Our Curriculum Overview
OUR CURRICULUM – ITS AIMS AND DELIVERY
We want students at BCHS to love learning. As such, we offer a curriculum which is not only broad and enriching but that seeks to stretch and inspire students. We understand that every child is different and so we draw on our knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses to provide them with high quality information, advice and guidance to inform their curriculum choices at Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 and to ensure a seamless progression through the school. Outside of lessons we aim to provide a range of enrichment activities such as trips and visits, clubs and other opportunities to inspire and engage.
Our ACE Teaching and Learning framework facilitates the implementation of the BCHS Curriculum within our classrooms. Each Department has curriculum roadmaps to show the long term curriculum and this is underpinned by medium term plans and individual lesson plans.
The evidence basis for BCHS’ ACE teaching and learning framework is drawn from the EEF guidance. It’s 5 a day recommendations comes from the ‘Special Education Needs in Mainstream Schools’ report and highlights the need for high quality teaching which not only improves the outcomes for students with SEND, but all students in the classroom. It is our vision that the ACE framework provides teachers with high quality strategies, taken from this research, which makes up the ordinarily available for all students at BCHS.
| Intent | Implementation | Impact |
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At Brentwood County High School, we aim to provide every student with a broad, balanced and relevant education that enables them to achieve their full potential. We believe that the curriculum should cover the full range of subjects across key stage three, building on their learning in key stage two and refine students’ interests at key stage 4 in preparation for their next stage. We hope that our students will choose to remain at Brentwood County High Sixth form for this next stage, with a wide range of BTEC, Diplomas and A-Levels on offer for students. The intention is that all students consistently achieve highly, particularly the most disadvantaged and those with SEND. The demanding work given enables students, over time and across the school, to consistently achieve the aims of the curriculum, which is coherently planned and sequenced towards cumulatively sufficient knowledge and skills for future learning and employment. All curriculums are sequenced to ensure content and skills progression and planned with regular check points towards an end point each year. Each key stage will have formative and summative assessment embedded. In Key Stage 3 students will study a full range of National Curriculum subjects which includes PHSEE, EP and within these aspects of age appropriate SRE. In Key Stage 4 students will study a range of GCSEs/Level 2 BTECs in line with their curriculum pathway. Students will study a full range of core subjects (Maths, English and Science) with the majority following an EBACC pathway. Students are in sets for maths, science and English but mixed ability groups for all other subjects including the options subjects. At Key Stage 5, students study A-levels and/or BTECs within our Sixth Form dependent on their KS4 data to support them to progress. Across all key stages there will be a comprehensive package of enrichment including extra-curricular clubs, careers, PHSEE activities, and trips and visits which will support character development at all key stages. At the age of 16 or 18 students should be in a position to move into their chosen route of education, employment or training both in terms of academic achievement and work related skills. |
Implementation of the curriculum must show a clear line of sight for building on skills and knowledge; check for gaps and misconceptions, and allow for personalisation based on reading ages, student background and any learning needs. Students must be able to access the curriculum at the appropriate point for their ability.
Strong subject knowledge and delivery will support student progress. Challenge, as well as intervention, will also support the development of skills and knowledge where required. We recognise our considerable responsibility in ensuring that every individual is offered the opportunity, challenge and encouragement to secure success.
Implementation of our curriculum looks like ACE at our school. We believe that every successful learning experience would have 3 key ingredients: Adaptive Teaching, Creativity and Consistency and Engagement
An ACE lesson at Brentwood County High aims to meet the teaching standards through strategies that can be associated with the above strands of teaching. Simply put, if students consistently have their lessons adapted to their needs and it is creative, they will engage. By engaging, progress can be made by all. Assessments are built into each subject curriculum and link to our assessment calendar across the whole school. Students regularly given feedback on how to improve their work. The reporting systems allows students and parents to understand how they are working compared to their Minimum Expected Grade. Reading is embedded into the daily life of school through our Reading Strategy with reading within the PD curriculum in Years 7,8 and 9 and Bedrock in Years 7 and 10. Reading interventions are in place to ensure all students make the progress needed to read in line with their chronological age. |
Results at the end of each year and key stage reflect a well-planned curriculum by the evidence of good progress and outcomes for individual students. Progress 8 at GCSE shows an improving situation and gaps for SEND and PPG students are closing. Our data is internally analysed using SISRA and this shows high levels of progress and achievement in subjects and for individual students based on their starting points in our 2025 outcomes. Our destination data at 16 and 18 shows a variety of destinations/routes that are appropriate to our learners and high-quality providers for employment (with training), apprenticeships or continued further and higher education. Students will leave BCHS with reading ages that are in-line with their chronological age and able to access their next steps. |
