Curriculum Intent

 

At St Benedict’s, our curriculum is centred around the Gospel values of Compassion, Wisdom and Resilience. Each lesson in school is designed to stretch and challenge our students and develop within them a deep possession of each of these values.

All students receive an ambitious curriculum that gives them possession of powerful knowledge, designed to improve their life chances and maximise their God-given potential. This powerful knowledge gives students access to the best that has been thought and said in each subject area, pushing them beyond the everyday knowledge and allowing them to succeed in life, regardless of their starting point.

These ambitious values ensure that young people achieve the full potential God has for them, irrespective of ability, background or personal circumstances.

"Leaders provide an ambitious curriculum. They think carefully about the knowledge they want pupils to gain in each area of the curriculum.

Teachers have strong subject knowledge and understand how pupils learn"

Ofsted, 2022

 

Wisdom

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24

Through our curriculum we seek to provide young people with the relevant knowledge, understanding and Cultural Capital to inspire their future learning and careers and which enables them to play an active part in society, whatever their background. Our curriculum enables young people to seek truth and wisdom in their own lives and look beyond the superficial and misleading.

 

Compassion

"If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” John 3:17

Our curriculum provides opportunities for young people to learn about the society (both local and global) in which they live their lives and to connect with others with kindness. We ensure that our curriculum is broad and balanced to enable all young people to learn about the diversity of human achievement and endeavour and the importance of mutual respect and compassion for others.

 

Resilience

"Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh" Luke 24:52

Our curriculum encourages students to learn from their mistakes, make progress and see success as an ongoing process. Our curriculum helps students to approach their futures with hope and optimism and through personalised approaches to learning, see that their own future can be a bright one.

 

Curriculum Implementation

At St. Benedict's we believe that a carefully planned and sequenced curriculum is the foundation to an outstanding education for all our students.  Our curriculum makes clear the powerful knowledge that students should possess in order for them to go on to succeed in later life and our curriculum is also designed in such a way that the lessons begin taught and the exciting new content that students are exposed to, builds on students' prior knowledge. There is a focus on creating links across topics and between different subject areas, ensuring students retain and enjoy their knowledge and expertise over the long term.

Each subject's Head of Department uses their expertise to carefully construct a curriculum promoting a deep understanding of a wide range of topics.  Teachers plan lessons that allow students to embed and recall knowledge through techniques such as retrieval practice and spaced learning.  This builds firm foundations for progression to the next level of their learning or lives, as well as enjoying success in external examinations. 

 

Curriculum Principles

 - St. Benedict’s offers a 3 Year Key Stage 3 with a focus on preparing students for a successful Key Stage 4.

 - Pupils have access to all traditional subjects at Key Stage 3, but there is a great emphasis on Religious Education, English, Maths, Science, Modern Foreign Languages, History, and Geography.

 - All students study a single language in Year 7 and have the opportunity to study multiple languages in Year 8 and 9. The majority of students study both French and Spanish during this time with those continuing with 1 language given extra time in this and their English studies.

 - St. Benedict’s students progress towards studying the Ebacc* selection of subjects at Key Stage 4 during Key Stage 3.

 - All students progress towards studying both English Literature and English Language at GCSE.

 - The majority of students at Key Stage 5 study 3 Level 3 qualifications (or equivalent sized qualifications).

* Ebacc selection of qualifications – Students have to study Maths, an English GCSE, a Science GCSE, a Humanities GCSE and a MFL GCSE.