Curriculum Overview

The curriculum gives our students the opportunities and challenges to discover their strengths and reach their full potential. Most of our students enter the college at the age of 11 from one of our six catchment primary schools.

The College prepares our students for their next steps in life. It is there for learning to take place and to enable young people to achieve whatever is in their power. This means that we must all care about standards, and care about students as individuals. We hope that our students will also learn to respect themselves as individuals and to respect others and the environment in which they work and live.

There is a dynamic approach to teaching and learning and the curriculum is enhanced by extra-curricular activities in the form of departmental trips, clubs, sports and musical activities, Duke of Edinburgh and Youth Award schemes and a extensive programme of extended school activities outside of normal school hours.
Click here to view the activities on offer outside of the classroom.

Assemblies are delivered to year groups, and are of a broad, non-denominational character, though representatives of local churches are invited to deliver assemblies.

The College educates students from Year 7 through to University level and Adult students through our Community Education programme.

Key Stage 3 (Years 7 - 9)

Students arrive in year 7 from a variety of primary schools, where all students are given a CAT (Cognitive Abilities) test. This test is a assessment of the students range of reasoning skills. These assessments allow us to provide extra targeted support to those students who are not achieving their potential at a early stage.

Students are often placed in sets according to their abilities in a subject, Subjects such as Mathematics, choose to set from the very beginning, whilst others introduce setting more gradually. The Arts subjects, such as Drama, Music and Art, prefer to teach in mixed ability groups throughout Years 7 and 8, setting only in Year 9.
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Key Stage 4 (Years 10 - 11)

We offer a wide range of courses including the traditional GCSE, BTEC, ASDAN and the new Diplomas.
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At Key Stage 5 (Years 12 - 13)

We offer a wide range of traditional academic and vocational courses. A definitive list of courses is available from the Sixth Form website.
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Adult Education

Our Adult Education department is amongst the largest Community Education programme in the county.
We offer courses to suit all types of learner at various times during the day, evenings and weekends.
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