The Heathfield curriculum vision is one of ambition and breadth; high-quality experiences both in and out of lessons are carefully designed to develop the knowledge and characteristics needed to be able to access, succeed and thrive at the highest levels.
Bespoke to our students, building on their starting point and the expertise of our staff, both intent and implementation drive excellence as standard; not a moment wasted.
This echoes the overarching values of the College. The specific intent of the curriculum is clearly set out in the architecture of Goals, Curriculum Maps and Schemes of Learning for each subject. This is embedded in College, department and subject specific training. It is revisited regularly with a clear aim to “keep the main thing the main thing” – that is a high-quality curriculum implemented through research informed pedagogy.
The Architecture of the Curriculum
Our curriculum is shaped by 7 principles of curriculum as established by Dylan William:
Balance, Rigor, Coherence, Vertical integration, Appropriateness, Focus and Relevance.
We review and adapt against these 7 principles on an ongoing basis. The impact is seen in the positive exam results achieved by students at the college.
Teachers demonstrate deep knowledge and understanding of their subjects and the relationship between curriculum intent and pedagogy. They implement excellent adaptive teaching and learning because they have the time and autonomy to plan, collaborate and improve practise for the greatest impact. Lessons are planned around the central pillars rooted in educational research of Challenge, Independence and Feedback.
Digital literacy is a vehicle, among others, including Subject Specific Expertise and Pedagogy, by which these pillars are achieved.
Equally, rigorous application of basic conduct, expectations and routines provide students (and staff) with the security and consistency of a purposeful learning environment from which to excel.
Curriculum maps for each subject show the topics that deliver the intent of the subject, enabling links to be made between subjects by both teachers and students.
Schemes of Learning give detail regarding intent and misconceptions of each topic alongside a focus on the development of tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary.
Applied alongside the Student Profiles (SEND and disadvantaged students) and Closing the Gap register all students are able to access and make progress within the curriculum.
