Whole School Curriculum

Curriculum Aims

To create:

• A knowledge engaged curriculum which develops conceptual understanding and the development and application of skills.
• A curriculum which instils a love of learning across all subject areas.
• A curriculum which is driven by up to date and relevant educational research.
• A curriculum which is underpinned by understanding the needs of our local demographic and building a curriculum which serves the young people in our locality.

It is essential that the curriculum is organised in such a way that it provides all pupils with the opportunity to develop themselves as successful learners who are well-prepared and excited about life after Hillside. It is essential that the curriculum is organised in such a way that it ensures the values inherent in our “Excellence in the Heart of the Community” ethos becomes a reality for the pupils.

Strategic Intent

To develop a curriculum which:

• Is thoughtfully sequenced, using research into how pupils learn, so they are inspired to learn new material in a meaningful manner and develop their understanding. This will be relevant to their age and stage of development.
• Links new subject knowledge to prior experiences so building cognitive pathways and associations.
• Is relevant to the young people of our locality.
• Emphasises and reinforces the use of technical language and adventurous vocabulary.
• Builds in opportunities for fluency practise and repetition to improve retrieval and so deepen understanding, which is essential to strengthen learning.
• Has assessment for learning at its core, using a range of feedback strategies to develop pupils’ metacognition and so move their learning forward.
• Gives our pupils the knowledge, skills and understanding to be healthy, safe and responsible young adults.

Curriculum Principles

• We prioritise depth of knowledge and understanding.
• We give sufficient time to English and mathematics to ensure that pupils have the essential skills needed for life and so that they can demonstrate academic excellence across the full range of subjects.
• We build cultural capital in our pupils in order for them to develop a sense of identity and pride in their local community and excel in the wider world.
• We believe that the arts and creative subjects are crucial in forming well-rounded and confident young people.
• We make learning relevant.
• We thread careers information and SMSC through all aspects of our curriculum ensuring that pupils have suitably high aspirations for themselves and their community.
• We uphold the core principle that, ‘Reading is Power’. We have timely intervention for pupils who are below their chronological reading age, have weak writing skills and/or weak numeracy skills.
• We have high expectations of our pupils and aim to develop articulate and confident young people, who can communicate effectively through the spoken and written word.
• We use opportunities for cross-curricular work to develop transferable skills and to allow pupils to see the links across a range of areas.

Course Content

Key Stage 3 Pathways: During the first three years at Hillside (Years 7 to 9) pupils will follow the following subjects: English Language and Literature, Maths, Science, Spanish, History, Geography, Art, Design Technology, Computer Science, Drama, Music, Religious Studies and Physical Education.

In Year 9 pupils will decide on a range of subjects they wish to study at KS4 in Years 10 and 11 through the options process.

Key Stage 4 Pathways: All pupils study Core subjects of English, English Literature, Maths, Science, PE and SMSC. Through the Options Process pupils choose at least one subject from: Spanish, History or Geography and then three additional subjects, in which they will gain either GCSE or equivalent qualifications.

Enrichment

We recognise the need for a curriculum to extend beyond the academic, technical or vocational and provides for learners’ broader development, enabling them to develop and discover their interests and talents. Hillside provides a wide range of enrichment activities which aim to broaden our pupils’ knowledge of the wider world and supports them to develop important life skills. 

SMSC

At Hillside High School we recognise that for pupils to benefit from their time with us we must ensure that they have the best possible teaching and pastoral care and they must ensure that they try to meet the expectations placed on them in work, conduct and attitude. We believe that the school should actively promote all students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development by providing positive experiences through planned and coherent opportunities in the curriculum and through interactions with teachers, other adults and the local community. The aim of our SMSC curriculum aims to ensure that the values inherent in our “Excellence in the Heart of the Community” ethos becomes a reality for the pupils.

At Hillside High School, the purpose of SMSC is to develop pupils who are

• Confident young people who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives.
• Responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society, developing their understanding and appreciation of diversity.
• Aspiring young people who are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to able to make informed choices about their futures.

In order to achieve these aims, the following sets out the SMSC curriculum intent

• Develop foundational knowledge of a range of SMSC issues including RSE, British Values and Citizenship.
• Develop SMSC skills.
• Develop cultural capital and character.

Personal Development and Behaviour and Attitudes

At Hillside High School we aim to create a school where the personal development of our learners is pivotal. From the outset of a pupil’s secondary school journey we believe that the emphasis should not only be about progress and attainment of an individual, but of equal importance is equipping learners with the skills and characteristics to be responsible, respectful, active citizens who contribute positively to the local and wider community.

Our aim is to support learners to become young people who are:

• Self- confident, with good attitudes to learning, and have self belief in a variety of situations, both within the classroom and beyond.
• Resilient particularly at times of challenge and adversity.
• Aware of how to keep themselves and others safe both in terms of online safety and other aspects and how to access advice and support.
• Aware of how to promote good physical and mental health for themselves, and how and when to seek support from others.
• Leading productive and fulfilled lives that contribute positively to society.
• Aware of the need for excellent attendance, the link between attendance and attainment and the impact this has on their adult life.

We believe that it is the shared responsibility of all staff to support pupils in the above through their everyday practice. We recognise that pupils need a tailored approach to supporting their personal development. We also recognise the need to build positive relationships with parents and families and we believe that early identification and intervention is the key to positive outcomes.

We know that the most effective learners are learners who feel safe and happy in school. To ensure this we must create a culture where pupils and staff have, and insist on consistently high expectations in terms of behaviour and attitudes. We aim to foster a culture where ‘every pupil has the right to learn and every teacher has the right to teach’. We understand that creating a sufficiently disciplined environment in school and the classroom is a prerequisite to any learning taking place.

For further information about the curriculum on offer at Hillside High School, please contact Mike Edwards (Vice Principal)