Each subject is taught by a specialist group of staff organised into a department.  Each Curriculum leader is responsible to the Head Teacher for the teaching and learning of the subject throughout the College.  Curriculum leaders meet regularly with member of the Senior Management Team to discuss matters affecting the overall curriculum for pupils, teaching and learning and pupil progress.

 

 

 

 

The Education Reform Act requires that all pupils study Religious Education, English, Mathematics, Science, Technology, a Modern Language, History, Geography, Art, Music and Physical Education in the first three years of secondary school.  The content of each of these subjects is stipulated in terms of the knowledge, skills and understanding which pupils should acquire and parents will be regularly informed of the progress of their child.

 

Teachers have always worked to a syllabus, regularly assessed pupils and informed parents.  At Sacred Heart we have specialist teachers in all of these subjects and the National Curriculum is being taught successfully.  There is a Board of Studies of senior staff representing all the curriculum areas, responsible for forward planning so the development of the National Curriculum is as smooth as possible.

 

The teaching of Religious Education is not prescribed through the National Curriculum.  Instead, the College responds to advice and guidance from the Archdiocese.  The Religious Education Department introduced a new learning programme called “ICONS”.

 

 

 

A list of all the subjects studied by pupils in each Year is given below.  However, the curriculum is much more than a list of subjects; it comprises the total educational experience of the pupils during their time at school.  Like all schools, we are constantly reviewing our curriculum to ensure that we respond to changing national developments and that we offer our pupils the best range of opportunities to meet their abilities, needs, interests and aspirations.  The curriculum outlined below is in operation in 2006-7.

 

The curriculum should have breadth and balance.  To achieve breadth each pupil studies a wide range of subjects.  Balance is achieved by ensuring that children do not specialise in one group of subjects too early.

 

Students and their parents are asked to make choices about subjects to be studied in Years l0 and 11 leading to GCSE examinations.  Again, near the end of Year 11, students and their parents are asked to make option choices for A-level, Applied A-level or BTEC studies in the Sixth Form.  Personnel with specific responsibility for Careers Education and Guidance are available to give advice and support.  Help with option choices is an integral part of the tutorial programme in Year 9.  In Year 11 guidance is given in small groups.  The College has a Careers Room and a publications display in the Careers section of the School’s Resource area.  A member of Connexions interviews all pupils in Year 11 to provide more specialist advice.  This career adviser also attends parents' evenings to provide further help and advice to students and parents.

 

Pupils are placed in mixed ability form groups; children are taught as individuals within these form groups.  The subjects studied are:

 

Religious Education English Mathematics Science ICT

Technology History Geography  French

Art Music Physical Education Personal, Social & Health Education  & Citizenship

 

English, Maths and Science are taught in ability sets across pairs of forms.  This is termed ‘light setting’ and operates from September in Year 7, based on Key Stage 2 results and data from the primary schools.  There is flexibility throughout the year as teachers assess pupils’ progress.  Support for pupils with special educational needs is in place from Year 7 onwards.

 

All pupils continue to study the subjects taught in Year 7, but there is provision for many pupils to begin to study Spanish as a second foreign language.  The subjects marked * are taught in 'sets' based on ability groups following assessments carried out during Year 7.

 

Religious Education* English* Mathematics* Science ICT*

Technology History* Geography*  French*/Spanish*

Art Music Physical Education Personal, Social & Health Education  & Citizenship

 

Pupils who find French challenging will not undertake a second modern foreign language but will have additional support in English.

 

 

These are the subjects which most students study:-

 

Religious Education English and English Literature Mathematics French Physical Education Science (which will lead to two GCSEs for most pupils) ICT (ECDL qualification at present)

           

           

 

Pupils also study two of the following:

 

Art and Design Business Studies Health & Social Care* Drama and Theatre Arts Geography 3rd Science

History ICT Music P.E Leisure and Tourism*

                                                           

* Double Award GCSEs

 

Pupils also choose one of the following:

 

A 2nd Modern Foreign Language (Spanish) A Design Technology subject

           

All the above subjects are taught in accordance with the syllabuses of the Examination and Assessment Boards leading to GCSE examinations.  Some pupils may follow an additional course in Latin or Statistics or be entered early for GCSE Mathematics.

 

Pupils who study a vocational double award GCSE course in Leisure and Tourism or Health and Social Care have slight adjustments to their timetable to allow for the additional study time required as each of these courses, being ‘double award’, leads to two, not one, GCSE.

 

All students follow courses in PSE and General Studies.  Students are entered for General Studies at AS or A-level.

Students choose either: (a)  4  AS level subjects from the following list:

 

Art & Design Biology Business Chemistry Product Design English Literature Ethics & Philosophy French ICT

Geography Systems History Mathematics Music Music Technology Physical Education Physics

Psychology Spanish Sociology Textiles Theatre Studies Further Mathematics 3D Travel & Tourism

           

 

 

All Applied A-level students will also study either one other AS level or IT (Applied A-level)

 

All the above subjects are taught in accordance with the specifications of examination boards leading to AS level qualifications in Year 1 and A-level (A2) qualifications in Year 2 or Applied A-level qualifications.

 

           

           

 

In accordance with the Governors' wishes, the college helps students to understand human relationships and associated moral teaching through different areas of the curriculum, ie Religious Education, Tutorials, Science.  It is the role of the Religious Education Department to bring these elements together in the context of Catholic Christian teaching on the love of God and of our neighbour, and on the sanctity of Christian marriage.  The school  continually reviews its provision of Sexuality Education in collaboration with the Department of Christian Formation of the Archdiocese and School Governors.

 

 

 

(1) To identify pupils with intellectual, physical or social difficulties which may affect learning.

 

(2) To assess pupils' needs and make appropriate provision to meet those needs.

 

(3) To involve parents and pupils at all stages of the process.

 

(4) To integrate pupils so they may achieve their potential within mainstream classes, with full access to the National Curriculum.

 

(5) To encourage pupils to have a positive attitude to learning.

 

The Special Educational Needs policy has been developed over a period of years and has been refined to take account of the Code of Practice in the l993 Education Act.  The policy for admission of pupils with SEN is the same as for all pupils.

 

Some children will experience learning difficulties during the course of their school career.  These may be temporary, for example where there has been some family tragedy.  Others may have physical disabilities which particularly restrict academic progress.  The most common learning difficulties are associated with literacy and numeracy skills.

 

The College operates a whole-school approach to Special Needs where pupils have access to the whole curriculum and are fully integrated into mainstream classes.  It is the responsibility of all staff to meet the needs of all pupils in the college, taking account of differences through a differentiated approach to learning which involves the use of support staff and liaison with the Learning Support Department.

 

Pupils are deemed to have special needs if they have learning difficulties which call for special educational provision to be made; that is where pupils have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of pupils in their peer group, or if pupils have disabilities which prevent or hinder them from making use of educational facilities of a kind provided for pupils of the same age.  The school supports pupils with a range of needs: those with moderate learning difficulties in the areas of literacy and numeracy; pupils with specific learning difficulty in the area of spelling; pupils with mild physical disabilities; pupils with emotional/behavioural difficulties; pupils with sensory impairment (hearing difficulties).

 

At the time of entry to the college, information is transferred from each pupil's primary school.  The Head of Learning Support collates all information relating to Special Educational Needs and uses this to cater for individual needs.

 

Within college, there is a referral system through which pupils' needs can be identified and met.  Parents are closely involved in this process.  The Head of Learning Support (Miss Shears) is available to discuss the provision available to students who need learning support.

 

The College has a passenger lift on the upper site; this gives access to all floors.

 

 

 

Sacred Heart offers a flourishing enrichment programme to able pupils and those deemed “gifted” and/or “talented” according to current guidelines.   Each subject department also ensures that its schemes of work take into account the needs and interests of these pupils and that they are appropriately challenged in order to fulfil their particular potential from Year 7 right through to university entrance.  The College has an exceptionally high number of pupils who are members of the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth.  Through the Academy they are offered further opportunities for challenging study with each other and with young people from all parts of the country.

 

 

 

One member of the Senior Leadership Team is the overall Manager of the Specialist College and another is specifically the Computing Manager.

 

The College’s specialist status in Mathematics and Computing enables us to offer an enriched programme and extensive facilities in these two areas.  Early GCSE entry, where appropriate, is available in Mathematics.  Additional courses such as GCSE Statistics and A-level Further Mathematics, are offered.  All pupils study ICT up to Year 11 and may continue beyond.

 

The Mathematics and ICT departments contribute actively to our School Improvement Plan which involves  teaching and learning in all subject areas.

 

Parents and other members of the public can benefit from the varied programme of Mathematics and ICT courses we offer as part of our community programme in the specialist subjects.

 

Business links are also strengthened as a result of our specialist subjects.  We are currently preparing projects which will enable us to contribute as a specialist college to the City of Culture programme in 2008.

 

 

The Learning Support Unit is known as Sacre Coeur. 

 

 

Sacre Coeur will:

· provide a short term support programme tailored to the needs of difficult pupils.

· keep disaffected pupils in school and working while addressing their behaviour problems and helping to reintegrate them into mainstream classes as quickly as possible.

· minimise the disruption caused by the most difficult pupils without excluding them.

· provide a base for pupils following an Increased Flexibility Programme in Years 10 and 11 and adapt a learning programme for those pupils.

 

Objectives for Sacre Coeur

· To build on existing work and good practice in the behaviour management policy and procedures already in place at Sacred Heart Catholic College.

· To emphasise the notion of inclusion.

· To improve the educational achievement of the target group.

· To involve parents and family members to effect changes in attitudes and behaviours.

· To provide individual teaching and learning programmes for the disruptive or disaffected pupil.

· To address challenging behaviours through the use of alternative learning programmes and to set SMART targets for improvement.

· To work in partnership with Learning Mentors and all staff responsible for the welfare and guidance towards raising achievement and removing barriers to learning.