All-Through School Curriculum Overview (Ages 4-18)

Our Whole School Curriculum

We have shaped our curriculum to give our pupils what they need at each point of their journey. Children get the strongest possible start to their education journey at our Primary Campus. Our inspiring curriculum helps pupils to develop their understanding and master the core knowledge and skills of our curriculum. We weave oracy, literacy and language throughout everything we do to ensure that children are ready to progress to the Secondary Campus by the time they finish Year 6.

Our ambitious Secondary and Sixth Form curriculums draw on the best that has been thought, said, created, and discovered throughout history. We provide the core knowledge and skills our pupils need to be successful learners in the 21st century. All students study the complete National Curriculum, including religious and worldview education, age-appropriate relationships and sex education. We are determined for all pupils to achieve their academic and personal potential and be prepared for life’s opportunities, responsibilities, and experiences. We are proud that our curriculum ensures consistently strong outcomes for all our pupils, from their early experiences in Reception to the end of their journey with us in the Sixth Form.

Primary Campus

At the Primary Campus, our curriculum is carefully designed, implemented, and reviewed so that our pupils get the strongest start on their educational journey. Our core values are present in everything we do, ensuring pupils are Responsible, Resilient, and Ready for their next chapter at Roundhay.

The Primary Curriculum is ambitious and designed to give all pupils the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed. It is carefully sequenced with clear endpoints, so children have sufficient knowledge and skills for future learning. Each half term, we build our curriculum around a key theme (linked to the UN Sustainability Goals) to integrate new knowledge into broader ideas. It also allows the children to develop their strength of character within and across the themes.

The curriculum is built on books and strong narratives to keep reading at the heart of everything we do. The essential elements of oracy, literacy and language are present throughout the curriculum, allowing children to master them before advancing to the next stage of their education. Our curriculum is demanding and inspiring so that all our children are fit and ready for their future beyond the Primary Campus. For more information, please visit the Primary Campus Curriculum Page.

KS3 Curriculum

Our ambitious Key Stage 3 curriculum is broad, balanced, and coherently planned. It allows pupils to revise and develop the core knowledge and skills covered in Key Stages 1 and 2 and prepare for Key Stage 4 and beyond. Our carefully constructed, well-taught curriculum helps our students to know more, remember more and do more across all subjects. Together with our enrichment offer and character curriculum, we ensure our children become Responsible, Resilient, Ready to Learn and ‘Recognisably Roundhay’.

All pupils study the full National Curriculum, including either French or Spanish. From Year 8, we offer the option to learn both languages simultaneously, including at GCSE and A Level. In Year 9, all pupils continue to study English, Maths, Science, History, Geography, RE, PE, PSHE and most study at least one language

Alongside this core offer, all pupils can immerse themselves in a wider variety of subjects, including Business and Enterprise, Health and Social Care and Media/Film Studies. This time does not count towards their formal KS4 qualifications. However, it does provide the foundation for future study, enabling pupils to make more informed decisions about which subjects they may wish to take further. This model offers the opportunity to go beyond the scope of the National Curriculum because of the experiences it offers.

KS4 Curriculum

We focus on delivering a broad, rich curriculum as well as supporting students to succeed in their examinations. Our curriculum remains as broad as possible for as long as possible, with a strong focus on personal development for all pupils. We passionately believe in making decisions with pupils’ interests as a priority over league tables or overall performance measures. Our curriculum teaches all pupils to be Responsible, Resilient, Ready to Learn, and ‘Recognisably Roundhay’.

The Key Stage 4 curriculum is underpinned by EBacc subjects (English, Mathematics, Science, a Humanity and a Modern Foreign Language). We encourage all students to study all of these elements throughout Key Stage 4, though we accept it may not be suitable for everyone. Outside of the core curriculum (which also includes PE and PSHE), pupils we offer pupils a wide range of courses.

We guide our pupils through a series of pathways to ensure they make the right decisions for them. We aim to guide pupils onto courses we believe will allow them to succeed and progress onto Post-16 study (either at our Sixth Form or elsewhere). We also accept that some pupils require a more bespoke pathway which may include selecting a subject that is not automatically available. In each case, we review the choices made at an individual level to ensure that the overall programme is both enjoyable and ambitious for every pupil.

We are exceptionally proud of our curriculum and the consistently strong outcomes that it leads to for all of our pupils.

KS5 Curriculum

We offer an ambitious curriculum for all students with A Levels in 25 subjects and vocational courses in 7 subject areas. At KS5, our curriculum builds on the knowledge and skills of KS4 and stretches students to prepare them fully for future success.

In addition to their main programme of study, all students have the opportunity to study the Extended Project Qualification and Core Maths. Students join us from varying starting points and must meet the academic entry requirements of each course as published in our latest prospectus. The entry requirements for all courses include Grade 4 in both Maths and English Language, and we run a resit opportunity for students who wish to improve their grade. With high academic challenge within a very supportive environment, our students become independent learners who are Responsible, Resilient and Ready to Learn.

Beyond the classroom, we encourage our students to develop employability skills and be ambitious for their futures. We support progression through our enrichment programme and a wide range of careers education experiences and opportunities. Through enrichment sessions, we explore subjects such as becoming a successful independent learner, health and wellbeing, preparation for life in modern Britain and an extensive programme to support progression to university or employment.

As part of the KS5 curriculum, all Sixth Form students participate in our Community Engagement Programme, supporting an activity within the Roundhay community. We offer various activities in school including a Paired Reading Scheme, In-Class Support, Academic Mentoring and opportunities for Sports Leaders, Creative Performing Arts and supporting our Primary Campus. The final aspect of the KS5 curriculum is one week of work experience that is offered to all Y12 students in their summer term.