Curriculum
Sir James Smith’s Curriculum Overview
The curriculum at Sir Jim’s is planned to allow students to aspire to be the best they can be, give students the ambition to succeed and ultimately achieve their potential. The curriculum has been created to promote learning, personal growth and to develop the independence and responsibility of all our students. We achieve this by making it accessible and fun. We ensure that all students have a broad, balanced and relevant education which equips them for the next steps in their lives. Our curriculum takes into account wide ranging individual differences and caters to the full ability spectrum. We work hard to make sure that our student’s entitlement to achieve their full potential is realised.
We promote and achieve high levels of progress. This is reported regularly throughout the academic year. Individual progress is tracked in an abundance of ways and appropriate interventions are implemented and suitably tailored for individual needs, providing additional opportunities for students to succeed.
All students receive a half-termly attitudinal report, which gives an insight into the quality of their Homework, Effort, Readiness for Work and Homework (HERB). More information about the HERB’s can be found HERE. Students will also receive three progress reports throughout the year. In Years 7-9 students use the STEPS assessment model. More information about the STEPS model can be found HERE. In Year 10-11 students follow 6 core GCSE courses plus 4 additional options. The tables below show the courses available in both Key Stages at Sir Jim’s. Clicking on the subject name will bring up the Key Stage overview and further information about the course.
Key Stage 3 Courses
| Number of 1 hour lessons per fortnight | ||||
| Subject | Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 | |
|
Core Curriculum |
English | 7 | 6 | 7 |
| Maths | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| Science | 6 | 6 | 6 | |
| Art | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| Computing | 2 | 2 | - | |
| Design Technology | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| Drama | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| French/German | 5 | 5 | 5 | |
| Geography | 4 | 4 | 4 | |
| History | 4 | 4 | 4 | |
| Morality & Ethics | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Music | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| PE | 4 | 4 | 4 | |
| PSHE | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
Key Stage 4 Courses
| Subject | Number of 1-hour lessons per fortnight | |
|
Core Curriculum |
English | 7 |
| Maths | 7 | |
| Science | 9 | |
| PSHE | 1 | |
| Morality & Ethics | 2 | |
| Games | 4 | |
|
Optional Subjects (Students to choose four) |
Art | 5 |
| Catering | 5 | |
| Design Technology | 5 | |
| Drama | 5 | |
| French | 5 | |
| Geography | 5 | |
| German | 5 | |
| Graphics | 5 | |
| History | 5 | |
| Music (BTEC) | 5 | |
| Music (GCSE) | 5 | |
| PE | 5 | |
| Textiles | 5 | |
| Triple Sciences | 5 |
Our curriculum is extended by an array of enrichment activities, including Deep Learning Days, Musical & Drama productions, residential trips, Greenpower racing team and a selection of other extra-curricular activities which form an important part of the curriculum. Please click HERE to see the Autumn-term extra-curricular offer.
We continue to create a number of different opportunities for students to enhance their Personal, Social, Health and Economic wellbeing at Sir Jim’s. PSHE is taught as part of a discrete course to ensure students gain the knowledge, skills, and attributes they need to keep themselves healthy and safe and to prepare them for life and work in modern Britain.
We are very proud of our achievements as a school and feel that our curriculum allows students of Sir Jim’s to fully engage (and thrive) in society when their time comes to leave. If you would like to find out more about our curriculum and the information is not listed on the website, please contact the Assistant Headteacher, Mr Edward McGuffie, via the contact information on our home page.