Curriculum

If you would like more detailed information on the curriculum that the school offers our pupils, please contact us at admin@shca.pfcmat.org. 

Our mission statement ‘Caring and Achieving Excellence in a Christian Community’ underpins all of our work at Sacred Heart Catholic Academy. As such, we believe that every child has the potential to achieve and excel; therefore, our curriculum is characterised by excellence. We provide extensive opportunities for students to reach their full potential and prepare them for the world outside of school. Our curriculum is shaped to not only facilitate academic achievement but to enable our students to develop all aspects of their character. Our curriculum responds to the emerging needs of our students empowering them to develop into responsible members of our local, national and global communities.  

We aim to foster the intellectual, social, creative, physical, moral and spiritual development of all our students. Sacred Heart students will develop in to determined, resilient, courageous and humble individuals who will embody the Gospel values throughout their lives, with a deep appreciation of the beauty of God’s world around them. 

Our Aims

In order to ensure that our young people develop and thrive, we believe it is important for them to explore their talents and enable them to experience success and fulfil their potential. Therefore, we offer a broad and balanced curriculum with a wide range subjects where learning is organised; this ensures a sincere, on-going engagement between faith, learning and culture. 

Whilst we understand that examination success is important, we also recognise that there is more to school than the assessed outcomes achieved; therefore, we will continue to develop opportunities for all students to engage in a rich and varied enrichment programme.

Our enrichment programme will provide all members of our community with an opportunity to explore interests and engage in broader perspectives, encouraging further development of passions either known or unknown. It promotes self-esteem which will enable students to improve their self-confidence and provides opportunities to expand a student’s social network working alongside others. We understand that young people have a diverse range of interests and we will look to seek their opinions and facilitate opportunities for them to develop in these areas promoting fun and happiness to complement academic study.

We recognise that young people have differing needs, gifts and talents and we aim to meet these through a variety of curriculum support and intervention strategies across all year groups.

In order to help our young people develop, we believe it is important for our pupils to explore all their talents and experience a wide range of opportunities. A curriculum designed around these principles will enable students to:

• Be challenged and equipped to live and work in a complex and changing world.
• Be encouraged to respect others’ values and take responsibility for themselves and others in school and the wider community.
• Encounter the living God who is Jesus Christ revealing his transforming love and truth.
• Adopt sound moral and ethical values and be able contribute positively to society.
• Be able to manage relationships and situations well.
• Aspire to be the best they can be.
• Achieve their potential in all areas of school life – spiritual, academic, creative, physical and emotional.
• Grow in self-esteem and resilience and have a sense of social and environmental responsibility.

Key Stage 3

We believe that Key Stage 3 provides important building blocks to ensure success in later life. Students will build upon Key Stage 2 mastery and acquire skills and knowledge which will support their achievements at Key Stage 4 and beyond irrespective of the academic pathways they choose.

Students develop the main key skills of literacy, numeracy, communication and team work as an integral part of the curriculum together with independence in order to encourage a high degree of resilience. These skills and others are evident across the curriculum in addition to a variety of opportunities to develop each young person’s cultural capital.

All students follow a core curriculum in Years 7,8 and 9 which is delivered through a variety of mixed ability and ability grouped teaching with additional support for those who need it. Every student has access to an ambitious curriculum with powerful knowledge at the heart of each subject. All students study a full range of academic and creative disciplines, which can be furthered at GCSE. Students are able to select options for further study outside of the core curriculum during Year 9.

Our Offer

Our Key Stage 3 is years 7, 8 and 9 where the full national curriculum and beyond is covered. All students have lessons in the following subjects:

• English
• Mathematics
• Science
• RE
• PE
• History
• Geography
• French or Spanish
• Design and Technology (Product Design or Food and Nutrition)
• Art
• Music
• Drama
• Computing
• Personal, Social, Health and Careers education (PSHCE)

Key Stage 4

We offer a wide choice of subjects at Key Stage 4 so that students can choose from a range of accredited qualifications to suit all ability, interests and learning styles. Our Key Stage 4 is two years in duration over Years 10 and 11 as we believe this gives students the best opportunity to reach their full potential and build on the firm foundations from Key Stage 3.

Each young person will be guided into selecting the most appropriate pathway for them with all routes available to all students. Each route is intended to meet the needs and aspirations of all students and provide progression to post-16 education or training and beyond.

We have a large range of subjects at KS4:

• The core subjects are: English Language, English Literature, Mathematics, RE, Science and PE.
• In addition, pupils can opt to study other subjects from the following selection: Fine Art, Product Design, Food and Nutrition, Drama, French or Spanish, Geography, History, Computing, iMedia, Music, Triple Science- (Biology, Chemistry and Physics) and Sports Science, Applied Business, Health & Social Care, IT and Art (Textiles).

Subjects studied at Key Stage 4 all lead to accredited qualifications and support progression post-16.

At key points, independent caregiver’s advice helps to ensure that students are guided to towards the options and pathway which best suits their plans and aspirations. Students in Key Stage 4 are set according to academic ability in core subjects. Options subjects are largely mixed ability.

Sixth Form Courses

• A Levels We offer a wide range of academic A Level courses (Art, English Literature, History, Maths, Politics, Psychology, Spanish, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and French).  These subjects are linear, which means that the qualifications are awarded following examinations only.  These examinations take place at the end of Year 13.
• Vocational Courses We also offer a number of vocational courses at the College (Applied General in Business, Criminology, Digital Media, Health and Social Care, Information Technology, Physical Education and Applied Biology). All of our vocational courses provide important UCAS points to access university and are assessed throughout the two year programme through examinations and coursework.  Students can opt to take vocational courses alongside academic A Level subjects.
• English and Maths The College provides re-sit opportunities, if required, in English Language and Mathematics GCSEs. These external examinations take place in November and June.