Curriculum
11+ Curriculum
Every year, about 140 boys enter the five first year forms.
There is no streaming and all boys follow the same general programme which includes English, Mathematics, French, History, Geography, Religious Studies, Music, Art, Technology (including ICT), Physical Education, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and a course in Language skills.
As part of the curriculum in the First Year all boys spend a few days on a residential course in Glenridding, where they have an opportunity to experience a variety of outdoor activities. The curriculum followed in the Second Year is similar to the above, and all boys take Latin.
In the first three years, classes are taught using a topic approach which ensures that the appropriate programmes of study and attainment targets of the National Curriculum subjects are covered.
Further information about the aims, content and organisation of the curriculum, together with details of the examination courses, is available on individual department pages.
Assessment
Pupils and their parents receive grades for each subject every half term, and school examinations take place twice each year. Academic progress in First to Third Year is primarily monitored by the Head of Lower School, who co-ordinates the work of the form tutors.
13+ Curriculum
In the Third Year there are few major changes in curriculum content. A range of expressive arts courses is available, including art, music and drama. All boys study an additional language at this stage, chosen from Spanish, German or Greek.
Classes continue to be taught using a topic approach, which ensures that the appropriate programmes of study and attainment targets of the National Curriculum subjects are covered. Further information about the aims, content and organisation of the curriculum, together with details of the examination courses, is available on individual department pages.
During the Third Year, parents and boys are invited to attend a meeting at which the Fourth Year options scheme is explained. Pupils entering the Fourth Year take GCSE courses in English, English Literature, Science (Physics, Chemistry and Biology are taught separately), Technology, French, Mathematics (which is setted) and also three other subjects chosen from History, Geography, Latin, Religious Education, Art and Design, Music, Spanish, German and Greek. This pattern is maintained in the Fifth Year where most pupils will sit examinations in at least 11 GCSE subjects, most of which are administered by the AQA examination board.
In addition to the subjects studied, each boy will also follow a programme designed to raise awareness and support the boys in all the wider aspects of social education, including physical education, health, citizenship etc. This is provided to all boys in a manner appropriate for their age and development, emphasising the importance of healthy living, family life, community involvement and personal relationships.
Parents have the right, on receipt of a written request, to withdraw their son from that part of the sex education offered by the school which is not part of the National Curriculum.
A small proportion of pupils (about 5%) leave the school at the end of the Fifth Year to pursue a variety of job opportunities or to embark on courses in further education. The vast majority remain in the Sixth Form where a wide range of AS and A-level courses is available, including most of those listed above plus Further Mathematics, Economics, Business Studies, Physical Education and Theatre Studies. Further details of these and other courses are given in the Sixth Form prospectus, which is available on request, or in individual department areas.
Assessment
Pupils and their parents receive grades for each subject every half term, and school examinations take place twice each year. Academic progress in Third Year is primarily monitored by the Head of Lower School, and in Fourth and Fifth by the Head of Middle School, who each co-ordinate the work of the form tutors.
Departments
Full details of all Departments, and the curriculum offered by each Department at 11+, 13+ and Sixth Form, are available on this site, in the Academic section.
