Curriculum
"The curriculum provides uncompromising academic challenge alongside a rich cultural experience"
Alice Hudson, Executive Headteacher.
Parents of current students can find out more about the school's curriculum on COPIA
For information on individual subjects in the curriculum, please read the Guide for prospective parents below.
A list of GCSE and other qualifications available at Key Stage 4.
Further information on Sixth Form curriculum can be found in our Course Guide.
The Core Curriculum
William Perkin CofE High School places a high premium on academic success and takes an intelligent approach to achievement. Core, English Baccalaureate subjects (English, Maths, Science, Languages, History, Geography and RE) are all taught formally as separate subject specialisms. These subjects require high levels of concentration, therefore they are taught in the morning to achieve the best learning discipline. These lessons are 50 minutes long.
Students are taught in sets for these subjects according to their ability and to the progress they make. Students who do particularly well in languages will have a chance to take a second language from Year 8. Languages is the school’s second specialism and, together with Science, will encourage students to cultivate the ‘intelligent engagement with the wider world’ which is a key focus for the school. In the upper school, we offer a GCSE syllabus for all subjects.
In order to ensure we achieve consistency of approach we have identified 8 Intellectual Disciplines which run across all Core Subjects in addition to the Assessment Objectives and content of the subject itself. The William Perkin intellectual disciplines are to:
- Read critically
- Write cogently
- Explore analytically
- Discern logical patterns
- Form coherent arguments
- Apply systems
- Memorise accurately
- Listen intently
Find out more about each subject area here.
Core Electives
The Creativity & Curiosity Curriculum
William Perkin operates an afternoon enrichment curriculum that allows students to develop their creative skills and follow their particular aptitudes in five different areas. These are Music, Art, Sport, Computing and Applied Science. We have named this The Creativity and Curiosity Curriculum.
This curriculum is designed to:
- Ensure the curriculum is broad and balanced
- Develop wider thinking skills and creative applications (also embedded in the core curriculum)
- Develop intellectual confidence, investigation and risk taking
- Provide students with the opportunity to develop work based, applied learning skills.
The Creativity and Curiosity Curriculum runs during the 'Core Elective', 100-minute, afternoon lessons. These longer sessions allow students to fully immerse themselves in practical subjects.
Extended Electives
An Extended Elective Programme takes place after school from 4.00pm to 5.30pm every day and includes a range of activities and clubs linked to the academic core subjects and the five Core Elective areas.
You can find out more abut our approach to the curriculum in the Twyford Trust's Curriculum Policy below.
Our SEN Report gives details about how the curriculum is made accessible for those with disabilities or SEN.
Independent Learning
Independent learning will be critical to the success of your child at GCSE and A-Level. It is our philosophy to develop the required skills within each subject as soon as students join the school. From day 1 of Year 7 there is a 15-minute lesson preparation task set in each lesson – that means 5 'lesson preps' are set per day.
Longer pieces of assessed homework in the form of essays, projects, assessments and presentations are also set fortnightly. The combination of lesson preparation tasks, to be completed each evening, and longer more developed pieces of work will ensure your child develops the independent learning habits required to succeed as they develop academically. Each core subject will outline a series of tasks to be completed independently of school. These will be called Level 4 Tasks and are designed to stretch students and encourage curiosity within each subject.
We have developed a Virtual Learning Environment called Copia, which allows students to access work electronically and support their independent learning at home. The same system also allows parents to look at their child's grades and attendance and conduct records.
Individual Knowledge of Your Child
Each child is known as an academic individual through careful diagnostic testing, which takes place as part of their induction to the school. Using this information, we set challenging targets that are effectively communicated and then evaluated at key points in the year. A well-constructed whole school assessment system allows students to take control of their learning and make personal assessments of their progress. More detailed information related to subject-specific assessments will become available for parents on Copia.
Effective Communication with Parents
Communication is integral to the success of any school. Parents will receive Termly Grade Reports that provide information on effort and achievement in all subjects and at the end of the year a full report will be produced. Parents are expected to attend all Information Evenings and Parent Consultation Evenings, including an annual formal Parents Evening.
Each week parents should review and sign their child's planner which will contain key information relating to that week. Personal communication with your child's Tutor and Head of Year will be vital in supporting your child. To support this process there will be a Target Setting Meeting in September between student, parent and tutor.
The best information will always be gained via one-to-one contact with teachers so parents are warmly encouraged to be in contact with the school more regularly if there are any concerns.
For Key Stage 3 there are two formal exam weeks - one in December and the other in June - which assess topics to date in the core subjects (English, Maths, Science, Languages and Humanities).
For Key Stage 4, students will follow a GCSE pathway in all subject areas.
Details of our Remote Learning offering can be found below.
Parents of current students can find out more about the school's curriculum on COPIA
