The Curriculum
When visiting Wallingford School, parents are often delighted to see the increased range of opportunities available to their children compared to their own memories of school life! Students are no longer passive receivers of blackboard notes, but can be seen investigating, exploring, discussing, debating, planning, drafting, offering presentations - always actively involved in learning. In most subjects today, work done during the year counts towards the final examination result. This 'coursework' gives students the opportunity to show what they understand and what they can do, and to apply their knowledge.
Today's young people must be familiar with the very latest technology. Wallingford School has cabled every room in the school to the Internet and to the Oxfordshire Community Network - the local Intranet set up by Oxfordshire County Council to link all county facilities electronically and to each other. We have invested heavily so that all teachers have their own laptops and all curriculum teams have been able to buy equipment such as interactive white boards, projectors, digital equipment, computer aided design equipment and the most up to date software packages. This means that students at Wallingford will be able to use the latest technology in their learning which will prepare them fully for life in the 21st Century, both at work and at home. We are confident that this, in turn, will enable us to engage even more students in their own studies, helping them to become independent and interested learners.
Stages of the curriculum
The National Curriculum is divided in three parts: Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9) Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11) Key Stage 5/Sixth Form (Years 12-13).
At the end of Key Stage 3 each student's overall progress is assessed by the school, and students sit the national tests. Key Stage 4 is spent studying for the 16+ public examination - the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE).
Some subjects are studied in mixed ability groups, others in 'sets' or 'bands' - whichever is considered appropriate and in the best overall interest of the students.
Full details of syllabuses and schemes of work can be seen on request.
At Wallingford School we offer a broad a balanced curriculum to help students go into the world able and qualified to play an active role.
A Strong Foundation: Key Stage 3 : Years 7, 8, and 9
At KS3 we ensure students have access to the curriculum as outlined in the National Curriculum for England and Wales.
They will study four subjects that will be externally examined at the end of Year 9:
- English
- ICT
- Maths
- Science
They will also study:
- Art
- Citizenship
- Design Technology – Graphics, Food, Resistant Materials, Textiles
- Drama
- French
- Geography
- German (beginning in Year 8)
- History
- Music
- PE
- Religious Education
Quality and Choice: Key Stage 4 – Years 10 and 11
Our Key Stage 4 course is a mixture of entitlement and choice. We have designed a flexible curriculum in which students may choose from a broad range of courses which equip them for entry into further study, further vocational qualifications or the work place. All of these courses allow students to experience different styles of learning and to achieve at a high standard.
All of our students follow a core provision of English, Maths, Science and PE. They also follow courses in Citizenship, Personal, Social and Health Education and RE.
Students are also able to choose from 2 to 6 other subjects to study. These are selected from:
- Art
- Business
- Drama
- French
- Geography
- German
- Health and Social Care
- History
- ICT
- Leisure and Tourism
- Music
- PE
- RE
- Skills for Working Life
A small group of students are also able to access courses at a local Further Education college and work experience during KS4.
Students at Wallingford are given expert guidance when choosing their courses. Some of our young people already have a clear idea of what path they may wish to follow in post16 study or in training. These students are guided towards subjects that will enable them to fulfil their ambitions. Others are guided towards a broad set of subjects that develop the strengths they have demonstrated during KS3 in order to get the best possible qualifications to allow a wide range of opportunities later in life.
