23rd AugCurriculum at Mayfield
Vision
At Mayfield, it is our intention to provide a curriculum that is broad and balanced, and gives our students memorable learning experiences that allow them to develop the necessary skills for further study or employment, as well as developing socially, morally and culturally to enable them to be successful in the future.
The curriculum we provide has the following intentions:
- We offer a broad balanced curriculum that develops the necessary skills to be successful. We are clear on the need to develop high quality literacy and numeracy skills, as seen by the greater amount of curriculum time, but also value the many skills on offer through studying more practical subjects, physical education and performing arts subjects.
- We aim to offer a curriculum that is sequenced in such a way that it develops skills in a progressive way and students are enabled to transfer knowledge and skills across various subjects.
- We recognise students’ individual needs and enrich the curriculum through extra support or challenge from Year 7 through to Year 13.
- We aim to deliver experiences that link to knowledge and skills development to enable our students to develop further their own cultural capital.
- We offer a variety of courses at appropriate levels to meet the needs of our students with regard to them experiencing success and preparing them for their own next steps.
- We provide high quality guidance and support when it is time for students to decide which subjects to study further. This builds a part of the curriculum as it supports our students’ understanding of why and what they are working on.
- We aim to promote the spiritual, moral, social, cultural, mental and physical development of students so that they can contribute to society in a positive way. We value this so highly that it is everyone’s role in the school and hence, this forms part of the tutorial curriculum to which all teachers contribute.
What we offer
At Mayfield we are constantly reviewing our curriculum offer to ensure what we offer suits the students in our school. We have retained a three year Key Stage 3 as it allows the students to experience a range of subjects and develop many transferable and necessary skills so that they have time to develop an interest (or love) for a subject and can make informed decisions about further study.
At the transition between Key Stage 3 and 4, we offer a guided free choice approach for all students, with courses suitable to all abilities as well as some courses exclusively for a small group of students who need more support.
We aim for as many students who want or need to work towards an Ebacc qualification to be able to do so, but also recognise other students’ best interests may be to study a different selection of courses.
Our post 16 provision is broad and allows students to continue their studies with us on suitable courses that will continue to develop necessary skills and knowledge. Based on KS4 results, and needs for future study or employment, we offer further guided choice over a range of academic and vocational courses at Level 2 and Level 3.
Curriculum offer at KS3
| Number of hours over a two week period | ||||
| Subject | How classes are organised | Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Mixed ability groups | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| Mathematics | One higher ability group and other mixed ability groups per band | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| Science | Year 7 taught in tutor groups Year 8 & 9 set by ability |
6 | 6 | 6 |
| Languages | Students make a preference for French or Spanish and learn one language | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| PE | Mixed ability groups split by gender | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Geography | Taught in tutor groups | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| History | Taught in tutor groups | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Technology | Set by ability following a baseline assessment in Year 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Art | Taught in tutor groups | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Computing | Taught in tutor groups | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Music | Taught in tutor groups | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Religious Education | Taught in tutor groups | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Tutorial | Taught in tutor groups | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Drama | Taught in tutor groups | 2 | 2 | 2 |
One English lesson per fortnight is a reading lesson, in most cases held in the Learning Resource Centre attached to the library. During this time students are encouraged to read silently from books that are appropriately challenging for their current reading age. Students also use this time to link their reading to a creative writing programme.
Curriculum offer at KS4
| Number of hours over a two week period | |||
| Subject | How Classes are organised | Year 10 | Year 11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| English (Language and Literature) | Mixed ability groups | 8 | 8 |
| Mathematics | One higher ability group and other mixed ability groups per band | 8 | 8 |
| Science (Separated or Combined) | Set by ability | 9 | 9 |
| Core PE | Mixed ability groups split by gender | 3 | 3 |
| Option 1 |
Dependent on subject. |
5 | 5 |
| Option 2 | 5 | 5 | |
| Option 3 | 5 | 5 | |
| Option 4 | 5 | 5 | |
| Tutorial | Taught in tutor groups | 2 | 2 |
Subjects offered as part of our Decisions process during Year 9 are:
GCSEs
| Art | Food Preparation and Nutrition | Photography |
| Business Studies | French | Psychology |
| Child Development | Geography | Religious Education |
| Citizenship | History | Sociology |
| Computer Science | Media | Spanish |
| Drama | Music | Statistics |
| Design Technology | PE | Textiles |
| Economics |
Vocational Awards
| BTEC Business |
| BTEC Dance |
| BTEC Music Technology |
| BTEC Sport |
| NCFE Graphic Design |
Other Courses
| ASDAN Personal Development Programme |
| ASDAN Personal and Social Development |
| Computer Science Entry Level |
| Humanities entry Level |
| Language/Study Skills |
Curriculum Offer at KS5
A-Level Qualification (2 year courses)
| Art & Design | French | Photography |
| Biology | Geography | Physical Education |
| Business Studies | Government & Politics | Physics |
| Chemistry | History | Product Design |
| Computer Science | Law | Psychology |
| Drama | Mathematics | Religious Education |
| Economics | Mathematics (Further) | Sociology |
| English Language | Media Studies | Spanish |
| English Literature |
BTEC/CTEC Level 3 Qualifications (2 year courses)
| Applied Science BTEC Level 3 | Creative Media BTEC Level 3 | Music BTEC Level 3 |
| Business BTEC Level 3 | Esports BTEC Level 3 |
Sport BTEC Level 3 Triple Award or Double Award |
| Cambridge Technical Diploma in IT Level 3 |
BTEC/CTEC Level 2 Qualifications (1 year courses)
| Business BTEC Level 2 | Creative Media BTEC Level 2 | Cambridge Technical Diploma in IT Level 2 |
In addition to the subjects that students study, they are also offered extra opportunities whilst at Mayfield School Sixth Form:
Enrichment - Places for university courses, apprenticeships and jobs are increasingly competitive. A good set of A Level/BTEC grades will not always be enough and you need to all you can do to strengthen your personal statement/CV and give yourself the EDGE over your competitors and stand out from the crowd. So we offer ‘enrichment’ every Wednesday p5 this includes:
- Football training with Leyton Orient FC
- Basketball coaching from the NASSA academy
- Future Learn university short courses
- Extended Project Qualifications (EPQ)
- Resit GCSE support
- Music
- Netball training
- Core Maths qualification
Independent Study – Sixth form students have timetabled, supervised and well-resourced Independent Study lessons in either a computer room or room with individual study booths. Subject teachers may direct students to the type of work they should be completing during these times which complements the lessons and the home learning.
Resit Maths and English GCSE – Any student who does not achieve a Grade 4 or above in GCSE Mathematics and/or English Language will re-take these qualifications and study towards Level 1 or 2 Functional skills in these subjects to enable students to have the necessary qualifications for further study or employment.
