Senior School Curriculum

Academic

School Day
One hour long lessons to maximise learning with a 2-week timetable to increase flexibility in the curriculum. The School day starts at 8.30am and end at 4.00pm.
A 2-week timetable enables us to maintain a broad and deep curriculum. We appreciate that pupils will need to remember lessons that may fall on different days during week A and B. Regular reminders will occur in assemblies and the A and B weeks will be clearly shown in pupil planners, on the school website, school portals, digital screens and noticeboards around the school.

Curriculum
We wish for all pupils to fulfil their potential, whatever their level of ability, and they will be supported in making the most of the opportunities available.  We are developing our Academic Enrichment which will enable all pupils to discover and explore their intellectual curiosities. In addition, the extensive enrichment opportunities available will allow us to stretch and challenge the most able, and empower their university and career decision-making.  We are introducing alternative pathways into our curriculum so that we can cater for all pupils:

• BTEC PE, Film and Media in OLA 6th. These are more accessible and vocational course than many A-Levels, and is accepted as equivalent to one A-level by all UK universities.
• Pupils are able to study either Separate Sciences or Combined Science at GCSE. Teachers will recommend the most appropriate course.
• French and Spanish are no longer compulsory subjects at GCSE. We value the study of languages, and we would recommend that pupils choose a broad and balanced set of subjects for GCSE, including a language, a creative subject and one of the humanities. However, the study of French or Spanish is not always appropriate for some pupils and, in these cases, they can opt for another subject.

Careers Guidance

A programme of careers guidance is in place, which makes pupils aware of the continuing breadth of opportunities available to them once they’ve finished school and prepares them to gain access to the ones they choose.

Understanding each child’s potential

At OLA we work with aptitude tests, ongoing assessment and a good working knowledge of our pupils to stretch each one at the appropriate level. Instead of counting how many A* grades we get we look at how each pupil has progressed against their baseline expectations on entry.

Teaching in ability sets

Baseline assessments and Entrance Exams help determine a pupil’s starting point. From this information we put pupils into sets for maths and science based on their learning needs and non-verbal reasoning. Each year we review the progress made by pupils and make some revisions to the teaching groups. In English, best practice is for pupils to learn in mixed ability classes to explore texts together, developing the language and literature skills and knowledge for success.

Track each child’s progress effectively

Understanding each pupil’s individual learning journey is critical. At OLA the subject teachers work with Form Tutors and Heads of Section to provide comprehensive support and guidance for pupils as they progress through the school.

Homework is an important part of learning as this is when the pupil can follow up classroom teaching with their own independent work, to see if they have really understood. Every child will have a homework schedule to ensure the homework load is reasonable and spread out over a week. Homework is marked and pupils get feedback so they understand where they need to improve.

Teachers will also check how well pupils understand the work and their progress in the subject with regular topic tests or by marking a significant piece of work. The marks for these are shared with parents via our Parent Portal so parents are seeing objective information regularly.

Every pupil also has a school exam in each subject in the summer term. In some subjects, this will contribute to, but not be the sole criteria for, decisions on setting for the following year.

Pastoral care to support each child’s development and progress

Form Tutors and Heads of Section play an important part in the holistic oversight of how a pupil is doing in school. OLA’s pastoral care is outstanding and ensures that we get the balance of expectation and challenge versus care and support right for each pupil.

Learning support to meet specific needs

Pupils who find they need a little more support with their studies can be timetabled for additional one‑to‑one lessons with a Learning Support teacher. Pupils can access this support for a short period to help with transition to Secondary School or longer term if that is the requirement. Specific support for learning needs such as dyslexia is provided by our very well qualified team of teachers, as well as specific Maths support lessons provided by a Maths teacher.

Our Learning Support Department also ensure that pupils get any exam entitlements they are due, such as extra time.

Stretching and challenging more able pupils

As well as our very talented Music, Art, Drama, Sport and Academic Scholars, we also recognise ‘More Able’ pupils who have missed out on scholarships. Provisions for these pupils include a programme of McAuley Lectures on stimulating topics, events run within subjects and across the curriculum. In return, scholars and more able pupils contribute to school events for their particular skill. We track scholars to make sure they are living up to expectation and also so we make sure they reach their potential.