Parents or other members of the public, can find out more about the curriculum by contacting Sarah Warden, Deputy Headteacher, by email at wardens@eltonhigh.bury.sch.uk, by phone on 0161 763 1434 or by post.

Our Curriculum Vision:

At The Elton High School we offer a knowledge-rich curriculum based on our vision: we want to develop in students a love of learning that enables them to fulfil their potential and support them to become ambitious, resilient and kind young adults.

We offer a challenging and well-sequenced curriculum which is broad and balanced, promoting the acquisition of new knowledge and skills as pupils progress from the beginning of Key Stage Three to the end of Key Stage Four and the next stage in their education or career. All of our heads of subject review the content and sequencing of their curriculum each year to keep abreast of any developments in their subject areas.

Our Curriculum Intent:

•To provide every student at The Elton High School with a fully inclusive, broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum that will enable them to continue their learning journey post 16 and onwards.

•To offer a diverse curriculum that is relevant, enjoyable and challenging so that our students develop as articulate and resilient individuals.

•To employ research-based approaches to learning and teaching so that lessons are engaging and relevant.  

•To ensure that every individual is cared for, supported and challenged to maximise their potential in order to create a feeling of self-worth and ambition.  

We teach a broad and balanced curriculum across a 5-year learning journey which aims to allow each individual to achieve their full potential both academically and personally. The curriculum covers the full requirements of the National Curriculum as well as exceeding it in many areas.

Key Stage 3:

Our Key Stage 3 Curriculum (years 7-9) is designed to enable students to achieve a deep understanding of a range of knowledge. We cover all of the National Curriculum as well as striving to go beyond this, with an additional focus on Oracy, where students receive one lesson each week in year 7 dedicated to supporting the development of communication skills. Each student in year 7 delivers a formal speech to an audience of parents, governors and peers.

Teachers continue to develop pedagogy so that students can remember and recall information from a deep understanding of their learning. The learning in Key Stage 3 provides a platform for students to be able to access the next stage in their learning journey as well as learning for their future and becoming positive citizens within their community.

In Year 9 students are supported to select options subjects to continue with at Key Stage 4. We strongly encourage students to pursue an ebacc pathway by opting to study a language and a humanities subject, but we take a flexible approach to this in consultation with students and families.

To view the curriculum content for each term, please click on the individual subject areas.

Weekly Lesson Allocation KS3 

	7	8	9
English/Lit	8	8	6
Maths	6	8	8
Science	8	6	6
History	2	4(3)*	4(3)*
Geography	2	4(3)*	4(3)*
MFL	4	4(6)*	4(6)*
RE	2	2	2
Art	2	2	2
Technology	4	4	4
Music	2	2	2
Computing	2	2	2
PD		2	2
PE	4	4	4
Oracy	2	X	X
Total	50	50	50

*Some students in year 8 and 9 study an accelerated curriculum in History and Geography and learn Spanish as an additional language

Key Stage 4:

The Key Stage 4 pathway provides students with the opportunity to build on their strengths, equip them with the necessary skills and experiences to further their career aspirations and prepare them for further study and the world of work.

All students continue to study the following Core subjects:      

· English – 2 GCSEs: English Language (WJEC) and English Literature (AQA)

· Maths – 2 GCSEs: Maths (AQA) and Statistics (AQA)

· Science – 2/3 GCSEs depending on Pathway (AQA Separate Sciences or Trilogy)

· PE (non-examined)

· Personal Development (non-examined)

Students will have the opportunity  to choose three additional subjects. All students must choose one subject from French, History or Geography and we strongly advise most of our students to follow the ebacc route by choosing both French and History/Geography alongside another subject of their choice.

A small number of students will complete the ASDAN qualification in lieu of one option.

 The qualifications we offer are:

• AQA Art and Design GCSE (may not be done with Textiles)
• OCR Business  Studies GCSE
• OCR Computer Science GCSE
• AQA Design Technology GCSE
• WJEC Food Preparation & Nutrition GCSE
• AQA French GCSE
• AQA Geography GCSE
• Edexcel History GCSE
• WJEC Music GCSE
• AQA Photography GCSE
• AQA PE GCSE
• AQA Religious Studies GCSE
• AQA Textiles GCSE (may not be done with Art and Design).
• OCR Cambridge National Sports Studies*
• OCR Cambridge National Child Development*
• WJEC Vocational ICT*

In addition, students choose three options from the subjects below:

GCSE: Art, Textiles, Music, Spanish/French, Food Preparation and Nutrition, Religious Studies, History, Geography, Photography, Design Technology, Media Studies, Computing, Business Studies.

Cambridge National Level 1/2 Certificate: Sports Studies, Creative Imedia.

We strongly encourage students to pursue an ebacc pathway by opting to study a language and a humanities subject, but we take a flexible approach to this in consultation with students and families.

Weekly Lesson Allocation KS4

	10	11
English/Lit	10(8)	10(8)
Maths	8	8
Science	10(12)	10(12)
History	OPT	OPT
Geography	OPT	OPT
MFL	OPT	OPT
RE	OPT	OPT
Art	OPT	OPT
Technology	OPT	OPT
Music	OPT	OPT
Computing	OPT	OPT
PD	2	2
PE	2	2
Total	50	50

 *Students who follow a Triple Science Pathway have one fewer lesson of English each week. 

To view the curriculum content for each term, please click on the individual subject areas.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Religion and belief have become more visible in public life in recent years, making it important that all pupils should have an opportunity to engage in RE. However, a parent may request that a child be excused from all or part of the religious education (RE) provided.  

Parents who wish to withdraw their children from RE should be aware of its aims and what is covered in the RE curriculum and should make their request in writing to the headteacher. They will be given the opportunity to discuss this if they wish. It should be made clear whether the withdrawal is from the whole RE curriculum or specific parts of it. If pupils are withdrawn from RE, they will be required to work in another area of the school, such as the library or withdrawal room.

Accessibility

At The Elton High School we aim to provide Quality First teaching to support the best possible outcomes for all students and we continually work to improve the accessibility of our curriculum for all. Please refer to our SEND policy and Accessibility Plan for further details. 

ASSESSMENT, MONITORING AND REPORTING

Assessment, Monitoring and Reporting

We use a range of methods of assessment at KS3 to enable us to monitor student progress. In all years students will experience a range of assessment types, including: low stakes testing to gauge if students are on track to achieve endpoints, end of topic tests, end of term tests and formal end of year exams carried out in the hall. All assessments are appropriate to the subject and therefore are a mix of practical and written assessments.

We analyse and this data to identify:

• Areas of success to be celebrated
• Knowledge gaps for individual students and groups of students
• Next steps for teachers and subject coordinators to ensure teaching and learning reflects the skills and knowledge gaps for all students.
   

Assessment

At Key Stage Three, students will take two tests per year in most subjects, and the percentage outcomes of these tests will be reported to families. A comparative percentage for students with similar KS2 starting points will be reported alongside this for information.

During Key Stage Four, attainment is reported in GCSE grades.

Monitoring

Students’ progress is monitored with information collected from all teachers three times each year.  From the information we analyse progress overall and individual groups to identify students that need intervention of some kind. This is then tailored to meet the needs of the individual student and their barrier to making progress.

Reporting

Assessment information is communicated to parents three times each year. Built into the reporting cycle is department standardisation, moderation and quality checking of progress data by Heads of Department, Learning co-ordinators and the Senior Leadership Team.

Attitude to Learning Descriptors

We have created ambitious expectations regarding expectations of students’ attitudes to learning and homework completion. This is to drive standards and provide a more consistent benchmark of how students are approaching the curriculum and their learning. This is reported alongside progress data.

These are descriptions of the students’ approach to their work; the bulleted list gives an idea of the types of attitude and behaviour teachers say that students might display. It is a best-fit model and you may not display all of the characteristics in the category.