(CfW Guidance)
Elfed High School provides a curriculum which is balanced and broadly based. The curriculum includes timetabled activities and extracurricular experiences and activities which promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of all its students and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life – so that they are ‘ready to thrive in the wider world’.
The aim of our curriculum is to support all of our students to become:
We will:
How We Design Our Curriculum
The Governing Body endorses the fundamental principles which must be applied to the curriculum. In this context the curriculum must have the following qualities:
‘Freedom of choice should be underpinned by robust, evidence-based process of curriculum design, where the aim is always to help learners to realise the four purposes.’ (CfW Guidance)
Broad and balanced
develops the whole child in realising the four purposes
Challenge
the highest expectations on all students, of all abilities
Coherent mapping
learning is well sequenced so students make excellent progress
Meaningful
learning is made relevant to students and our context
Focused
content focuses on What really Matters – depth not breadth
Authentic connections
links across areas are meaningful and aid learning
It is the policy of the Governing Body that these four principles will apply to the formal education of every child. Every effort must be made to enable children with Additional Learning Needs to follow a curriculum based on these four principles.
The Lower School curriculum complies with the requirements of the National Curriculum (2008) and Literacy and Numeracy Framework. In Year 7, students are following Curriculum for Wales. The school will formally adopt Curriculum for Wales from September 2023.
The Lower School curriculum consists of:
Area of Study and Experience | Subjects included |
|---|---|
Languages, Literacy and Communication | English |
Welsh | |
French | |
Mathematics and Numeracy | Maths |
Science and Technology | Science |
Technology | |
Digital Technology | |
Health and Well-being | Mindfulness |
Well-being | |
Physical Education | |
Expressive Arts | Art |
Dance | |
Music | |
Humanities | Geography |
History | |
Religion | |
Values and Ethics |
The school complies with the requirements of the Learning and Skills (Wales) Measure 2009 for learners aged 14-19 years, in addition to the National Curriculum (2008) at Key Stage 4.
A small number of KS4 students undertake extended work placements organised by Careers Wales in Year 10 and 11. This provision is offered to students who require a learning pathway which is different from or additional to the differentiated curriculum available to all students.
In Upper School, the curriculum consists of:
Area of Study and Experience | Subjects included |
|---|---|
Compulsory subjects | English |
Welsh Second Language | |
Mathematics | |
Science and Religious Studies | |
Physical Education | |
Wider core offer | Careers |
Financial Education | |
PSE (including sex education) | |
A broad range of academic and vocational courses leading to external qualifications |
The curriculum enables learners to develop competence and capability in literacy, numeracy and digital competence and, where there are opportunities, to extend and apply them across all Areas. The development of these skills is the responsibility of all practitioners.
It is the belief of the Governing Body that these are opportunities to develop these skills are meaningful and developed through authentic connections.
Students are given opportunities across the curriculum to:
The Welsh Dimension and Cwricwlwm Cymreig
In planning the curriculum, the school provides a distinctive Welsh dimension and Cwricwlwm Cymreig underpins the whole curriculum for all learners, helping learners to understand the distinctive quality of living and learning in Wales enabling them to develop and apply knowledge and understanding of the cultural, economic, environmental, historical and linguistic characteristics of Wales.
