Curriculum

We are one community of adults and young people working together to make sure that each child is supported in fulfilling their potential - academically, socially and emotionally. We are ambitious for everyone – we focus on excellence and we expect the best from everyone.

Curriculum Intent

Our curriculum inspires our students to empower them for life. We recognise that knowledge is powerful and that young people who are creative thinkers, readers, speakers and leaders can become agents of change.

We champion academic success and nurture personal development with the support of a highly qualified and dedicated team of education professionals who build purposeful links through the curriculum and an enriching co-curriculum.

Our curriculum is shaped by our students as it responds to their needs, and is underpinned by the values of Orchard School, the touchstones of the Trust and community priorities.

Key Principles

Our curriculum is based on key principles. These are outlined below, together with potential impact:

To ensure our students experience a clearly communicated curriculum programme that gives them the best opportunities now and in the future for success, independence and fulfilment: underpinned by our belief in the immense potential of our students;
To provide a rigorous academic curriculum that is challenging, engaging, enriching and accessible to all: informed by enquiry and research based evidence and adapted where necessary to ensure students’ individual needs are met in order to make excellent progress.
To provide a curriculum that puts knowledge and understanding at its centre, and focuses on the best learning to support the development of skills to enable accurate recall, application and making increasingly sophisticated links within subject areas and across the curriculum.
To provide a broad range of curriculum experiences, activities and pathway opportunities in and beyond lessons including vocational and technical subjects and leadership opportunities to meet the learning needs, enjoyment and aspirations of our students.
To provide continuity and progression between the key stages, using assessment to inform teaching and learning, feedback and improvement.
To provide a coherent Orchard Values programme of personal, health, social and economic education; careers education, information, advice and guidance; and religious education, philosophy and ethics. These programmes support our students’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural education and develop full understanding of British values, thus ensuring our students are knowledgeable and well informed citizens,
To provide expert, up-to-date careers guidance that is presented impartially and gives our students access to high quality, current information supporting excellent progression to Post 16 pathways, higher education, training and employment;
To ensure that student progress is at least in line with national expectations and students are best prepared for national tests and examinations.
To maintain the highest standards of literacy and numeracy across the curriculum so that students have essential skills for life and are able to make excellent progress.

Curriculum Implementation

We run a one-week timetable of twenty-five lessons plus an extra hour of prep time for Year 11 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Year 10 also stay for prep on a Thursday.

At Orchard, we offer a 3-year Key Stage 3 and a 2-year Key Stage 4.

Key Stage 3 refers to Years 7-9 and Key Stage 4 refers to Years 10 -11.

Each of our curriculum content overviews includes reference to Spiritual, Moral, Social, and Cultural development. You can view these here.

English

Our students have 4 lessons per week of English at Key Stage 3, and this includes Latin for some students. English Language and English Literature are studied during 5 lessons per week at Key Stage 4. Students may choose to study Classical Civilizations at Key Stage 4 for 3 lessons a week.
You can click these links to view our English curriculum content overviews:
Year 7 – Year 8 – Year 9 – Year 10 – Year 11.

Mathematics

Our students have 4 lessons per week of Mathematics at both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4.
You can click these links to view our Mathematics curriculum content overviews:
Year 7 – Year 8 – Year 9 Foundation – Year 9 Higher
Year 10 Foundation – Year 10 Higher – Year 11 Foundation – Year 11 Higher

Science

Our students have 3 lessons per week of Science at Key Stage 3 and 6 lessons per week at Key Stage 4.
You can click these links to view our Science curriculum content overviews:
Year 7 – Year 8 – Year 9 – Year 10 – Year 11.

Humanities

Our students have 3 lessons per week of Humanities (History, Geography, and Religion, Ethics & Philosophy) at Key Stage 3. Students in Year 7 and Year 8 also study Philosophy for Children for one lesson a week. Year 9 students study GROW an extended project programme for one lesson per week.

Students choose to study at least one subject from History or Geography at Key Stage 4, and can also study Religious Education at Key Stage 4 - they study for 3 lessons a week for each subject.

History curriculum content overviews, click links:
Year 7 – Year 8 – Year 9 – Year 10 – Year 11;
Geography curriculum content overviews, click links:
Year 7 – Year 8 – Year 9 – Year 10 – Year 11;
RE curriculum content overviews, click links:
Years 7 and 8 – Year 9 – Year 10 – Year 11.

Modern Foreign Languages

Our students have 2 lessons per week of Modern Foreign Languages (‘MFL’) at Key Stage 3. Students study both French and Spanish during Year 7 and choose to study French or Spanish through Year 8 and Year 9.
We encourage students to study a language at Key Stage 4, they have 3 lessons a week.
You can click these links to view our MFL curriculum content overviews:
Year 7 – Year 8 – Year 9 – Year 10 – Year 11.

Art, Digital and Technology

Our students have 2-4 lessons per week of Art, Digital Media, Food and 3D/Product Design at Key Stage 3. If students choose to study Art, Engineering, Food or Digital Graphics at Key Stage 4, they have 3 lessons for each subject.

You can click these links to view our ADT curriculum content overviews:

LINKS TO BE ADDED

Performing Arts

Our students have 2 lessons per week of Performing Arts (Music and Drama) at Key Stage 3.
If they have chosen to study Music or Drama at Key Stage 4, they have 3 lessons a week.
You can click these links to view our Performing Arts curriculum content overviews:
Year 7 – Year 8 – Year 9
Year 10 Music – Year 10 Drama
Year 11 Music – Year 11 Drama

Sports and Health

Our students have 2 lessons per week of PE at Key Stage 3 and 1 lesson per week at Key Stage 4.

If students have chosen to study Sports Science or Health and Social Care at Key Stage 4, they have 3 lessons a week.

You can click these links to view our Sports and Health curriculum content overviews: