Curriculum Intent

We intent to provide a broad and ambitious curriculum that provides students with an excellent standard of education that is inclusive of all. As a Church of England School, we are distinctively Christian and work to allow our students to live life in all its fullness. Our students flourish academically, creatively, socially and spiritually through our schools Christ values of Care, Hard Work, Respect, Integrity, Servanthood and Togetherness.

Aims of our Curriculum

• Inclusion of all pupils no matter their background, prior attainment or barrier to learning to accessing the same ambitious curriculum content
• Building beyond KS3 National Curriculum and aiming for ambitious content taught across the full three years (7-9)
• Our KS3 curriculum has been built around the Skills, Knowledge & Understanding (SKU) needed for students to succeed beyond the school gates
• The widest possible options available at GCSE/Level 2 & A level/Level 3 options to suit the needs of our pupils, local and national requirements
• High expectations, breadth, high challenge & inclusive classroom practice
• Consistent planning & logical sequencing of content that leads to long term knowledge retention and learning
• Implementation of a quality first wave approach to teaching & learning
• Enabling all our students to “Live Life in all its fullness (John 10:10)” through curriculum, enrichment, performances, PSHE and worship experiences
• Personal & character development enabling the widest variety of curricula and extra curricula experiences that allow pupils to develop as rounded individuals
• Allow pupils to thrive as individuals through personalised and flexible pathways including RSE & PSHE
• Enable opportunities for students to develop socially and creatively through the breadth of our in-school and extra curricula offering
• Enable students to have a positive impact on the community and the world around them
• Blue Coat promotes the spiritual development of our learners through embedding our school’s CHRIST values at all levels of our curriculum:

Implementation

Blue Coat Approach

Here at Blue Coat we have an agreed approach to quality first teaching and learning in our school. Our approach is based around educational research and proven pedagogy into what leads to high levels of knowledge acquisition. All staff Continuing Professional Development and Quality Assurance of lessons links back to this school wide Quality First Approach. We ensure that this is embedded regularly through CPD that communicates the expectations, models best practice and then provides the opportunity to embed this a departmental level through collaboration and determination of an agreed pedagogical approach for each subject. Our staff strive to ensure that their planning allows the core elements of the Blue Coat approach to be evident in all lessons.

4forAll Toolkit

The 4forAll components are four key elements which are expected to be emphasised in lessons and should be evident to learners. These elements benefit all students but particularly those with SEND. Alongside 4forAll staff utilise Pupil Passport information specific to each SEND learner to ensure they are able to access the breadth of the curriculum content. 

Reading Strategy

Within lessons we focus on embedding three key strategies that support the reading of our learners. Staff will:

• Pre-read selected texts to check suitability for reading age, vocabulary, layout and density
• Create a context to introduce and practice ideas before introducing a text 
• Model reading to pupils, with staff and pupils taking it in turns to read aloud individually, in pairs or groups
• Share the vocabulary strategy
• Subject teachers adopt a simple three step approach:
  1. Teacher to model fluency of reading aloud
  2. ‘Jump in’: students asked to pick up or continue reading.
  3. Three second rule – students allowed to help correct or help with words that the reader is struggling to read; the teacher allows three seconds for the reader to pronounce the word before correcting.