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Curriculum, Teaching and Learning
Kingdown School’s curriculum reflects both our school values of Believe, Aspire, Achieve and the Acorn Trust values, in particular ensuring that children develop a ‘love of learning’, are ‘challenged academically’ and are ‘ready for the world in their time.’
Kingdown School is a larger than average comprehensive and is the only state secondary school in the town of Warminster, with a high number of feeder primary schools. Over 400 students travel from out of catchment to us daily, with a growing number of in year transfers. The number of Free School Meals students is below average.
Our students are 82% white British and our links to the Army bring some ethnic diversity to our school community. We have a high number of students with an EHCP spread across the year groups; we pride ourselves on having a strong sense of inclusivity and belonging across our school community.
This local context is reflected in our carefully constructed curriculum, which, in line with the Acorn Trust objectives, aims to create subject experts amongst our children, helping them find their passions and enjoy their learning and enabling them to become scientists, writers, historians, linguists, geographers etc.
Our curriculum, grounded in educational research and the National Curriculum, is designed to enable students to learn the ‘unmissable’ knowledge they need for next steps and to be successful; it is hung around a ‘big picture’ which we share explicitly with students and builds their skills and knowledge in tandem (disciplinary and substantive knowledge); this is carefully sequenced with practice retrieving information and revision lessons (we call them R.P.E. lessons – Recover, Practice and Extend) and cumulative assessment points which are used by our teachers and leaders to ensure the learning has ‘stuck’.
Homework is timetabled and available to parents online to reinforce classroom learning and we have a Homework Club in the library to support students. Our Personal Development curriculum is just as valued as our academic and tailored to both national areas of need and our local community too. We offer a range of trips and clubs to all to supplement students’ cultural capital and for personal growth.
