Our ambitious curriculum is designed to ensure that all students are able to thrive, both academically and personally, at Driffield School and Sixth Form. The curriculum we deliver is knowledge-rich and aims to equip all of our students with the knowledge, skills and experiences that they need to be successful people and have better lives. This is underpinned by a culture that places a high value on literacy and vocabulary, which are both crucial to academic achievement, future learning and employment.
Our five-year curriculum is broad and balanced; we teach this in two key stages (Key Stage 3 in Years 7, 8 and 9 and Key Stage 4 in Years 10 and 11). At Key Stage 3, students study a core curriculum (English, maths and science), alongside a range of other academic subjects including: history, geography, languages (French or Spanish), computing, music, drama, art, design & technology, physical education, religious studies and APEX (Achieving Personal Excellence). The Key Stage 3 curriculum is carefully planned and sequenced to ensure that students develop the knowledge and skills they will need to successfully move on to Key Stage 4.
Our Key Stage 4 curriculum is designed to ensure that all students continue to follow a broad and balanced curriculum. During Year 9, students select their GCSE options and embark on a two year programme of study that will lead to examinations at the end of Year 11. The options process allows students to specialise in the subjects that they enjoy, and excel in, and the timetable allows more time to develop the depth of knowledge in the subjects they have chosen. All students will study English language, English literature, mathematics, science, physical education and APEX. In addition to the core curriculum, students will study four other subjects and we offer a wide range of subjects for all learners to study, including a number of vocational GCSE options.
We strongly believe that students should study a balanced curriculum that places equal importance on moral, spiritual, emotional and physical development. Our curriculum is therefore complemented by our personal development and form time programme. All students at Key Stage 3 study an hour of APEX per week; these lessons focus on aspects of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education. These lessons also develop students’ personal development alongside the importance of British values. APEX is designed to develop our students into thoughtful, responsible and informed members of the community who are prepared for life beyond school. In Years 10 and 11, students will continue to have APEX lessons (one hour per fortnight) and these focus on building greater knowledge and awareness of both PSHE education and religious studies. All students also have two hours of core PE a week to support their physical development. All students also participate in core PE to support their physical development (two hours per week at Key Stage 3 and one hour at Key Stage 4).
High quality teaching and learning is at the heart of any successful curriculum and students will experience lessons that are motivating, purposeful and challenging. We aim to encourage proactive thinking in all lessons and expect all students to have high aspirations.
We are proud of the wide range of enrichment opportunities which we are able to offer our students, at both lunchtime and after school, and we encourage all of them to take part in activities outside of their timetabled lessons. Alongside this, we are passionate about providing memorable experiences outside of the classroom that will support students’ academic success and their personal development.