Our Curriculum

At Admiral Lord Nelson School we are a Rights Respecting School and as such provide a curriculum experience for every student that enables them not only to make progress in their learning and achieve high academic standards but also to enjoy learning for its own sake and to develop the skills and understanding to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives.

PURPOSE

The purpose of our Curriculum is to enable our students to:

  • develop lively, creative, enquiring minds, studying a full range and breadth of subjects and specialising at Key Stage 4
  • acquire knowledge and skills relevant to adult life and a world of rapid and continuous change, following an appropriate pathway to ensure students achieve their very best
  • use language and number effectively
  • develop personal and moral values, respect for shared values and for other cultures, religions and ways of life
  • develop an understanding of the world in which they live
  • appreciate human achievements and aspirations
  • experience success and celebration of their achievements
  • take their place in society as informed, confident and responsible citizens

Our Curriculum addresses statutory requirements within the Curriculum, namely that it:

  • Is broad, balanced, coherent and relevant
  • Is accessible to all students and promotes high expectations
  • Is delivered using a range of appropriate teaching and learning styles
  • Is differentiated so that it provides appropriate challenge and engagement for all
  • Is positively managed and promotes the recognition, monitoring and celebration of achievement
  • Is flexible, so that it continually adapts to the changing needs of our students
  • Reflects and enriches the community that we serve
     

INTENT

We design our curriculum to enrich students learning through memorable experiences and activities that inspire the imagination, create curiosity and actively promote a sense of awe and wonder throughout the curriculum.

To aid students’ development of knowledge and understanding we make learning experiences relevant to real life, their own experiences and to what is happening in the world around them today. We recognise that successful learners need a deep comprehension of a wide and rich vocabulary so throughout the curriculum we progressively develop literacy, actively seeking opportunities to encourage reading in all its forms and cohesively building students’ abilities to both understand and use their growing vocabulary.

In designing how subjects are delivered we interleave the learning to help students build the links they need in their memory for knowledge acquisition and understanding. Opportunities are sought across the curriculum to develop common skills such as; literacy, numeracy and problem solving, explicitly supporting students in building connections between their current knowledge and new learning.

 

DETAIL

The Core curriculum that all students study consists of English, English Literature, Mathematics and Science (either double award or separate sciences). All these are GCSE subjects. The Core also contains non examined elements such as Personal Development (encompassing citizenship, RE and equalities), Aspiring futures (encompassing enterprise, work related learning, drugs and sex education) and Physical Education. More details of the core curriculum and the optional subjects available can be found in the Pathway documents at the top of this page and our Which Way Now booklets for previous year groups:

Curriculum Choices Booklet 24/25

There are curriculum evenings planned throughout the school year to ensure parents and students have all the information they need to make the right choices.