Teaching Groups and the Timetable

The Timetable

The curriculum is timetabled in a ten day cycle of 50, one hour lessons.  The timetable cycle is comprised of Weeks 1 and 2.  The current week number can be seen on the school calendar. 

Every year group also has a daily  Learning for Life session.  

Teaching Groups

We feel that it is important for children to have time to settle down in their new school before decisions are made to group by ability.
 
For this reason, ability grouping in some subjects will be introduced gradually as it is our belief that linear subjects should have the facility to group children according to subject criteria. As the students progress through the school more curriculum areas use ability grouping so that the teaching level and pace of work is appropriate to the students’ needs.  Within each subject, detailed schemes of work have been developed and a wide variety of teaching styles are employed to deliver the curriculum effectively and to generate interest and enthusiasm amongst the students.  Additional support is provided to students both in and out of the classroom by the Inclusion team's Higher Level Teaching Assistants and Learning Support Assistants, led by the SENCo and Deputy SENCo.
 
Movement between groups is possible and determined by attitude to work and general progress.  These are constantly monitored through continuous assessments, regular assessment, end-of-year examinations and a diagnostic review of the progress of all students.

Tutor Groups

Tutor groups (or 'Form' groups) are mixed ability groups.  

Teaching Groups in Key Stage 3 (Years 7 to 9)

In Year 7, students are taught in tutor groups for all subjects except Mathematics and Languages, in Mathematics students are set during the first term.  As students move into Year 8 and 9, they are taught in mixed ability groups for the majority of their subjects.  Students in Mathematics continue to be taught in sets.

Teaching Groups in Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11)

From the start of Year 10 students are grouped by ability in English, maths and science and core PE.  All other groups are mixed ability.

Teaching Groups in the Sixth Form

Sixth Form teaching groups are typically mixed ability.