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Curriculum Curriculum Overview

CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION – WHAT IS STUDIED?

We operate a two week, fifty-period timetable for all year groups. A student's Week 1 timetable is likely to be slightly different to their Week 2 timetable.

To find out which week it is, please see this page or alternatively look at the bottom of the homepage.

In both KS3 and KS4 we place students in ability-based sets in the core subjects of English, Maths and Science so that learning can be effectively tailored. This setting is flexible and reviewed regularly to ensure that students are most appropriately placed.

 

KEY STAGE 3 - YEAR 7 TO 9
We are required to follow the National Curriculum at Key Stage 3.  

YEAR 7 AND YEAR 8
Across a fortnight, all students in Year 7 and 8 study;

  • 8 lessons of English including one lesson of the Accelerated Reader programme
  • 7 lessons of Maths
  • 7 lessons of Science
  • 4 lessons of MFL   – French and German
  • 4 lessons of PE
  • 3 lessons of Geography
  • 3 lessons of History
  • 2 lessons of Philosophy and Ethics
  • 2 lessons of Computer Science
  • 2 lessons of Music
  • 2 lessons of Drama
  • 2 lessons of Personal, Social, Citizenship and Health Education

In addition, students study Creativity subjects through a carousel approach of 4 lessons over a fortnight. Within our Art and Design Technology subjects, students will have the opportunity to participate in intense, thematic learning within art and design, hospitality and catering and product design, experiencing each subject across an academic year in rotation.

YEAR 9
The curriculum is largely similar to that of Year 7 and 8, however, students study three choice subjects, chosen from a suite of Creativity and Enrichment subjects, in readiness to make KS4 Options in the Spring term of Year 9.  Students choose to continue with one of the languages they have studied in Years 7 and 8.

  • 7 lessons of English
  • 8 lessons of Maths
  • 7 lessons of Science
  • 5 lessons of French or German
  • 4 lessons of PE
  • 3 lessons of Geography
  • 3 lessons of History
  • 2 lessons of Computer Science
  • 2 lessons of Personal, Social, Citizenship and Health Education
  • 3 lessons Choices Block A
  • 3 lessons Choices Block B
  • 3 lessons Choices Block C

KEY STAGE 4 – YEAR 10 AND 11
At The Cottesloe School, we have a two-year Key Stage 4, running from Year 10 to Year 11. 
Most students follow a core provision of:

  • English (the vast majority of students will study both English Literature and Language)
  • Maths
  • Science (Combined Science or Separate Sciences)
  • PE (non examined)
  • Personal, Social, Citizenship and Health Education (non examined)
  • Humanities – either Geography or History
  • Languages – either French or German (or an alternative MFL if it is the student’s native tongue)
  • We also offer GCSE Statistics to some students.

The majority of our students follow a curriculum closely aligned to the English Baccalaureate; French or German (whichever language they have been studying at KS3), History or Geography, as well as English, Maths and Science.

There are also a wide variety of option subjects that students can study. We offer a range of qualification types to suit learners. The most common include GCSE, BTEC and Cambridge OCR Nationals. Currently, we offer the following subjects at KS4:

History, Geography, Art and Design, Computer Science, Information Technologies, Business Studies, Drama, Dance, Music, PE, Health and Social Care, Hospitality and Catering, Creative iMedia, Product Design, Sports Studies, PAS (Prepare, Aspire, Succeed Leadership – Level 1 qualifications).

Our curriculum caters for individual needs at all levels, some students benefit from additional Maths and English support. More able students can, for example, two humanities subjects and a language if there is a demand. We are proud of our flexibility.

KEY STAGE 5 (POST 16)
For more information about our Key Stage 5 offer, please see the Sixth Form section of the school website.