Curriculum

Leaders provide an academic curriculum. This gives pupils lots of choice about the subjects they want to continue to study in key stage 4. Leaders encourage all pupils to study a humanities subject or a modern foreign language. Nearly all pupils go on to ambitious destinations after they leave school. They are well prepared for the next stages of their education. (Ofsted, February 2020)

John Colet School offers a broad and balanced curriculum in Key Stage 3 consisting of:

  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • History
  • Geography
  • Religious Education
  • Modern Foreign Languages (French and Spanish)
  • Art
  • Drama
  • Music
  • Design & Technology
  • PE
  • Computer Science
  • Cit-Com (Personal, Social and Health Education)

In Years 7 and 8 students are taught in mixed ability tutor group classes for the majority of lessons. Maths and English set during Year 7.


Due to the high demand of the GCSE examinations, Focus Week in Years 7-9 and Work Experience during Year 10 at John Colet we run Key Stage 4 over three years: Years 9-11. With most subjects having no coursework and examinations that are taken at the end of Year 11 this provides students with the opportunity for a firm grounding in their chosen subjects and time for thorough revision at the end of the course. The core and optional subjects currently available are given below. Almost all students take four optional subjects to maintain a broad curriculum, which, taken with GCSE Combined Science, would lead to 9 GCSEs. Students taking GCSE Biology, Chemistry and Physics would complete 10 GCSE qualifications.


In Year 9 all core subjects, English, Mathematics and Science, are taught in ability sets and option subjects are taught in mixed ability groups. Details of subject content can be found in the subject information section.

Core

GCSE English Language

GCSE English Literature

GCSE Mathematics

GCSE Combined Science or GCSE Biology, Chemistry and Physics

PE

CitCom (Personal, Social and Health Education)

Optional

GCSE Art: Fine Art

GCSE Art: Photography

GCSE Business Studies

GCSE Computer Science

GCSE Design & Technology (Papers & Board, Timbers)

GCSE Drama

GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition

GCSE French

GCSE Geography

GCSE History

GCSE Media Studies

GCSE Music

GCSE Physical Education

GCSE Religious Education

GCSE Spanish

GCSE Sociology

OCR Cambridge National in Information Technologies

WJEC L1/2 Vocational Award in Hospitality and Catering

 

 

The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) refers to a combination of subjects that the government thinks is important for young people to study at GCSE. It includes:

  • English language and literature
  • maths
  • the sciences
  • geography or history
  • a language

All students have access to the EBacc subjects when making GCSE choices and core subjects include English, maths and the sciences. As part of the options process students must choose to study one of geography, history, French or Spanish. 

At Key Stage 5 in the Sixth Form a range of subject are offered as outlined in the Sixth Form section of the website.

Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy