Curriculum
“Leaders' work on the curriculum has been highly effective.” (Ofsted 2021)
KS3:
Our KS3 Curriculum is rich, broad, ambitious and inclusive. It is designed to give every student, regardless of their prior attainment or any SEN need, the knowledge and cultural capital necessary to be successful in life.
We have recently made some changes to our KS3 curriculum to best suit our cohort in the pursuit of excellence.
Students are offered a wide range of subjects and experiences that go beyond the requirements of the National Curriculum. The subjects studied include English, Maths, Science, Computing, Languages, History, Geography, Design & Technology, Food & Nutrition, Art, Music, Drama, Religious Studies and PE.
All students at Ashmole are dual linguists for a least 2 years. They study both French and Spanish throughout Years 7 and 8, with the option to specialise or continue with both in Year 9.
All students in Year 7 now study computing, which they will continue throughout Years 8 and 9.
Our KS3 Design & Technology curriculum has evolved into two distinct courses and is no longer delivered as a carousel. Food & Nutrition is taught as a separate subject throughout Year 7 to Year 9. The Design & Technology course fully integrates Product Design and Textiles and is studied by all students from Year 7 to Year 9 in a coherently sequenced curriculum.
All students study Religious Studies and PSHE, as well as following a pastoral curriculum that they experience in form time and assemblies. Students also study a wide range of other more cross-curricular subjects and personal and social education topics. These are taught in the PSHE lesson or through timetable suspension activities. Topics covered include British Values, Citizenship, Careers, Environmental Awareness, Healthy Living, Online Safety and Money Management.
The Academy places a strong emphasis on oracy, reading and vocabulary acquisition as key skills to develop. All students have reading books or e-readers, and a programme devoted to reading and literacy is a feature in Years 7, 8 and 9. Students identified as needing extra support in Reading and Numeracy at KS3 to fully access the curriculum receive timetabled targeted tuition in small groups.
KS4:
The Key Stage 4 curriculum is designed around a strong academic core, whilst maintaining breadth in terms of the number and range of subjects offered. It covers all the subjects included in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc). The EBacc subjects include English Language and Literature, Mathematics, Combined Science or separate Biology, Chemistry and Physics, a Language, History or Geography. In addition, every student may study an arts subject with a full range on offer. Students can study all three separate Sciences, both History and Geography and a second Language. Both French and Spanish are offered at GCSE. The Academy provides a wide range of subjects to study at GCSE, in addition to the academic core. These subjects include Computer Science, Business Studies, Sport and PE, Food, Product Design, Textiles, Art, Music, Drama and Religious Studies. Some students may also choose to take Maths, English and Digital Functional Skills Qualifications alongside their GCSEs.
Religious Education and PE are compulsory subjects as is PSHE, which offers a programme of personal and social education, including topics such as Careers and Citizenship.
To achieve the breadth of the curriculum whilst maintaining a strong academic core, the Academy offers GCSE option choices to students at the end of Year 8 to start in Year 9.
Sixth Form:
Ashmole Academy offers a traditional academic curriculum comprising around 20 A-levels covering all the traditional subjects required by university, as well as many other subjects providing a full breadth of choice. Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English Literature, Mathematics, Further Maths, History, Geography, Economics, Art, Music, PE, Drama, Product Design, Politics, Psychology, Religious Studies, PE, French, Spanish, Sociology and Textiles are all subjects on offer at A-level. Most students will study three A-levels and some will study four. The BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Business is also offered to those internal students in the Sixth Form for whom A-level is not suitable. In addition, students take part in community service and enrichment as well as PSHE and Religious Education activities that are organised. There is a dedicated Sixth Form Centre and study area solely for sixth form use. The Academy regards the Sixth Form as not only teaching A-levels but also the pre-undergraduate stage of education, as most of the students will go to university either at the end of Year 13, or after a gap year. The Academy therefore operates specialised preparation programmes for those seeking careers in professions such as Law and Medicine or have ambition to apply for Oxford or Cambridge universities.
For more information on subject choices offered please see the sixth form prospectus. If you require further information on any aspect of our taught curriculum please email staff@ashmoleacademy.org
