Curriculum

Our curriculum offer aims to provide our students with opportunities to experience a broad and diverse curriculum and to develop themselves as future ethical leaders.

CURRICULUM ETHOS
Desborough College endeavours, through our broad, interesting, balanced, relevant, and adaptive curriculum, to realise every boy’s potential to enable him to take his place as a kind, positive, grateful, respectful, collaborative, proud, courageous, humble and leading citizen of the world.

Our curriculum and teaching intent:

It enables all learners to benefit from an ambitious curriculum that has been purposely planned so that students encounter knowledge and experiences sequentially. This enables students to embrace opportunities beyond the curriculum to develop their love of learning.
It is broad and balanced, allowing students to develop knowledge, skills and understanding across many subjects ensuring that the National Curriculum is covered
It provides a rigorous academic curriculum that is challenging and accessible, ensuring all students make accelerated progress, regardless of their starting points
It allows all students a progression route; it is adapted where appropriate, providing different pathways for specific groups of students.
It matches student aspirations and will allow them to succeed in the next phase of their training or education
It builds upon skills and knowledge from Key Stage 2
It is underpinned by our belief in the limitless potential of every student
It empowers students to value their education
It embodies high expectations and challenge in order to build resilience and confidence so they are ready to contribute to a rapidly changing society
It maintains the highest standards of literacy across the curriculum
It supports students’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development & promotes fundamental British Values
It celebrates and explores both our local and wider context to widen experience.

Our methods for curriculum and teaching implementation:

The implementation of our challenging curriculum is centred around research-based methods, including Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction which is used to support Quality First Teaching
Assessments are planned so that they check student understanding and inform subsequent teaching
Information is embedded into long term memory through a variety of retrieval practice activities including Fast Starts at the beginning of every lesson, regular low stakes testing, the opportunity to revisit and build upon prior learning, and carefully sequenced activities using principles of interweaving, interleaving and mixed practice.
Curriculum leaders are experts in their subject areas and work together so strong links are formed throughout the school
Each department plans, delivers and reviews its curriculum, with a thorough QA process planned throughout the year.
Our curriculum is designed to give pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils, those with SEND and those who may face other barriers to their learning the knowledge they need for experiences and opportunities in later life.
The delivery of the curriculum focuses on encouraging students to be reflective, curious and have ownership over their progress
Ensure that assessment points are well planned with time for moderation
Cold Calling, Think-Pair-Share and use of mini whiteboards are key features in lessons for continuous checking for understanding, promoting adaptive and responsive teaching practices.
Our curriculum gradually builds the learning experience. It allows for continuity of experiences as the learner progresses and grows
Extra-curricular opportunities are integral to the whole curriculum offer
Our approach draws on high quality research relating to supporting all pupils regardless of any barriers to their learning and/or well-being
We carefully consider reasonable adjustments or adaptations to the curriculum or teaching for specific pupils' needs to effectively reduce barriers.
A small minority of students follow more personalised curriculums in order to meet their specific learning needs. Very few learners are educated off-site unless such personalisation is in their best interests.

We constantly review our provision through discussion with our students, teachers, subject leaders and parents. We review curriculum ambition, inclusivity, breadth and how things are taught.
CURRICULUM AND TEACHING OVERVIEW
Our overall curriculum from Year 7 to Year 11 is viewed as one entity and students develop the knowledge and skills throughout this period to enable them to achieve the highest standards in their GCSE’s and other accredited qualifications.

Key skills of critical and creative thought, literacy, numeracy, digital literacy, study and revision are all implicitly and explicitly taught within and across all subjects.

In Years 7-9 the curriculum is delivered through English, Maths, Science, ICT and Computing, Technology, Humanities (History, Religious Studies and Geography), PE, Modern Foreign Languages (French and German), Creative and Expressive Arts (Art, Drama, Music), Personal Health and Social Education, and Careers Education Information Advice and Guidance.

The assembly and PSHE programme provides social, moral, spiritual and cultural enrichment and promotes key British values of democracy, tolerance, the rule of law and individual liberty. Safety, emotional and physical health, economic well-being, personal development, careers, globalization, interdependence, independence and sustainability are all part of our extended curriculum.
Our morning tutorial time is used to deliver our assembly and literacy, numeracy and critical thinking skills. Our PSHE programme is delivered through dedicated curriculum time to further develop these skills.

GCSE OPTION CHOICES
Together with the core subjects of English, Maths and at least double award Science, students make four optional GCSE choices in Year 9.

Triple Science is available in Double Award time for the most able scientists, which enables them to retain four options, and is also available as an option for those students who love Science but require additional time to reach their potential.
All learners are also encouraged to study one or both humanities.
All decisions are taken following consultation with students, parents and relevant members of staff such as the Careers Adviser and the Special Needs Co-ordinator.

Curriculum

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