happy and caring community where students feel secure, valued and listened to
• broaden cultural horizons whilst celebrating individuality
•  develop the whole child by creating a full program of additional enrichment opportunities
• raise the expectations of all through mutual respect, fostering positive attitudes and
  relationships and a shared sense of cohesion and belonging
• recognise and respect diversity, creating an ethos that promotes equality, develops
  understanding and challenges myths. stereotypes, misconceptions and prejudices
• ensure students understand how to stay safe to and outside school
• develop a partnership between students, parents, staff, governors and outside agencies working for everyone's benefit.

Curriculum Intent

At Thomas Alleyne’s High School our curriculum is designed to promote our school values of progress, opportunity and individuality.

We aim to create a coherent and sequenced academic and pastoral curriculum, which is ambitious, broad, and balanced. It is designed to foster progress, celebrate individuality, and meet the needs of all learners in our local community. The curriculum offers a range of subjects and experiences that develop students' cultural capital, as well as their knowledge, skills, and personal qualities.

We strongly believe in the importance of basic key skills such as literacy and numeracy and that these form the foundation for achieving progress in all subject areas and improve skills that facilitate social mobility. Students are equipped with the transferable skills required to enable them to realise their future intentions, and become confident, well-rounded, and successful individuals who make a positive contribution to society.

We offer a full curriculum that is designed to support a range of abilities through offering an appropriate menu of academic and vocational qualifications. Our focus is on providing a broad curriculum that engages students in making informed choices at Key stage 4 and 5 and challenges students to achieve and exceed prior expectations.

Adaptive teaching is a key aspect of our curriculum and course delivery. At Thomas Alleyne’s High School we know that adaptive teaching is the key to ensuring all students make and exceed expected progress in each subject area.

We provide opportunities for students to engage in extra-curricular learning and to develop their

character traits. We aim to nurture and develop students’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural understanding and appreciation of British values. We intend to cultivate students’ individual strengths and to create a learning environment which builds students’ confidence and resilience.

Religious Education lessons offer learning opportunities that relate to spirituality, ethics, religion and philosophy and cover a balanced range of world religions and belief systems.

We aim to encourage and foster a love of reading by offering modelled reading sessions once a week during form time in years 9, 10 and 11. Reading opportunities and wider reading are incorporated into our day-to-day curriculum throughout the school, and in subject areas and within our THOMAS character curriculum, we encourage discussion and provide opportunities for students to speak confidently and fluently about subject content, topics and wider issues.

We recognise the importance of a comprehensive careers education that is embedded in the curriculum. To this end, we are using the Gatsby Benchmarks as a framework for our careers provision. These eight benchmarks serve to provide students with opportunities to experience the workplace, further and higher education, to give personal guidance, and to link curriculum learning to careers.

The curriculum in all subjects and in all key stages is coherently planned and sequenced to enable students to gain sufficient knowledge and skills for students to access future learning and/or employment. All curriculum leaders clearly articulate their curriculum intent for all year groups through their intent documents, schemes of learning and curriculum roadmaps, thus allowing a consistent approach to sharing information with all stakeholders.

Curriculum Structure

The “Key Stages” are a system of setting out targets within National Curriculum that are expected to be achieved in various subject areas at each point of a student’s education. The Key Stages relevant to Thomas Alleyne’s are:

Key Stage 3 – Year 9

A largely common curriculum is followed with all students being taught English, Mathematics, Science, Design Technology, Computing, French, Art, Geography, History, RE, Music, Drama and PE. Spiritual, moral, social, cultural development, British values and the Respect agenda are delivered through our Thomas Character Curriculum, during the fortnightly tutor period and daily registration periods. All Year 9 students receive information, advice and guidance regarding careers as part of the options process and through the tutor program.

Assessment of progress is by teacher assessment throughout the Key Stage.

Key Stage 4 – Years 10 and 11

All students follow a core curriculum of:

• English Language and English Literature
• Mathematics
• Science – either separate sciences or core and additional science
• RE
• PE (non-exam)

In science, the top 2 sets in each population will study separate sciences in Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Set 3, 4 and 5 follow a double award course (2 GCSEs) of Combined Science, which includes Biology, Chemistry and Physics. To allow time for the delivery of the extra GCSE on content in the sperate science route, this subject will occupy one of the option allocations. 

In addition to the core subjects, students can choose up to three option subjects (dependent on their science pathway). This allows students to follow a curriculum that is as individual as they are and to have the best possible opportunities to prepare them for later life. There are some circumstances where an individual’s curriculum will be adjusted to meet numeracy, literacy and SEND needs. A summary of the options pathway is displayed below.

Spiritual, moral, social, cultural development, British values and the Respect agenda are delivered through our Thomas Character Curriculum, during the fortnightly tutor period and daily registration periods. All Year 10 and 11 students receive information, advice and guidance regarding careers as part of the tutor program.

Assessment of progress is by external examination at the end of the Key Stage.  Students progress is also assessed through common assessments delivered internally within departments and through a Y10 exam and a Y11 Mock Exam.

The Key Stage 4 Curriculum is summarised in the following table.

 

Key Stage 5 - Years 12 and 13

There are a wide range of courses that are offered at Thomas Alleyne’s High School that enable students to follow a variety of higher education and career choices. The curriculum follows a pathways approach and is summarised in the diagram below.

Further information regarding the 6^th form curriculum can be found in the 6^th form prospectus.

Assessment of progress is by external examination/moderation at the end of the Key Stage. Students progress is also assessed internally within departments and through a Y12 exam and a Y13 Mock Exam.

Inclusion

Teachers set high expectations for all students. They will use appropriate assessment to set ambitious targets and plan challenging work for all groups, including:

1. 1. More able pupils
   2. Pupils with low prior attainment
   3. Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds
   4. Pupils with SEND
   5. Pupils with English as an additional language (EAL)

Teachers will plan and adapt lessons so that all pupils can succeed and to ensure that there are no barriers to learning.

Teachers will also take account of the needs of pupils whose first language is not English. Lessons will be planned so that teaching opportunities help pupils to develop their English, and to support pupils to take part in all subjects.

Further information can be found in our SEND policy.

Further information can be found in our SEND policy.

 

The Wider Curriculum

The school strongly believes that the wider curriculum it offers students is fundamental to their development and progress. Students have the opportunity in all Key Stages to participate in a range of activities that not only support the learning that takes place within lessons but also enhances their life skills.

The wider curriculum is largely delivered via weekly assemblies and RSE and Thomas Character programme (years 9, 10 and 11) and the Post-16 Pastoral programme (year 12 and 13) is delivered in tutor groups.

All students receive careers education, information, advice, and guidance (CEIAG) as part of the wider Future Intentions programme which is designed to prepare students for life in modern Britain by providing the knowledge, understanding, confidence and skills that they need to make informed choices and plans for their future learning and career.

All students can participate in a variety of co-curricular sports throughout the year. Students can also participate in activities to further their learning, ranging from theatre visits to STEM lectures. The curriculum outside of the classroom is further enhanced by a range of trips throughout the year ranging from an Outward Bound residential for Year 9’s to international expeditions as part of World Challenge in Key Stage 4 and 5.

Further information

Further information regarding the school's curriculum can be found in the subject area pages and in the curriculum policy. 

Any enquiries about the school curriculum can be sent to Dodd@tahs.org.uk