Hagley Catholic High School
Principal: Mr J Hodgson

Called as God’s family, we strive to achieve our personal best, by living and learning in Christ.

Curriculum Information

"And they cast lots for their duties, small and great, teacher and pupil alike." (1 Chronicles 25:8)

Hagley Catholic High School offers a curriculum that is ambitious and designed to give ALL learners the knowledge and cultural capital in life. It is a broadly academic curriculum that sets its challenge to ensure the highest possible percentage of students achieve or exceed their potential. Our curriculum at HCHS is a journey where both teacher and student engage in the highest possible expectations to facilitate deep and powerful learning experiences. The courses offered at all levels are enhanced by a varied and motivational enrichment programme that focuses on developing individual character and cultural understanding. Both staff and students work to create a well-rounded educational and spiritual experience that ensure children gain the knowledge and develop the skills that will help them to succeed in further education and employment.

The ethos that is the Hagley family places a great deal of emphasis on building the characters of our students within their locality so they become:

  • Successful learners who are ambitious, make progress and achieve
  • Confident learners who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives
  • Responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society and understand the British and Gospel values and how they apply to daily life.

Our courses in Years 7-11 comply with the requirements of the National Curriculum and are designed to give ALL Learners the chances to be as successful as their possible can.

For more information about the school curriculum please contact Mr A Trickett (atrickett@emmausmac.com) who is an Assistant Principal with responsibility for the school curriculum, or the relevant subject leader.

 

Aims of the Curriculum

"For you are all one in Jesus Christ", [Galatians 3:28]

The school aims to provide a caring and challenging community. We value each individual and seek to enable all learners to develop and maximize their full potential. This means ensuring the full range of abilities within the school are appropriately challenged and supported to progress. We have a designated Learning Support Manager, who with her line manager, co-ordinates the work within the school and also liaises where necessary with outside agencies such as Educational Social Workers, Social Services and the Educational Psychologist. The Assistant Principal (Curriculum) has overall responsibility for the progress of all groups of learners. The school has a policy of promoting equal opportunity, and eliminating unlawful discrimination, for all members of the school community.

The Curriculum

The curriculum is delivered via several means

  • The taught curriculum
  • The enrichment curriculum
  • The Catholic life curriculum

The taught curriculum

The timetable for the school is based on a two week cycle and comprises of a 20 period week with 4 periods per day (2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon). Each period lasts 75 minutes and lessons can be either single or double periods (usually sixth form lessons). The curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced so that students gain cumulatively the knowledge and skills to be successful in life. Key points of transition such as Pathways in Year 9, Post 16 choices are carefully designed so that students receive personalized support to secure their ambition and potential.

Structure of the School Day

AM Registration:  8.50-9:05

Period 1:  9:05-10:20

Break: 10:20-10:40

Period 2: 10:40 -11:55

Lunch: 11:55 - 12:50

Period 3: 12:50-14:05

Period 4: 14:10-15:25

Please note that Period 1 on Tuesday are either a Mass, Assembly, Character and Culture or Sixth Form Tutorial

Key Stage 3

 
 
 
At Key Stage 3 students will build on the foundations from Key Stage 2 and develop core skills in Communication, Literacy and Mathematics whilst experiencing a diverse range of courses consisting of Religious Education, the Arts, Sciences, Technology, Computing, Humanities and PE. All students study a Language as a CORE requirement. In Year 7 and 8 all students study French and Spanish. In Year 9 they continue with French or Spanish depending on their preference.
 
 
 
At Hagley we believe that this journey of learning must be ambitious so that students gain the knowledge, skills and have the opportunity to enrich their faith as witness to Jesus Christ. They will also develop their cultural and social awareness through PSHE and the Tutorial Programme. We therefore look to address both physical and mental health issues that affect our students and ultimately their life chances. The curriculum is focused on creating healthy, happy and faith filled students who have a love of lifelong learning.
 
 
 
Students in Year 7 are placed into two parallel ability groups forming an ‘L’ and ‘R’ band. In Year 8 and 9, there remains two parallel ability bands, but pupils are divided into Linguistic, Numerate and Literate groups within each band.
 
 
 

Key Stage 4

I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted [Job 42:2]

At Key Stage 4 ALL students will study English, Mathematics, Science (Separate or Combined Awards), Games, Religious Education, Careers Educations and PSHE as their CORE curriculum.
 
There is clear evidence to show a student’s life chances will be dramatically improved by having five or more expected grades at Level 2 across a range of subjects, including those of the English Baccalaureate.
 
At Hagley we are pleased to offer an ambitious range of subjects at Key Stage 4 and are confident that students can follow combinations on courses on which they are most able to succeed.
 
We are following the government directive that 75% of students in a year group study a Modern Foreign Language. Therefore, students in French or Spanish teaching group 1 in Year 9 will study their chosen Language and a Humanity at Key Stage 4 as part of their curriculum. Learners in these groups are then given the opportunity to choose from a range of subject in the ‘Open Choice’ block. Students in French or Spanish teaching groups 2 have the option to study a Language, History or Geography. They are then able to choose between PE, Art and Health and Social Care in block B, before selecting a final subject from the ‘Open Choice’ block.
 
All students will receive interviews for the Pathways process ensuring advice from our Post 16 advisers.
 

Key Stage 5

"Train up the child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not part from it" [Proverbs 22:6]

At Hagley Sixth form we offer a varied range of courses that enables a student to follow a curriculum which suits their preferred way of working. All courses that run throughout the three key stages are planned, sequenced and taught so that students can follow a continuous journey throughout the key stages of learning should they choose.

We work hard to ensure that students can choose course combinations on which they are most able to succeed. Our partnership with Haybridge High School and King Charles I School mean that we are able to offer a breadth of choice to meet the desires of all learners. For full details of the courses offered within the Sixth Form, please visit the Sixth Form link on our school website.

The Enrichment Curriculum

Be careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but wise - making the most of every opportunity. [Ephesians 5:16]

Activities are planned and sequenced to support a child’s learning and development. The opportunities are designed so that ALL students can access the cultural capital needed to be a successful, faith filled British Citizen. The taught curriculum is enriched in numerous ways:

 
  • High quality, impartial careers guidance helps pupils to make informed choices about which courses suit their academic needs and aspirations. Our learners are prepared for the next stage of their educational journey – this takes the form of individual interviews, targeted visits, work experience and careers based activities within school. These include careers fairs, curriculum links, tutor based activities and assemblies.
  • Through cross curricular links, educational visits both day and residential, foreign exchanges and cultural visits, links with industry and the community
  • There are more day to day forms of enrichment built into each subject through personalization and differentiation as well as being available through extra-curricular clubs and activities
  • Challenge week, during the last week of the summer term, allows many opportunities for enrichment as the timetable is suspended
  • The Sixth form curriculum includes timetabled curriculum enrichment where students specifically:
 

1 -Are expected to take a variety of enrichment opportunities, which will include Work Experience and community enrichment activities.

2 -Study General RE which focuses on British Values, World Religions, Human Rights and living out the Catholic ethos in a practical way

3 -Have opportunities for reflection and giving back

4 -Participate in carefully designed enrichment programme which includes D of E, Culture Vultures, Cookery, Sport and Debating.

The Catholic Life Curriculum

"As the body without the spirit is dead; so the faith without deeds is dead" [James 2:26]

Our curriculum focuses on ensuring students have a positive attitude to life and learning so that they can create a sense of true wellbeing. Our faith enables us to offer many opportunities that allows students to develop emotionally, spiritually and culturally. We are fiercely aware that these opportunities can lie in experiences that are less formal or within a hidden curriculum that allows children to enrich their sense of purpose and belonging as witnesses to Jesus Christ.

Opportunities such as: Collective worship, Masses, liturgies, assemblies, charity projects, mentoring younger pupils, committees such as The Voice, student service duties, working with the local community and those that are vulnerable are offered to all pupils from 11-19. Whilst less formal in terms of tangible performance measures, they are planned and sequenced to allow the students to undertake a journey where they can live out the catholic values that are the bedrock of out learning community.