Learning

Curriculum Overview

Curriculum
We define our curriculum as ‘the articulation of the knowledge, skills and values we intend our students to learn’

Intent
Our curriculum has been designed to be ambitious, rich, diverse and sensitive to our context. It is carefully sequenced to ensure that key aspects are revisited and built up over time. Departments produce curriculum plans which detail what is to be delivered and when. These are regularly reviewed so that any adjustments can be made. The intent includes lesson planning, so that teachers are aware of what they intend for the students to learn and are able to plan lessons accordingly to ensure that this happens, using information from previous lessons to inform this planning.

Implementation
This is the delivery of the curriculum. The time we spend working with teachers to improve their own practice ensures that time is not wasted. The quality of our teaching is the single most important factor in ensuring that our curriculum is successfully taught.

Impact
This is the extent to which the curriculum has been successfully learned by our students. It is evidenced through key summative assessment tasks as well as through formative assessment, including regular low stakes testing and retrieval practice that informs planning.

Life Programme
All students follow the ‘Life’ programme which encompasses PSHE, RSE and Careers Education. This is delivered in form time, through drop-down mornings and, where relevant through subject areas.

Key Stage 3
English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, RE, Art, Music, Design and Technology, Computer Science, Business Studies, PE and French. In Year 8 Spanish is also studied.

Key Stage 4
All students study English Language, English Literature, Mathematics, Combined Science/Triple Science and Religious Studies, as well as Core PE.

All students will study a GCSE in either History or Geography, and French or Spanish and will then choose two further options

Key Stage 5
Our A level programme is extensive – please see our curriculum booklet here:
In order to support our students, we offer a broad enrichment programme which includes electives, a Scholars programme, careers and next steps advice and a ride range of visits and sporting opportunities.

Curriculum Allocation

In WG6, each subject is allocated 14 periods per fortnight, 2 of which are subject study. Wednesday afternoon is allocated for enrichment and electives. To view our Electives Booklet, which lists our programme of activities please click here. Students in Year 12 attend supervised study during their non-contact time.

Year 10 Option Choices 2024

‘LIFE’ is a project aiming to support, nurture and educate our students so that they are aware, and responsible for their own outcomes in many different ways. Qualifications are not the only outcome for a student, there are hundreds, if not thousands of different outcomes that students face in our modern society. Our job is now more complicated than it has ever been, the influences on our students are more numerous than they were 10 years ago and considerably more than they were 30 years ago.

Our Life Sessions provide a safe environment to discuss a range of (sometimes sensitive) issues, to offer guidance and support and ensure that everyone’s view and opinion can be heard. This approach ensures that we learn from each other and respect all viewpoints.

We have a number of areas in school that we focus on to ensure a wider perspective:

● PSHE (personal, Social, Health Education)
● SMSC (Spiritual, Moral Social and Cultural Development)
● Careers
● Extra-curricular activities
● Pastoral education

These five areas are the corner stone of our pastoral education, hoping to develop their spiritual, moral, physical, social and cultural wellbeing.

‘LIFE’ is about bring these elements together so that students can reflect on the education they receive inside and outside of school. They can use the LIFE document that will support them when they go to higher education interviews or the next step in their life journey, a moral CV.

Students in Years 7-13 will complete the LIFE journey, along the way they will reflect on the many issues they have faced through their school career and the various ways in which we have supported them to become who they are.

LIFE Structure
There five main areas to ‘LIFE’, PSHE, SMSC, Careers, Extra-curricular activity and Pastoral responsibility.
Each term, each year group will have a number of tasks that are age specific that they need to complete. Students will need to complete a task in each of the 5 areas of LIFE, or if they are more motivated they can complete multiple tasks.

Please click the below image to enlarge.

Careers Within the Life Programme

Welcome to Wilmington Grammar School for Boys careers information, part of our Life Programme. The Life Programme is created and designed to give students the broadest possible view of their opportunities, support with contemporary issues and strategies to maximise their destination driven focus. The Life Programme covers everything outside of the traditional curriculum and some within it. It covers Relationships and Sex Education (RSE), Character Education, Careers, plus many of the topics that were in the previous PSHE curriculum. Our Careers, Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) is an integral part of the Life Programme especially around key decision-making points such as Year 10 Option Choices and Next Steps Post 16.

To support these decisions, we have launched the new Morrisby Careers platform. Morrisby is an organisation that works with schools and students helping to identify their career destinations,guiding them to make the right choices so that they can remain focused and motivated through their school life. Students have all used the Morrisby Careers Profile and other resources to assess their own strengths, abilities, interests and preferred learning styles, and see how these relate to different careers.

We recognise the importance of careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) and ensure that throughout the year, students have opportunities to engage positively with their futures, both in terms of increasing expectations and exploring the best routes into the careers that interest them. In line with the Department for Education guidance, we have a coordinated programme of careers support designed around the Gatsby Benchmarks to offer a coherent programme embedded within school structures. A summary of our CEIAG programme, student entitlements and policy access statement can be viewed using the relevant links on this page. Details on our destinations are available on the WG6 website.

Education and training provider access
Providing independent and impartial advice and guidance means we are committed to supporting all student pathways. Education and Training Providers are invited to appropriate school-based careers events and a list of such events, together with the school’s access policy, can be found in the provider access policy and Employer page using the links on this page.

How is the impact of career learning measured?
We continuously measure, assess and evaluate the impact of the careers programme, analyse destinations data, track student progression after they leave school and consider student, parent/carer, employer and teacher views. Effectiveness of our programme is further demonstrated throughout the school and assessed using the Compass tool and our destination data providing comparable information on the school’s success. Additionally, our careers programme is continuously developing with a formal review each year, with the next review being due in July 2023.

Could you help inspire the next generation?
If you have skills or expertise which you could share with our students or would like to make suggestions about careers please contact us. We are always looking for volunteers to speak in assemblies, deliver small group talks, speak at careers fairs or run practice interview sessions.

SUMMARY OF THE CAREERS PROGRAMME AT WGSB

Students in Year 7 and 8 are at the start of their career journey and the main focus is exploration of careers and raising aspirations. Students use their Morrisby Careers profiles and explore the careers that they are matched to. They also have a Life Programme Drop-down session where we look at identifying their strengths and start to develop their employability skills.

Students in Year 9 use the Morrisby Careers Platform to start looking at what GCSE Options they should choose given their future career path. This happens in a Life Programme Drop-down morning. This is followed up with optional 1:1 facto face GCSE Options meeting with Mrs Walker on request from the student.

Students in Year 10 are given the opportunity to do a more in -depth Morrisby assessment which helps to guide their future choices with more in-depth analysis. They also have a Life Programme Drop-down session on this. All Year 10 students are given a 1:1 Careers meeting with Mrs Walker or an external provider where they can discuss their career paths and next steps. All Students in Year 10 are also given the opportunity to go on 1-week work experience.

Students in Year Groups 7 -11 will have a yearly opportunity during a Life Programme Drop-down session to meet face to face and online with employers and employees and experience a range of career paths that are open to them.

Students in Year 11 have focused Life Programme Drop-down sessions on their Next Steps, and this is followed up with optional 1:1 Next Steps meeting with Mrs Walker which are requested by the students. Students applying for apprenticeships are offered ongoing support as required.

All of the Students in Year 12 are given the opportunity for a 1:1 face to face careers / next steps meeting with Mrs Walker or an external provider. Year 12 are also given the opportunity to go on 1-week work experience.

Students in Year 13 are able to request 1:1 support from Mrs Walker on next steps, university choices, personal statements and apprenticeship support throughout Year 13.

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VIRTUAL WORK EXPERIENCE

Overview of Extra-Curricular Clubs

YEARS 7 – 9

YEARS 10 & 11

WG6 – Years 12 & 13 – this is in addition to Enrichment on Wednesday afternoon

KNOWLEDGE ORGANISERS

2024-2025 Knowledge Organisers