Curriculum Vision
Curriculum Overview:
Our students will experience a curriculum which is driven by the schools focus virtues and underpinned by Catholic beliefs. We are first and foremost a Catholic school and our curriculum is driven by the school virtues of courage, honesty and faith and underpinned by the foundations of Christianity. At SJF, our school virtues permeate everything we do. We incorporate our focus virtues into the curriculum, and we provide explicit opportunities to teach these alongside the academic curriculum. Our curriculum will remain with our students for life and create well-rounded and virtuous young people.
Our students will develop confidence and fluency in reading to unlock the curriculum and develop a lifelong love of reading. It is essential that we build confidence and fluency in the fundamental skill of literacy. Our curriculum will provide opportunities for reading within each subject area and opportunities to build vocabulary by looking at technical and non-technical words and expressions.
Our students will study a curriculum that meets the demands of the National Curriculum to broaden and deepen their knowledge and build cultural capital. The St. John Fisher curriculum is underpinned by the national curriculum and is ambitious as it looks to extend beyond, by providing students with extended learning opportunities. It builds cultural capital to address disadvantage and is unashamedly ambitious for the progress of every student. The curriculum will provide students with new knowledge and new experiences along with enrichment opportunities that complement the taught curriculum and broaden their horizons.
Our students will experience a knowledge-rich curriculum that builds towards clearly defined curriculum-related expectations. The component knowledge within each course is made explicit to the learner and the specifics of what each student will learn matter. Students will become empowered through knowledge and through expert lesson implementation.
Our students will have opportunities to apply new knowledge so that they become independent and confident learners. Our curriculum and the structure of our lessons allow students the opportunity to practise and apply new learning so that their confidence levels rise and their ability to remember new information is increased. Extended practise within lesson time will increase our student's ability to transfer their learning to new and more complex problems.
Curriculum 24
The curriculum at SJF is broad and balanced. It is ambitious because it is designed to give all students the knowledge they need to succeed in life. It provides students with a curriculum that places breadth at the heart of key stage 3, which is taught over 3 years and follows the national curriculum. All students will study the core subjects of English, mathematics, science and religious education at key stage 4, but they are able to personalise part of the curriculum to meet their own needs and interests. For those students who have performed well in their GCSE studies and who wish to enter post-16 education we provide a comprehensive range of engaging subjects to prepare students for higher education, employment or training.
Our range of post 16 courses can be found here
We are first and foremost a Catholic school and we devote 10% of our curriculum time to the study of religious education. Students will receive a curriculum that explores the Catholic faith and the teachings and messages of the gospel. We believe that this is vital, to guide young people through their spiritual journey and also to prepare them to engage in a diverse society which is multifaith and secular.
English, along with reading is prioritised within the whole school curriculum. We prioritise this, in terms of time, above other subjects as we believe it is the gateway to the rest of the curriculum and is fundamental to their educational success. Mathematics, science, humanities and Spanish are also taught throughout key stage 3 and form part of a rigorous and academic curriculum. Students will also learn computer science, music, performing arts, art, food science, technology and PSHE, so that they are able to explore their interests in these subjects and develop as rounded citizens.
Our PSHCE curriculum is vital to developing young people as individuals who are prepared for life's opportunities and challenges.
We recognise that physical education complements the academic curriculum and promotes a greater sense of wellbeing, improved mood and a higher cognitive function in our students. At KS3 we give an extra hour of physical education, above the recommended time, within the curriculum, as well as providing a full and comprehensive extra-curricular sports program.
Please see our curriculum model below. We operate three 100-minute lessons per day which are timetabled over a two-week period. This is a break from a traditional school timetable and brings enormous benefits to our students such as the opportunity to explore topics to a greater depth, extended practice time and less lost learning.
KS3
* Art and Design - (2), Design Technology - (2), Food Technology - (2), ICT- (2), Music - (2), Performing Arts - (2)
KS4
