Curriculum

Curriculum Intent

At Fernwood, we value the contribution all individuals make to our family. We strive for success, we support all and we nurture potential through a culture of high achievement, care and discipline.
 

Importance

The Fernwood Curriculum:

The Fernwood curriculum is designed and delivered by a passionate and skilled body of teachers. It is rooted in a traditional approach to subjects and the acquisition of knowledge, skills and understanding. Interwoven throughout their curriculum journey are competencies and experiences designed to promote each child’s personal development and wider learning. The impact of this well-designed curriculum, implemented effectively, can be seen in the well-rounded, respectful and responsible young people of Fernwood, ready for the futures ahead of them.

We provide a broad and balanced curriculum relevant to young people in the 21st century. We set high expectations and challenge all students to become independent learners who can take responsibility for their own work.
 

Therefore our curriculum is designed to:

• Be inclusive, meeting the needs of all our students no matter their starting point, background or need, affording them an equal chance to succeed;
• Be broad, balanced and ambitious for all our students to acquire meaningful knowledge and skills for future success in life;
• Be coherently planned and logically sequenced to consolidate and build on prior learning and to ensure all students acquire the intended knowledge and skills;
• Offer a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities that prepares our students for life in the modern world.
• Embed, throughout the curriculum the knowledge and cultural capital our students need to be successful in life.
   

The aims of the Fernwood Curriculum are to:

• Foster enjoyment for learning, enrich the students’ whole experience and provide the optimum learning environment for them to excel, both within and beyond the classroom.
• Nurture enjoyment through a curriculum enriched by a variety of experiences both within and beyond the classroom.
• Build cultural capital and to explore and engage with a diverse world.
• Develop reflective, resilient, and respectful, life-long learners.
• Encourage independence and insightfulness through curriculum connections and coherence (trying to say that students see connections between subjects not just topics in one subject
• Prepare students for post-16, further study, and future employment
   

The Fernwood Curriculum Wheel

This is a visual representation of our intended curriculum

Key Stage Aims

Key Stage 3 – Breadth and Depth

Our aim is to provide students with a strong foundation in a breadth of subjects with outstanding learning opportunities both within and beyond the classroom. In the first three years emphasis is based on knowledge, skills, understanding and attitudes which provide a basis for future study. We set high expectations and challenge all students to become independent creative and reflective learners.

Students will study English, mathematics, science, a language, art, design and food technology, performing arts, humanities, IT, physical education and personal development. This extensive curriculum provides students with a range of rich and memorable experiences that greatly enhance students’ learning providing a springboard for Key Stage 4.

Key Stage 4 – progression and personalisation

In year 9 students begin to personalise their curriculum for Key Stage 4 through the options process. Students choose the courses they wish to continue through to GCSE, which can include a blend of traditional GCSEs and vocational and technical qualifications suited to the learners needs and aspirations.  There are 2 pathways which include the core curriculum of; English, Mathematics, Combined Science, PE, RE and Personal Development (PSHE). Students are encouraged to choose at least one Ebacc option of Geography, History, French or German as well as up to 3 more subjects in Pathway 1.

Pathway 2 students will study one less subject and spend more time on their core subjects of English and mathematics to ensure good grades in these subjects. This will enable them to continue their journey to Key Stage 5. We also offer a more bespoke curriculum, called Pathway 3, for students with additional needs. This pathway, additional to the core curriculum, includes The Prince’s Trust qualification as well as subjects which encourage and promote life skills.
 

Year 10 & Year 11