The department curriculum is structured to engage and inspire students to believe in their potential and to enable them to take risks to explore a range of materials whilst refining and developing creative skills. We ask students to form opinions whilst exploring the work of others and offer students the opportunity for self-reflection whilst broadening their cultural experiences.
The curriculum makes natural links to other subjects and underpins student’s development of knowledge through schemes of work that challenge and inspire students to learn with increasing independence and challenge throughout the key stages. The foundation of the department is that if a student receives the highest quality experiences, they will have the confidence to independently take risks in their work so that they are able to accelerate their learning. This is evidenced in our department results. ALL department staff have positive aspirations for ALL students and the positive atmosphere the department creates is essential to the success of our curriculum. Students feel secure and so are able to take risks and explore their work making meaningful personal connections.
The curriculum has been developed to enable students to develop the skills and knowledge needed for A level and no student is deemed incapable of developing those skills even if their prior starting point from KS2 is low. Staff work closely with local primary schools on projects and workshops to ensure transition is strong to maximise the right level of challenge in year 7. The curriculum is planned to assess current knowledge and skills of individuals before adapting a learning sequence to address gaps in knowledge or skills.
Students in Y7, 8 and 9 are taught elements of art simultaneously to enable teachers to maximise the challenge they are setting between year groups and for students to be able to confidently identify the progress they are making to take advantage of that feeling of success to drive excellence and further challenge.
The department offers a broad range of extra-curricular opportunities through art clubs, competitions, exhibitions, community projects, whole school impact days, the Arts Award, visiting artist workshops and trips both in the UK and internationally. We actively target disadvantaged groups to ensure uptake is at least at 25% of the cohort. Praise is widely used through our stars and artwork of the month, parents are engaged with this through email notifications and use of Facebook to showcase students work.

At Sidmouth College, Business Studies is taught to develop an awareness and natural curiosity of the Business and Economic environment around them. It is hoped that students will have a deeper understanding of the businesses that students will work for or run, and the key driving factors that impact the environment. Students will learn how to manage their current and future financial capability in the short, medium and long term.
Business Studies will also introduce students to the dynamics of how a business is set up and organised. It helps individuals to enhance their ability to enter the world of work within a wide range of business organisations. Courses at Key Stage 4 and 5 provide valuable opportunities to develop key skills such as ICT, Maths, team working and communication, as well as developing confidence and inter-personal skills.  It is hoped that a large number of students who study Business at Key stage 4 will go on to study it in the sixth form. In addition, it is hoped that students who take it in the Sixth Form will go on to study Business Studies within higher education institutions or start apprenticeships in their chosen field.
Aims
To enable students to:

• Achieve the highest possible progress in this subject area.
• Provide opportunities and feedback for students to improve their work in line with whole school policy.
• Develop a range of skills such as Communication, Numeracy and Critical Thinking.
• Feel supported through their studies, using extra-curricular support and intervention sessions in school.
• Are challenged and stretched within lessons.
• Enter the world of work with the attributes needed to make them successful.
• Be entrepreneurial, independent learners, confident presenters and strong team players.
• To meet the aspects of social, moral, spiritual and cultural through their learning in this curriculum area.   

Sidmouth College's Computer Science curriculum is designed to prepare students for the ‘Digital World’. To facilitate this, the curriculum delivers four main themes: Computer Science, Digital Literacy, Digital Creatively and Digital Citizenship.  

The intent of our rich Computer Science curriculum is to inspire students to succeed through a learning journey that will provide knowledge, skills and opportunities for them to be responsible and effective digital practitioners with positive life chances.
We intend the CS curriculum to be connected, building upon prior learning, enabling our students to believe in their ability to succeed, becoming confident and resilient learners, with a lifelong love of learning.
Through the CS curriculum, we intend our students to know what challenge and success feels like for them as an individual. Regardless of ability, age or background, the CS curriculum’s aim is to develop curiosity and critical thinking, foster aspirations and have a belief in success for all students.

We believe that all students deserve a broad and ambitious Drama curriculum, rich in skills and knowledge of the theatre and performance processes to allow them to develop a love of the performance arts.  The curriculum will encourage students to become confident and independent thinkers, who will be able to create original work and critically analyse professional and non-professional repertoire.

Students will have an appreciation of their own work and that of others, always demonstrating respect and empathy. They will make progress in a positive learning environment that has high expectations, celebrates diversity and drives success embracing risk taking where students are supported to develop key transferable skills which prepare them for making a positive contribution in society and their life beyond school.  

• Our curriculum will provide opportunities for students to develop their skills of reading, writing and speaking so that they can succeed at exam level but also so that they are equipped with the tools to succeed as global citizens - at home, at work and in any future educational setting.
• Our students will  have the opportunity to read  a wide range of literature: poetry, drama, novels (prose - both fiction and non-fiction) so that they can develop their own love of English and understand the issues, feelings and ideas which have shaped human experience. They will think and talk about the themes of literature so that they understand the relevance of literary works to modern society and to themselves.
• Our teachers will convey their own passion for English to the students which will inspire and motivate. Our teachers will, regardless of student ability, age or background, develop curiosity and critical thinking, foster aspiration and have a belief in success for all students. 

  

To inspire the future generation to feel confident in forming opinions about our planet and encourage them to live sustainably through teaching them about People, Places and Processes and the intrinsic links that exist between them.  

  

We believe that all students can access a creative and ambitious mathematics curriculum, rich in skills and knowledge, which sparks curiosity and prepares them for everyday life and future employment. Our mathematics curriculum will give students the opportunity to:

• become fluent in mathematics, through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge;
• reason mathematically by developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language;
• can solve problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and preserving in seeking solutions;
• can communicate, justify, argue and prove using mathematical vocabulary;
• develop their character, including resilience, confidence and independence, so that they contribute positively to the life of the school, their local community and the wider environment.

In Media you will develop appreciation and critical understanding of the media and its role both historically and currently in society, culture and politics.
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You will develop an enquiring, critical mindset and evolve your creativity.

Through our MFL curriculum at Sidmouth College we ensure that students develop and practise their knowledge of French or German across the three pillars of Phonics, Vocabulary and Grammar. Regardless of ability or background all students have an entitlement to experience the enjoyment of learning a language.

We therefore follow an engaging and culturally enriching curriculum which incorporates not only the four skills required for learning a language but also expands their cultural capital. Students will appreciate different customs and traditions through the exploration of film, music, video and trips.
 
Our intent is to instil confidence and enrich vocabulary thus developing oracy and widening horizons for all. Our pupils are independent and curious and have the skills and confidence to learn any language needed in their career or future study, or to read and watch content of their choosing in French or German.
 
All pupils are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed for success at GCSE or to use the language successfully in a real-life situation. At Key Stage 4 we build on the strong foundation and enter the vast majority of pupils at Higher Level.  

As you arrive in the music department from the top of the stairs, a quote from Professor Graham Welch from the UCL Institute of Education greets you in a floor to ceiling graphic that declares: “We are all musical, we just need the opportunity”.  The curriculum intent for music is simply the realisation and application of this maxim, and can be summed up as follows:
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The curriculum for music assumes the inherent musicality of every child and primarily seeks to train children to explore and recognise this too, in themselves and others.

​…or to put it in a more succinct, student-centred form:
You are musical. Let’s prove it.
  

To develop competence and confidence across a range of sporting activities and engage in a lifelong journey in physical activity. Our curriculum educates students as to the value of physical activity and prepares all students with the knowledge on how to lead an active and healthy lifestyle and promotes skills for success in wider life.
 
Key Questions for students
What can you show?
What do you do?
What do you know?
What life skills can you transfer?

The department curriculum is structured to engage and inspire students to believe in their potential and to enable them to take risks to explore a range of materials whilst refining and developing creative skills. We ask students to form opinions whilst exploring the work of others and offer students the opportunity for self-reflection whilst broadening their cultural experiences.

The curriculum makes natural links to other subjects and underpins student’s development of knowledge through schemes of work that challenge and inspire students to learn with increasing independence and challenge throughout the key stages. The foundation of the department is that if a student receives the highest quality experiences, they will have the confidence to independently take risks in their work so that they are able to accelerate their learning. This is evidenced in our department results. ALL department staff have positive aspirations for ALL students and the positive atmosphere the department creates is essential to the success of our curriculum. Students feel secure and so are able to take risks and explore their work making meaningful personal connections.

The curriculum has been developed to enable students to develop the skills and knowledge needed for A level and no student is deemed incapable of developing those skills even if their prior starting point from KS2 is low. Staff work closely with local primary schools on projects and workshops to ensure transition is strong to maximise the right level of challenge in year 7. The curriculum is planned to assess current knowledge and skills of individuals before adapting a learning sequence to address gaps in knowledge or skills.

Students in Y7, 8 and 9 are taught elements of art simultaneously to enable teachers to maximise the challenge they are setting between year groups and for students to be able to confidently identify the progress they are making to take advantage of that feeling of success to drive excellence and further challenge.
​
The department offers a broad range of extra-curricular opportunities through art clubs, competitions, exhibitions, community projects, whole school impact days, the Arts Award, visiting artist workshops and trips both in the UK and internationally. We actively target disadvantaged groups to ensure uptake is at least at 25% of the cohort. Praise is widely used through our stars and artwork of the month, parents are engaged with this through email notifications and use of Facebook to showcase students work.  

  

​To encourage individuals to enquire about the human mind scientifically and to consider how it dictates and influences our behaviour, mental processes, emotions and well-being.

The aim of Religious Education is to explore what people believe and what difference these beliefs make to how people live.

​Religious Education gives us the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to handle questions raised by religion and belief, it also helps us reflect on our lives and beliefs.  

Our science curriculum will develop curiosity and nurture interest in our shared environment enabling our students to become kind, informed and responsible global citizens. It will develop students who are able to make informed decisions for themselves as individuals and within society as a whole.Students will learn about the uses and significance of science to society and their own lives. And have an education which enables them to access diverse and valuable careers.

  

The department curriculum is structured to engage and inspire students right from the start in year 7. We teach through practical the knowledge that they will need in a way so that they will remember. We supply a wide range of different projects that all student will work their way through. During this learning journey they will learn all the materials knowledge needed to establish them as strong design students.

Having assessed our feeder primary schools we know that our year seven intake will have a broad range of different experiences in design technology. It is our aim to forge strong links with the existing learning we know takes place before they come to us. We make strong links throughout our projects with many other subject areas. We include all students no matter of their background. Everyone has access to a quality designing experience at Sidmouth College. All staff want their students to enjoy the lessons, learn at the same time and benefit from that feeling of success. We want that feeling to stay in the memory and help inspire them to even more creativity.

The learning journeys in KS3 help us prepare those vital research, designing and communication skills at the same time as preparing them for their choices in year nine and GCSE. This allows us to really hone their knowledge on manufacturing techniques and materials properties. We concentrate on growing student who understand the iterative design process and what they can get out of it as a designer. They will learn what success feels like at GCSE and then have the potential to continue that study at A level. We want them to gain an opinion about what they are learning and be able to argue their point based on evidence.
Praise is our ‘middle name’. We find it motivates all of our students when it is due. This is often reflected by students who are trying to work on other subject problems. Students will make natural connections from one subject to another and ask for assistance in school projects and outside life which we enjoy helping them with.
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Food is a vital part of our daily lives and is essential for life. As our students become adults and have busy lives, it is easy to choose food which has been ready prepared. However, it is more nutritious and often cheaper to cook simple, delicious food.  At Sidmouth College, students will develop their knowledge and understanding of nutrition, healthy eating, food preparation, hygiene, cooking techniques, and sensory characteristics.
  

At Sidmouth College our Personal, Social, Health and Economic education will stay with our students for life. Through the development of skills and attributes such as honesty, compassion, integrity and self-management, our PSHE curriculum will provide our students with the knowledge, resilience and confidence to make safe, healthy and informed choices, now and in the future. Empowering our students to understand themselves and their role in society; to reflect on their values, morals and behaviour and to be able to openly discuss and evaluate their personal development.

Our PSHE curriculum is carefully planned and delivered through a one hour a fortnight lesson to all students in Years 7 – 11. PSHE is taught by specialist teachers, through a range of teaching methods and interactive activities, including; role play, group and class discussion, online programs, student led research, developing understanding of key terms and tier 3 vocabulary through regular quizzes and specialist workshops. Lessons are differentiated by the PSHE staff to ensure that all learners can access and benefit from the PSHE curriculum. A strong emphasis is placed on the development of social and communication skills, this often allows students with literacy needs to be successful through verbal input. Selected resources, such as books and film clips, will be used which support and promote understanding within a moral/values context and underpin our college values.

​Students are encouraged to reflect on their own learning and progress by creating a mind map at the start of each unit in response to the key question for that unit, this is revisited at the end of the unit so that students can add, in red pen, any new learning. At the end of each half term unit, all students complete a quiz to assess their understanding of the key terms vocabulary for that unit. This is marked automatically and the scores are recorded in their PSHE work booklet.
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Further Information for Parents
riseabove.org.uk/
www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/resources/bbc-teach-s-health-and-wellbeing-videos-for-ages-8-to-11/
/www.nhs.uk/live-well/
www.youngminds.org.uk/
www.kooth.com/
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About 3 million people in the UK work in health and social care, which is equivalent to 1 in every 10 people.  Demand for both health care and social care is likely to continue to rise due to the ageing population, and the demand for people to fill these vital jobs will continue to increase.

Our intention is to provide a dynamic and knowledge rich KS4 and KS5 curriculum, which gives learners the opportunity to progress to KS5 and beyond. These courses will help learners to develop key transferable skills and knowledge such as good communication, self-evaluation and research skills.

​Learners will study how people grow and develop over the course of their lives from infancy to old age, and the factors that may affect this, such as major life events like marriage or parenthood.  Learners will analyse this impact from a positive and negative viewpoint, demonstrating empathy, exploring how people adapt to these changes and the local and national health and social care support that is available to them. They will study how people access the local health and social care services provided and the support that is given in the local community, be given the opportunity to demonstrate and apply the key care values to scenarios, develop skills in measuring and interpreting data about someone’s physiological health to design a care plan. Learners will also benefit from guest speakers from their local community and beyond and encouraged to visit and take part in work experience in a variety of setting such as pre-schools, primary schools and nursing homes.  We will raise all student aspirations by developing links with universities and local employers.   Overall, learners will be given the opportunity to reflect on the choices they make and how they affect others.​