Senior Curriculum

Our Senior School curriculum is broad and engaging. We aim to create confident, independent, and successful young women who are equipped with the skills necessary to meet the opportunities and challenges of life in the twenty-first century.

We identify skills through the use of the learner profile to guide the planning of the curriculum. The learner profile identifies ten attributes that we seek to develop in our students, these are:

• Knowledgeable
• Inquirers
• Open-Minded
• Caring
• Risk Takers
• Communicators
• Thinkers
• Balanced
• Principled
• Reflective

Students are encouraged to take on additional responsibilities and develop their leadership skills in preparation for adult life.

The Learning Journey

Years 7 and 8: Establishing Strong Skills

We understand that the first two years of Senior School are key to effectively establishing learning habits and build the skills for the depth of study and understanding that will be required further up the school. We provide a balance between ensuring the students maintain an open mind to a range of different academic disciplines, whilst also focussing on their capacities as learners.

The curriculum for both year groups includes:

• English
• Mathematics
• Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)
• Geography
• History
• Philosophy and Religion
• Two Modern Foreign Languages chosen from French, German or Spanish
• Drama
• Music
• Dance
• PE
• Art
• Design Technology
• Food and Nutrition
• Computer Science
• Textiles
• Personal, Social, and Health Education (PSHE)

In Year 7 girls follow a course in Classics and in Year 8 this is replaced with Latin.

Year 9: Choice and Independence

Year 9 is a very special year for the students. With their skills and understanding in place from Years 7 and 8, this is a year when choice and independence become increasingly important in their learning journey. The continuation of developing their intellectual character from experiences both inside and outside of the classroom is vital, and as such a variety of opportunities is made available to the girls.

• English
• Mathematics
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Geography
• History
• Philosophy and Religion
• PE
• Political Science
• Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE)
• Modern Foreign Language (all girls in Year 9 continue to study two Modern Foreign Languages chosen from French, German or Spanish)

Pupils then choose to study three from the following subjects:

• Art
• Design Technology
• Food and Nutrition
• Textiles
• Computer Science
• Music
• Drama
• Classics
• Latin

This allows for a more in depth study of these subject areas in preparation for the GCSE study.

Years 10 and 11: The GCSE Years

Following on from the experience of Year 9, our goal is to provide a broad and balanced set of options at GCSE that is both stimulating, engaging and a sound foundation for further study at Sixth Form level. In year 10 and 11 students work towards their GCSEs. Both physically and intellectually Years 10 and 11 are designed to provide an environment for challenge and self-discovery, giving them a real range of experiences from which to make well informed decisions about their futures.

All are expected to take the following core subjects:

• English Language
• English Literature
• Mathematics
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics
• At least one Modern Foreign Language

Students can then choose another three subjects from the following wide range, of which at least one should be a humanities subject.

• Geography
• History
• Philosophy and Ethics
• PE
• MFL (French, German, Spanish)
• Latin
• Computer Science
• Art
• Textiles
• Design Technology
• Food and Nutrition
• Drama
• Music

We also offer a Double Science Award option for those not wishing to continue with triple science.

Whilst our focus on external examinations is clear over the course of Years 10 and 11, we are also conscious of the need to continue to develop all aspects of the girls. Therefore in addition to their examination courses, all girls will follow non-examination courses in PE, PSHE and Philosophy and Religion. Transition to the Sixth Form is carefully managed throughout Year 11 in particular with advice and guidance being given from both academic and pastoral areas of the school.