About our Curriculum

Parents / Carers or other members of the public can find out more about the curriculum we follow by checking here on our website under Curriculum Tab, or contacting us direct at the School.

Developing our Curriculum

Our Curriculum is ambitious and tailored to meet the needs of ALL pupils. Pupils study a broad and balanced range of subjects up to Functional Skills Level 1 & 2, BTEC Level 1 & 2, and GCSE. There is no narrowing of our curriculum offer from years 10 - 11.

Our curriculum has evolved as we tailor the needs of our children to what they can achieve; we listened to the pupils when they talked about their aspirations in life. Some of our pupils aren't always motivated by academic subjects, and if they aren't motivated, they can be drawn into disruptive behaviour. We have looked at the subjects that reflected their aspirations and ambitions and developed our curriculum accordingly; some want to be chefs, so we have introduced BTEC Home Cooking, some are motivated by playing games so they can now succeed in BTEC Sport and Active Leisure.

As an SEMH school, we have to adapt our teaching, both in terms of style and content, to encourage the children to embrace their learning. Not all children are able to meet the demands of the new GCSE syllabuses. We have introduced BTEC as it provides a better learning platform for our children; 'hands on learning' where they develop portfolios over time to achieve success. Further to this, we also recognise, and promote among the children, that achieving a BTEC Level 1, along with qualifications in English and Maths especially, will enhance their options at college or in employment when they leave school. BTECs in Level 1 provide a clear gateway to courses on offer at colleges; we promote the idea that they will be able to pursue the BTEC pathway into Level 2, 3 and ultimately, a career.

We listen to our pupils. We know our pupils. And we want them to achieve all they can while they're at Hope High School.

To strengthen this approach, we focus on the knowledge and understanding needed for subjects across KS3 to prepare them for KS4. We keep our curriculum broad and balanced from year 7 to 11 as it allows pupils to study a wide range of subjects at greater depth.

Our curriculum will offer GCSEs, BTEC, Functional Skills Level 1 and 2 certificates, and Entry Level Certificates. The subjects are being taught from Y7 through to Y11 and include:

• English (GCSE and Functional Skills - Levels 1 and 2)
• Maths (GCSE and Functional Skills - Levels 1 and 2)
• Science (GCSE and Entry Level Certificate)
• Art (GCSE)
• Food Technology (BTEC Level 1 & 2 - Home Cooking)
• Design Technology (BTEC Level 1)
• Computing (GCSE and Entry Level Certificate)
• Sport/PE (BTEC)
• Humanities (Entry Level 1 in History and Geography)
• PSHE
• Horticulture (BTEC Level 1)
• Duke of Edinburgh Award (Bronze & Silver)

Aside from the academic curriculum, each KS3 class will also follow a programme in Forest School. When pupils move from Year 9 to Year 10, they follow the Pathways programme. They are able to specialise in subjects they have a particular interest in and will support their next steps in the future. This has been a positive addition to our broad curriculum and has personalised the curriculum for all.

Targeted interventions are also part of our daily programme, where pupils have the opportunity to develop their social development; this allows us to focus on the social and emotional aspects of learning, namely self awareness, managing feelings, motivation, empathy and social skills. All pupils regroup at the end of each day to reflect on their days, as individuals and groups as they go through their reward points. The children work together to work out their percentages of scores, followed by the opportunity to discuss issues that have arisen through the day with staff. Social interaction is a vital skill as our pupils continue their journey of Learning for Life. After this, they can spend the time bonding as a group.

Academic interventions are in place for Maths and English.  Pupils who need that extra support to enhance their Numeracy and Literacy are provided with extra sessions that are in small groups or 1:1. With this targeted support at an early stage in KS3, we can ensure we our pupils have the necessary numeracy and literacy skills for later life.

We have recently introduced thrive, which aims to address developmental learning gaps; socially, emotionally and behaviourally. Thrive aims to target areas of childhood development where a pupil may have gaps, leading to subsequent problems as they grow from children, to adolescents and ultimately adults. Regular monitoring of each child's development through thrive enables our children and staff to explore strategies that will help them as they grow; maintaining our approach of Learning for Life. 

In addition to this, British Values is at the core of our ethos as a school and each week opportunities are provided where pupils can explore and discuss issues relevant to them as they develop into citizens of the future. We want our pupils to leave Hope High with an understanding of the society and cultures around them, with high aspirations for the future. We are not just learning academically or socially, our pupils are all Learning for Life.

Our aim is for all our pupils to leave school after Year 11 with a well rounded understanding of the world around them and an array of qualifications that will help them into their next phase of life. 

If you require any information about the curriculum or any of the subjects on offer at Hope High School, please contact the school office or the subject teacher.