Curriculum
Our mission is to be a school where student development and learning are at the centre of everything we do. Students are expected to strive for personal excellence and demonstrate a commitment to learning as they fulfil their potential. We aim to provide an education which is fully inclusive, where every child is valued for who they are and this is delivered in a Sixth Form that is holistically centred.
Churchdown School provides a high quality of education for students with a wide variety of interests, aptitudes and abilities. With this in mind we have developed a curriculum that offers a range of Level 3 courses and, for students who narrowly miss out on achieving grade 4 in GCSE English or Mathematics but who have met our entrance criteria for at least three Level 3 courses, we offer GCSE resit classes in both English and Mathematics.
Students can pick up to four different subjects based on their Key Stage 4 results and the Pathway they can select from. Each subject will be timetabled with 10 hours lesson time over the fortnight cycle. Year 12 and 13 students divide their time between delivered lesson, supervised study and non-contact time. Supervised study is spent in the quiet Sixth Form work area. Year 13 students also have oe Assessment Lesson per cycle that provides a silent time to work on exam preparations.
Biology
BTEC Applied Science
Business
BTEC Business
Chemistry
Computing
D&T Product Design
D&T Textiles
Drama
English
Fine Art
Film Studies
Geography
German
History
IT
Law
Music
BTEC Music
Maths
Media
BTEC Media
Psychology
PE
Photography
Physics
Religious Studies
Sociology
Spanish
Travel and Tourism
Weekly tutorial and one-to-one programme
Students have a 20-minute group tutorial each day covering topics which support students mental health and wellness, Sixth Form Mindset and study skills and preparation for the next stages in their learning journey. An academic mentoring programme with their form tutor helps review their progress and provide additional IAG. Form tutors are there to provide praise and additional support as required and form time is an essential component of our Sixth Form life.
Enrichment Activities
Enrichment is a compulsory element of our sixth form programme every Wednesday afternoon. This provides opportunities to develop skills outside the classroom to set them up for later in life. Charity work and work experience are also central to this progreamme.All students undertake a range of bespoke work experience opportunities to prepare them for their post-18 choices. Students complete one week of work experience in the final week of Year 12.
The UCAS programme provides the opportunity to visit universities and meet university admissions tutors from a range of institutions. Frequent visits from speakers across a range of professions and backgrounds are also part of this programme. We work extensively with local universities to ensure that students have the best possible access to higher education. As part of our commitment to high quality IAG we also provide a great deal of support to students wishing to pursue alternative pathways through taking students to apprenticehsips shows and supporting them with CV writing and interview techniques.