The Academic Curriculum: a Guide

The Academic Curriculum: A Guide 2 Introduction page 4 Orwell Park Year Group Structure page 6 Academic Structure page 7 Assessment, Recording and Reporting page 8 Examinations page 9 Preps page 11 The Pre-Prep School: Nursery to Year 2 page 12 The Middle School: Year 3 to Year 5 page 14 The Senior School’s Academic Departments: Art page 15 Classics page 17 Design and Technology page 18 Digital Skills page 20 Drama page 21 English page 22 Geography page 23 History page 25 Learning Support page 26 Life Skills page 28 Mathematics page 30 Modern Foreign Languages page 32 Music page 33 Sport page 34 Theology, Philosophy and Ethics page 36 Science page 37 3 Introduction and Academic Policies The curriculum at Orwell Park is a very wide one and this booklet focuses on the academic, rather than the extra-curricular activities offered as an integral part of each day. Its aim is to give you, the parent, some idea of what we get up to during lesson time and of the demands we are making of the children. Standards We admit pupils of a very wide range of academic ability. There is however a minimum level below which we will not go, in order to avoid placing the individual pupil at a disadvantage and/or compromising the quality of education that we are providing for the majority. Insistence on high standards of academic work invariably results in a higher level of ttainment, and academic rigour is impressed upon each pupil from the outset. Pupils' learning is assessed individually, with targets being devised to enable each child to progress further. Each child's progress is discussed regularly at full meetings of the academic staff, and pastoral tutors monitor the overall progress of their charges. In the classroom we are aiming to deliver quality in breadth as well as depth and, though we are prepar- ing our pupils for a wide range of examinations and schools, our efforts are by no means confined to examined subjects only. Non-examined work constitutes a significant proportion of the curriculum and we have enjoyed considerable success in these areas too. We have procedures in place to identify and cater for the needs of pupils who demonstrate an excep- tional level of performance in both academic and non-academic activities, whilst our Learning Support Departmentidentifies and caters for pupils who have specific learning needs. Curriculum Our independence allows us to deliver much more than that which is demanded by the National Curriculum, without being constrained by its limitations. The demands of Common Entrance and the National Curriculum are gradually converging, and we constantly monitor the requirements of both. Staffing We strive to recruit teachers of high academic calibre who wish to commit themselves to the life of a boarding school. Through teamwork, regular appraisal and the setting of specific objectives we develop the quality of our teaching staff in order to continue to enhance academic standards.The professionalism, dedication and expertise of a stable academic staff constitute one of the undoubted strengths of Orwell Park, and, in the sections which follow, our Heads of Departments have 4 outlined briefly their own subjects’ contributions to the academic curriculum. Our prep and assessment systems and the demands and mechanics of the Common En- trance and Public School Scholarship examinations, which the children will sit in Year 8, are summarised in the next few pages. Nathalie Roberts Deputy Head Academic 5 Orwell Park Year Group Structure Year Groups Age THE Nursery 2½ - 4 Early Years- Foundation PRE-PREP Reception 4 -5 Stage SCHOOL Year 1 5 -6 Key Stage 1 Year 2 6 -7 THE Year 3 7 - 8 Key Stage 2 MIDDLE Year 4 8 - 9 SCHOOL Year 5 9 - 10 Year 6 10 - 11 THE Key Stage 3 SENIOR Year 7 11 - 12 SCHOOL Common Entrance Year 8 12 - 13 or Scholarship 6 Academic Structure Academic Departments The School operates a departmental structure, each department comprising a num- ber of well-qualified and enthusiastic members of staff. Departments hold regular meetings in order to maintain working links and share teaching strategies. In addi- tion, Heads of Department meet twice a term and the Educational Committee, a working group made up of the Headmaster, Deputy Head Academic and governors, meets once a term to review, agree and formulate whole-school policies. Teaching organisation Orwell Park operates a comprehensive intake policy and we use a combination of mixed-ability, setting and streaming arrangements to enable us to deliver a quality provision for all our pupils. What is right for one subject may not be right for anoth- er, and our timetabling flexibility enables us to use all three types of grouping. From the Early Years Foundation Stage to Year 5, all subjects are taught in mixed- ability groups. Teaching assistants are on hand to ensure that pupils requiring addi- tional adult support can fully access the curriculum. Class teachers always teach Eng- lish and Maths to their own class. Differentiation allows all pupils to be appropriately stretched and challenged. In the senior part of the School (i.e. Years 6-8), most subjects are blocked together and are either set or streamed. In Year 8 there is a dedicated scholars' group (8S) for those who have above average ability in most examined subjects. In Year 7, pupils in the top set for a subject block follow an accelerated programme with some of those pupils joining the scholars’ group in Year 8. 7 Assessment, Recording and Reporting Throughout the School, rigorous and systematic assessment procedures ensure that pupils' progress and attainment are monitored throughout the year. In the Pre- Prep, the class teacher, in conjunction with the Head of Pre-Prep and the Deputy Head Academic, oversees individual pupils’ achievements and progression. Parents receive end of term reports and are encouraged to discuss their children’s progression with the class teacher on a regular basis. In the Middle and Senior Schools, a system of effort and attainment grades is used twice a term. Grade reports are produced are produced twice a term. Attainment grades assess a child's performance in individual subjects, whilst effort grades summarise their effort in a given subject over a half-term. Tutors discuss both effort and attainment reports and end of term reports with the child and targets for future improvements are agreed. Teachers attend half-termly progress review meetings to review grades and work and ensure that each pupil’s performance is in line with their ability. Subject reports, together with a Tutor's report, are compiled and sent to parents at the end of the Autumn and Summer terms in Year 3-7. In Year 8, subject reports are produced at the end of the Autumn and Spring terms, with a short final report sent at the end of their Summer term. Each report comprises a cumulative summary of the child's effort and attainment statistics for the year, a course statement (a factual outline of the work done and topics covered during the course of the term in each subject), and teachers' comments. The accompanying Tutor's report reflects on these and incorporates information and comments on the child's extra-curricular activities and social progress. The Headmaster adds brief further comments. Tutors discuss each report directly with their tutees, drawing their attention to the salient points of the reports and agreeing targets with them. Parents are also encouraged to discuss reports with their children and the tutor. A good deal of transfer documentation and information passes between prep and public school. Of critical importance is the confidential report sent by the Headmas- ter, in which attention is drawn to a child’s extra-curricular talents, attitude and responsibilities. 8 Examinations Internal Examinations Years 3 and 4 are examined in the Summer term, in the core subjects (English, Maths and Science). Years 5, 6 and 7 sit examinations at the end of the Autumn and Summer terms. These are based on coursework covered in class. Year 8 pupils sit internal examinations at the end of the Autumn term and in Febru- ary. These are generally based on Common Entrance or Scholarship papers and ensure that by the time the 'real thing' takes place, the children are well versed in the necessary procedures and exam techniques. Children sit Cognitive Ability Tests (known as CATs) in Year 2, Year 4, Year 6 and Year 8. These standardised tests help us gauge a child's overall ability and help us determine whether they are meeting their full potential. New entrants to Years 5, 6, 7 and 8 are tested using CATs, as soon as they have settled into their new routine, usually in their first term at the School. External Examinations Common Entrance Common Entrance Examination (CE) is the term given to the four days or so of exams which children sit at the beginning of June of their final year at prep school, at age 13+. Basically a public school entry or placement exam, it is the academic hurdle which has to be jumped for a child to make the transition from prep school to the chosen public school. The exams are set by the ISEB (Independent Schools Examinations Board), which is composed of representatives of both prep and senior schools. Each paper has a prescribed syllabus and format. The children sit these exams at their prep school, and their scripts are forwarded at the end of each day to the public schools for which they have been entered, where they are marked.

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