Year 7 Curriculum 2018/19

The table and diagram above explains what proportion of the curriculum time in Year 7 is allocated to each of the curriculum areas and the teaching hours for a 50-period fortnight (the school operates a 2-week 50 hour timetable).

Year 7 is organised into two equal, parallel halves, y band and z band. This means that the year is split by ability and gender into two equal groups. These two halves are then treated as equal groups. The year half is then the same for all classes in every subject.

The ability of the cohort determines the ability of the groups, so it is not the case that a comparison can be made between groups in different years.

The ability of the cohort determines the ability of the sets, so it is not the case that a comparison can be made between sets in different years. The ability of each student in a particular set determines the outcomes. For example, the average grade for a particular set could be a Grade 7 one year and a Grade 5 the following year.

We regularly assess students and will only move student’s groups if it is appropriate to do so. It is however, not appropriate to do this multiple times through the year, so we keep to a schedule of assessment, moderation, discussion and information-sharing and then group changes. In our current Year 7, we have had fewer than 20 changes in total from our placing at the start of the year and this is testimony to the effort that we put into trying to get it right.

Whilst we endeavour to do everything possible to avoid mistakes, we are human and mistakes can happen. If you think that this is the case for your child, then please contact their Progress Tutor or ultimately their Progress Manager so that we can engage in dialogue to rectify any issues or resolve any queries or misunderstandings. Please remember that grouping is not about parental preference, but about our proven methods of correct placement.

Where students join the school below the expected standard and are not making sufficient progress towards the expected standards, we will alter their curriculum provision to support them to make expected progress. This can be on targeted withdrawal from some lessons or classes or extra support in classes. We assess the need for this from the KS2 scores in addition to internally administered reading age tests and other assessments.

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Students are grouped (broadly in ability order) in English classes based on their Key Stage 2 test results in English Reading and Mathematics, with a bias towards their KS2 English Reading test. Teacher assessments from Year 6 and the Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling tests help us to refine this further. These groupings are re-assessed by the end of the first half-term after internal assessments. In Year 7 there are four classes in each year half for English and they are numbered 1-4. Group 1 is at the top of the ability spectrum and sets are split to allow smaller class sizes and therefore more dedicated support. This enables students in Z4, in particular, to have a greater focus on mastering basic literacy skills.

As an example, on a student’s timetable this will appear as 7y/En3. This is Year 7, y half, English, group 3.

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Students are grouped (broadly in ability order) in Mathematics classes based on their Key Stage 2 test results in English Reading and Mathematics, with a bias towards their KS2 Mathematics test. These groupings are re-assessed by the end of the first half-term after internal assessments. In Year 7 there are four classes in each year half for Mathematics and they are numbered 1-4. Group 1 is at the top of the ability spectrum. and sets are split to allow smaller class sizes and therefore more dedicated support. This enables students in Z4, in particular, to have a greater focus on mastering basic numeracy skills.

As an example, on a student’s timetable this will appear as 7z/Ma2. This is Year 7, z half, Maths, group 2.

(click here for subject information)

Students are grouped (broadly in ability order) in Science classes based on their Key Stage 2 test results in English Reading and Mathematics. Teacher assessments from Year 6 and the Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling tests help us to refine this further. These groupings are re-assessed by the end of the first half-term after internal assessments. In Year 7 there are four classes in each year half for Science and they are numbered 1-4. Group 1 is at the top of the ability spectrum. Groups 3 and 4 are of equal ability. Groups are split to allow smaller class sizes and therefore more dedicated support.

As an example, on a student’s timetable this will appear as 7z/Sc4. This is Year 7, z half, Science, group 4.

(click here for subject information)

Students are largely grouped in mixed ability, language specific classes. From September 2019, students are allocated either French or Spanish at the start of the year and this is the language pathway followed throughout Years 7-11. This language pathway is non-negotiable unless there are extreme circumstances which mean that the initial pathway is not appropriate – having lived in one of these three countries or example. Please contact your son/daughter’s languages teacher if you think that this is the case for them. In Year 7, there are four classes in each year half for Languages and they are numbered 1-4. Group 1 will be studying German, Group 2 will study Spanish and Groups 3 and 4 will study French. Some students will have a reduced number of languages lessons to support them to make expected progress.

As an example, on a student’s timetable this will appear as 7y/Ml3. This is Year 7, y half, Languages, group 3.

Classes in Geography, History and Religious Education organised by their English class, so if your son/daughter is in group Z4 for English, then they will also be in Z4 for Geography, History and Religious Education.

As an example, on a student’s timetable this will appear as 7y/Gg1. This is Year 7, y half, Geography, group 1. (Hi for History and Re for Religious Education)

Classes in Art, Drama and Music are organised by their English class, so if your son/daughter is in group Z1 for English, then they will also be in Z1 for Art, Drama and Music.

On the student’s timetable this will appear as 7z/Mu1, for example. This is Year 7, z half, Music, group 1. (Ar for Art and Dr for Drama)

(click here for subject information)

Students are placed in mixed-ability groups and do a carousel of five Technology subjects throughout the year (Textiles, Electronics, Graphics, Product Design and Materials). Within this carousel, each subject will be taught for two lessons a fortnight for six weeks. There are five groups in each year half, to allow for smaller classes for health and safety in workshops. The subject carousel means that your son/daughter will change subjects (and probably teachers) in Technology, and Food & Nutrition, up to seven times over the course of the year.

On the student’s timetable this will appear as 7y/Te5, for example. This is Year 7, y half, Technology, group 5.

(click here for subject information)

Classes in Food & Nutrition are organised by their Technology class, so if your son/daughter is in group y3 for Technology then they will also be in y3 for Food & Nutrition. There are five groups in each year half, to alow for smaller classes for health and safety in the food room.

On the student’s timetable their class will appear as 7y/Fn3, for example. This is Year 7, y half, Food & Nutrition, group 3.

(click here for subject information)

Classes in Information Technology are organised by their Technology class, so if your son/daughter is in group Z5 for Technology, then they will also be in Z5 for ICT.

On the student’s timetable this will appear as 7z/It5, for example. This is Year 7, z half, Information Technology, group 5.

(click here for subject information)

Students are placed in ability selective, single-gender groups and do a variety of sports throughout the year. There are four groups in each year half. After baseline assessments have been completed, students are grouped by gender and ability. Groups 1 and 2 are Boys PE whilst groups 3 and 4 are Girls PE. Groups 1 and 3 are at the top of the ability spectrum.

On the student’s timetable this will appear as 7y/Pe2, for example. This is Year 7, y half, Boys Physical Education, group 2. N.B. Groups 1-2 are boys and groups 3- 4 are girls.