Curriculum Overview

For more details about any curriculum subject please click ‘All Departments’ on the left of this page or you may wish to contact the relevant member of staff from the staff list.

Introduction

Venerable Bede Church of England Academy is an inclusive school. We are committed to providing the best possible learning opportunities for all our pupils, and to enabling our pupils to achieve optimum success. Our mission is to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, meeting all statutory requirements, and enshrining our vision of opportunity and achievement within a Christian learning environment. As a comprehensive school our curriculum should provide the opportunity for all to succeed.

Through our DEEP curriculum, we hope to inspire, in our pupils, a love of learning that will stay with them long after they reach the school leaving age. We believe in encouraging each pupil to have high self-esteem and to realise that, by believing in themselves and through hard work, they can reach their true potential as children of God. We also believe firmly in Pupil Voice; by listening to our young people, we can improve their education and the opportunities that we can offer.

To do this, we offer a DEEP curriculum that is built on our 5 Christian values (Hope, Joy, Forgiveness, Wisdom and Perseverance) and is surrounded by our 3 simple rules: Ready, Respectful, Safe.

Through our DEEP curriculum, every child is going to:

Develop a love of learning, academic excellence and perseverance in a Christian context

Engage in a wide range of opportunities in joyful, meaningful contexts to develop self-worth and mastery of knowledge and skills

Encourage themselves and others to be aspirational and make wise choices so that they are prepared for life

Practise equality of opportunity by valuing diversity, actively challenging prejudice and demonstrating forgiveness and hope.


Guiding Principles

We aim to achieve:

  • Excellent Relationships at all levels within school, by promoting respect, tolerance and constructive relationships amongst all members of the school community, underpinned by Christian values
  • Successful learning by securing excellent outcomes for all pupils, through excellent teaching, in a constantly developing school environment
  • A breadth of learning opportunities both within and beyond the formal curriculum
  • Personalised learning, to meet the varied needs and aspirations of all our pupils
  • Equality of Opportunity, by doing all we can to remove the barriers to learning, by valuing diversity, by actively challenging prejudice and intolerance, by celebrating success at every level, and by helping all pupils to achieve their potential
  • Life-long learning, by nurturing a love of learning, and by encouraging our pupils to apply rather than simply acquire knowledge in preparation for life in a fast-changing economy
  • Active Citizenship, by inspiring pupils to be socially, morally and politically aware, to care for their environment and to contribute positively to the society in which they live

Our DEEP Curriculum is designed to:

  • Reflect our identity as a Church school
  • Reflect our identity as a Comprehensive school
  • Raise attainment, with particular emphasis on English and Mathematics
  • Ensure entitlement for all learners to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum that offers continuity and coherence and secures high standards of achievement and attainment
  • Provide essential skills, knowledge and understanding in all subject areas
  • Prepare our young people for employment, further and higher education
  • Develop citizens in the broadest sense by making learners more aware of, and engaged with, their local, national and international communities
  • Encourage learners to take responsibility for their own health and safety, and appreciate the benefits and risks associated with the choices they make
  • Develop team skills and the ability to solve problems through thinking creatively
  • Meet all statutory requirements

Personal, Health and Social Education/Citizenship, now known as Personal Development (PD) is a key means of enabling young people to be supported in their spiritual, moral, physical, emotional, cultural and intellectual development according to individual need and regardless of their social and/or economic backgrounds. An effective PD programme, as part of an effective broader curriculum promotes well being and enables pupils to develop their potential as healthy, enterprising and responsible members of society.

These outcomes are reflected throughout our curriculum aims. Personal, Learning and Thinking skills are also integral to the personal development of young people and the roles they take on in life, and are also integral to the school’s curriculum. Every member of the school staff is charged with the responsibility of pupils’ personal development, either directly or indirectly, and therefore shares responsibility for the well-being of young people in school.


Monitoring

The Directors / Academy Council are ultimately responsible, along with the Senior Leadership Team, for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the curriculum. Our curriculum is dynamic, and is reviewed regularly to enable us to achieve our curricular aims.


Meeting the needs of all

Our DEEP curriculum is structured in such a way as to meet the diverse needs of all our pupils. The majority of our pupils follow the EBACC and the curriculum is modified for a small minority with differing needs. The following provision is made to ensure that these needs are addressed:

  • Support for pupils with an entitlement, who have a statement of Special Educational Needs or who are on the Special Educational Needs register
  • Provision of support in examinations for pupils who have a need and an entitlement.
  • A Target Group in Key Stage 4 to facilitate transition from Key Stage 3
  • A system of guided subject choices in Key Stage 4, which enables pupils to follow a combination of courses most appropriate to their needs and aspirations
  • We have an Alternative Education Protocol, through which we monitor the quality of all off-site provision, including pupils’ attendance, punctuality and progress
  • EAL (English as an Additional Language) support is provided as necessary for pupils whose first language is not English
  • The school and the various subject areas have in place tracking and monitoring procedures to ensure that pupils’ learning needs are under constant review and are being met
  • The school monitors the progress of the most able an gifted and talented, and Heads of Area/Department ensure that opportunities are provided to extend their learning

DEEP Curriculum Structure

 

Year 7 Hours per fortnight
English 8
Maths 6
Science 6
Religious Studies 4
Geography 4
History 4
Spanish 4
Physical Education 4
Technology & Computer Science ** 4
Personal Development 2
Art 2
Music 2
** Design Technology and Computer Science operate a carousel system. Pupils will experience: Graphics, Resistant Materials, Food, Textiles and Computer Science.

 

Year 8 Hours per fortnight
English 8
Maths 6
Science 6
Religious Studies 4
Geography 4
History 4
Spanish 4
Physical Education 4
Technology & Computer Science ** 4
Personal Development 2
Art 2
Music 2
** Design Technology and Computer Science operate a carousel system. Pupils will experience: Graphics, Resistant Materials, Food, Textiles and Computer Science.

 

Year 9 (From September 2022) Hours per fortnight
English 7
Maths 6
Science 9
Religious Studies 4
Geography 4
History 4
Spanish 4
Physical Education 2
Personal Development 2
Technology Subject(s) 8 hours over the 2 weeks
Creative Art Subject(s)
Taster Subject(s)

Click to view previous Year 9 DEEP Curriculum

 

Year 10 (From September 2023) Hours per fortnight
Maths 8
English 9
Science 9
PD / PSHE 2
PE (Core) 2
RE 4
Humanity (Geography/History) 4
Three options from:

Food, Resistant Materials, Music, Art, ICT, BTEC Business, Media Studies, Spanish, Textiles, GCSE/BTEC PE, BTEC Health & Social Care, BTEC Travel & Tourism

12  (4 hours per option choice)

Click to view previous Year 10 DEEP Curriculum

 

 Year 11 (From September 2024) Hours per fortnight
Maths 8
English 9
Science 9
PD / PSHE 2
PE (Core) 2
RE 4
Humanity (Geography/History) 4
Three options from:

Food, Resistant Materials, Music, Art, ICT, Fashion, BTEC Business, Spanish, Textiles, GCSE/BTEC PE, Media Studies, BTEC Health & Social Care

12 (4 hours per option choice)

Click to view previous Year 11 DEEP Curriculum