Curriculum Implementation & Impact

Curriculum Implementation

We believe that a carefully planned and structured curriculum is the foundation upon which excellent learning and development are created. Therefore, our curriculum is designed and implemented to build on prior knowledge and prepare students for the next stage in their education. In addition, the we ensure that lessons are engaging and suitably differentiated to facilitate all students to support exceptional progress. First and foremost, our priority is that ‘Quality First Teaching’ is available for all students.

The development of language and building knowledge is integral to curriculum planning. Curriculum leaders, who are experts in their subjects, carefully construct a curriculum that promotes a deep understanding of a wide range of topics. In addition, teachers plan learning that allows students to embed and recall knowledge through the interleaving of topics and spaced practice. This builds firm foundations for progression to the next level and exam success.

Curriculum Impact

At Stone Lodge School, our curriculum will:

  • ensure that the sequence of learning builds on previous knowledge whilst supporting future progression.
  • lead to qualifications that are of worth for employers and for entry to further and higher education.
  • enable all students to fulfil their potential.
  • meet the needs of students of all abilities.
  • allow students to acquire an appreciation and respect for their own and other cultures.
  • prepare students to compete in the global economy.
  • prepare students to make informed choices at the end of KS3, KS4 and beyond.
  • help students develop lively, enquiring minds and the ability to question and argue rationally.

Assessment

It is fundamental to our mission that we are open and clear when making judgements about students’ learning and progress. We believe that students and parents have an entitlement to assessment information through a precise, informative and understandable reporting system. This information should strike the right balance for students and parents on how well they are learning the curriculum, what targets and support are required, what an individual’s attainment is and how comparable this is to other children with similar starting points.

We believe that praise, reward and encouragement are as important as constructive criticism. To this end, recognition and rewards are awarded for worthwhile effort and endeavour, whether part of the formal curriculum or not.

At Stone Lodge School, we believe that it is unrealistic to attempt to use early assessments in KS3 as a tool to predict the GCSE success of a student who is 4/5 years away from taking these exams. Nor do we believe it is helpful to award a current grade using 1-9 GCSE grading when they are so far from being prepared for these exams. Doing this can cause students to ‘take their foot off of the gas’ due to achieving relatively high grades, or become demotivated early on due to struggling to score on the 1-9 GCSE scale because they are so far from these exams. 

Parents of students in KS4 will be able to track the progress their son/daughter makes each year by comparing the working at grade in each subject, with the GCSE Target Grade indicated on the students’ report based on FFT20 data. A flight path from year 10-11 will be shared with parents on reports so they can see how this GCSE grade should improve as they move closer towards sitting their final exam. This triangulation allows parents to see current performance and likely future progress towards the GCSE target.

In our assessment calendar we have 4 x 10-week assessment cycles with:

  • 7 weeks of teaching building up to an assessment
  • an assessment in week 8
  • marking and moderation in week 9, including Question Level Analysis to identify positive, inconsistent and negative learning from the test
  • in week 10 we then plan super teaching weeks after assessments have been marked

Super teaching weeks are lessons that are delivered after staff have worked together to discuss student weaknesses in learning and planned to address these in week 10 lessons before moving on to more new learning. This helps to ensure students don’t fall behand as the year goes on. We believe firmly that in KS3 this focus on learning rather than performance embeds the right habits for successful learners who, using this growth approach will perform much better as they move into their GCSEs.

Regular, low stakes, quizzing in lessons ensures that students embed knowledge into their long term memory.

Students are assessed by a combination of peer, self and teacher assessments.  Summative assessment will take place in week 8 in each of the school’s four learning cycles.

Parents receive reports 3 times per year.  The reports will indicate the progress that students have made towards their target grade and an indication of their behaviour and attitude to learning. ​

Curriculum Review

Curriculum implementation will be reviewed and quality assured through line management, subject reviews and lesson observations.

The curriculum delivered in each subject is reviewed annually by curriculum leaders and senior leaders, to ensure the sequence of delivery allows students to build on their knowledge, ensuring students are sufficiently stretched and challenged.

The curriculum hours and subjects offered will be analysed by the senior leadership team and governors on an annual basis.

The student leadership team discuss curriculum content and delivery annually. This is be fed back to senior team and staff.

Parents and students will have the opportunity to review the curriculum content and delivery through parent and student surveys.  ​

Curriculum Hours KS3

  • At KS3, students are set by ability in Maths and Science and are taught in mixed ability groups in their other subjects.
  • Lessons are 50 minutes in length (45 minutes on a Wednesday)
  • There are 30 lessons per week.
  • SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural) and FBV (Fundamental British Values) are embedded into the curriculum and delivered through all subjects.
  • PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) provision is taught through our Successful Lives lessons as well as the focus of Assemblies throughout the school year.
  • KS3 Periods
  • Subject
  • Periods Per Week
  • English
  • 4
  • Maths
  • 4
  • Science
  • 4
  • Geography
  • 2
  • Computing
  • 2
  • History
  • 2
  • Performing Arts
  • (Music/Drama)
  • 2
  • Engineering
  • 2
  • Spanish
  • 2
  • Physical Education
  • 2
  • Art
  • 1
  • Philosophy and Ethics
  • 1
  • Successful Lives
  • 1
  • Intervention
  • 1

Curriculum Hours​ KS4

  • At KS4, students are set by ability in Maths and Science.
  •  Lessons are 50 minutes in length (45 minutes on a Wednesday)
  • There are 30 lessons per week.
  • Option groups are mixed mainly with some setting if there is more than one group in an option block.
  • SMSC and FBV are embedded into the curriculum and delivered through all subjects.
  • PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) provision is taught through our Successful Lives lessons and the focus of Assemblies throughout the school year.
  • KS4 Periods
  • Subject
  • Periods Per Week
  • English
  • 5
  • Maths
  • 5
  • Science
  • 5
  • Geography/ History
  • 3
  • Option 1
  • 3
  • Option 2
  • 3
  • Spanish
  • 3
  • Physical Education
  • 2
  • Philosophy and Ethics/ Successful Lives
  • 1