Curriculum Intent Statement | |
Art | Art is a subject that can help us to understand and give meaning to the world in which we live. We aim to provide students with an experience that is rich and exciting that will not only equip them with practical skills but will also develop valuable transferable skills for future careers and life. Students will learn how to use the formal elements in art and why art is a powerful tool for communication. Within our broad curriculum, we will celebrate other cultures and encourage diversity. |
Business and Enterprise | Bringing together the creativity of marketing, the logistics of entrepreneurship and the functionality of finance. Inspiring each student to use the transferable skills they learn in Business and Enterprise in their chosen career. |
Careers in PSHE | All of our students are on a ‘careers learning journey’. Teachers, mentors and SLT are continuously offering students the opportunities to learn about a variety of career pathways and as well as developing their employability skills. Students are challenged to learn to think about and reflect upon their experiences. They are encouraged to think about the benefits of everything they are taking part in across the whole curriculum and also outside of school and how this contributes to their personal development. Through consistency and high-quality lessons, PR activities and inspirational assemblies students develop a greater understanding of their capabilities and will develop a positive sense of self-worth. They will be able to consider their personal branding and how they present themselves in a professional manner that will enable them to market themselves to future employers. |
Computing/ICT | To give students a broad range of high quality skills and knowledge to thrive and make the most of opportunities in the digital world |
Dance | The KS3 curriculum works on the principle of developing the student’s skills in the 3 strands of Composition, Performance and Appreciation. These are taught through topic-based SOW where the skills are fully interleaved. Each topic is carefully chosen to not only teach the skills required but also deliver these in a way that incorporates opportunities to develop student’s cultural capital and broaden their understanding of the world of the arts. In Year 9 there is a solid curriculum continuation with strong elements of BTEC foundations to provide students with the knowledge and skills that will set them up for positive progression into Year 10 if they choose to study Dance/Performing Arts for GCSE. Every lesson includes subject specific vocabulary recall through a DO NOW and tier 2 vocabulary is displayed visually and is referred to explicitly within the lesson discussions. At KS4 the department offers a BTEC qualification which allows students to further develop their skills in these three areas through coursework and performance assignments and an external exam. The values of respect, responsibility and resilience are woven through every aspect of the curriculum from the development of respect for each other in group performances and the role of the audience to the resilience needed to stand up and perform in front of others. The range of values related skills are a fundamental aspect of the curriculum and are integral to every topic. |
Drama | In Drama we aim to give students the confidence to express themselves and the skills to explore how and why people act and react as they do. Through engaging units of work, students learn how to acknowledge and accept different views and opinions in a variety of scenarios to embrace cultural diversity. We work to develop performance skills as well as directorial approaches to text and aspects of theatre design. |
Engineering | To empower our students with valuable technical life skills including; drawing, disassembly, assembly and manufacturing that they are able to use confidently in a variety of jobs. |
English | Learning has intrinsic value and the teaching of English is an enjoyable experience for pupils at Woodlands. We choose to teach texts that pupils enjoy on a personal level and appreciate on an intellectual level; both recent texts and those which have stood the test of time, that will make them avid readers into adulthood. All pupils have both the right and the responsibility to explore English Literature as a discipline: to consider how humankind has found expression, to appreciate the beauty in crafted work, to understand the relationships between writers and readers and to have opinions on what people have created and the connections between pieces of literature. The curriculum we offer broadens pupils’ knowledge of concepts and cultures outside of their daily frame of reference. In this way we aim to help develop pupils’ respect for the diverse world they will experience after leaving Woodlands. We aim to develop pupils’ ability to communicate effectively in a wide range of contexts; to enable pupils to use accurate Standard English in spoken and written form and develop an interest in the richness of the English language. We encourage pupils to develop an interest in extending the range of their own language in terms of style, vocabulary, structure and form, providing them with the tools to become engaging and imaginative communicators. In this way, we aim to develop resilience in our pupils in advocating for themselves and others in a range of situations. |
Food Technology – Hospitality and Catering | Pupils use high level skills to produce quality outcomes that they are proud of. Pupils can make informed decisions about diet choice and life style. Pupils understand the importance of daily physical activity and the benefits of this on their body and mental health. Pupils are aware of the reasons why people follow specific diets and can respect their choices. |
French and Spanish | At its’ core, the Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) curriculum intends to provide opportunities for students to develop in all areas of literacy, including verbal communication, reading, listening and writing through taking on the responsibility of learning an additional language. Lessons promote resilience because of sequenced retrieval activities that allow students to develop and retain procedural knowledge of key concepts and vocabulary that they can use flexibly in authentic situations as well as for advanced language learning. In MFL lessons, students develop their cultural capital by exploring different cultures so that they develop a respect for traditions beyond their own. |
Geography | The geography department at Woodland Community College believes our children deserve a broad, progressive and ambitious geography curriculum, which is rich in knowledge of key concepts, places and skills. We want to inspire curiosity and a sense of awe and wonder about the diverse landscapes and the interactions between the human and physical processes occurring around the world. This is encapsulated by our department slogan “Our Curriculum give you the knowledge to understand the World and the skills to change it!” |
History | The study of History aims to equip students with the knowledge needed to work towards social justice and develop a passion for the academic discipline itself. We want students to be able to use their understanding of the past to become global citizens who can create positive change for the future, question what is true, and challenge inequalities and prejudices which still exist today. In order to do this our students will acquire powerful knowledge on underlying key concepts such as government, rights and beliefs. All of these substantive concepts ultimately relate to power. Students will also be exposed to the methods of historical enquiry, including having to rigorously analyse a variety of sources and interpretations to produce their own judgements on the past and see how differing perspectives have been formed. Students should be challenged academically and grapple with real historical debates in order to enable them to go on to study History at university should they wish to do so. |
Maths | In Maths at Woodlands, pupils will learn to be fluent in key mathematical skills and how to apply these to the world around them, there will be a strong focus on ensuring that they have a deep understanding of number, geometry and proportional reasoning. They will also be challenged to deal with more abstract mathematical concepts that allow them to appreciate the intrinsic beauty of the subject. |
Music | This curriculum intends to provide a broad and exciting introduction to music making through a wide range of social, religious and cultural forms. It will unlock the logical accessibility of music in its simplest forms. Students will experience performing, composing, producing and appraising music. The emphasis is on practical music making for all learners whilst supporting relevant theoretical and vocabulary aspects along that journey. Pupils will rehearse with resilience and responsibility. They will listen and appraise with respect. A progressive skills-based programme of study synthesizes prior learning with new styles and techniques. We aim to deliver a multitude of transferable musical skills which can be applied to many future career opportunities. |
PE | The department seeks to put PE at the heart of the school experience: enabling students to explore their own potential; develop independence, resilience and leadership; and prepare them to make lifelong choices to support their well-being. |
photography | To empower creative and collaborative thinking in students through lens-based media. We aim to inspire the next generation of young photographers to strive for excellence in their practice through robust and exciting curriculum to go on to develop their passion in further and higher education settings. |
PSHE | PSHE enables our students to become healthy, independent and responsible members of society. It gives pupils the knowledge, skills, and attributes they need to keep themselves healthy and safe and to prepare them for life and work in modern Britain including developing their cultural capital giving them opportunities to explore different cultures, traditions and celebrate diversity. PSHE education helps pupils to manage many of the most critical opportunities, challenges and responsibilities they will face growing up. Through PSHE we provide support for our young people to develop resilience, to know how and when to ask for help, and to know where to access advice. Our students are encouraged to develop their sense of self- worth by playing a positive role in contributing to school life and the wider diverse community. The curriculum develops key literacy skills, including reading, writing and focuses heavily on verbal communication where by building students confidence to discuss their values and beliefs. We address tier 2, topic specific, vocabulary to ensure students continually build upon their repertoire. Planned retrieval throughout a spiral curriculum model develops student’s retention and key knowledge as they move through the key stages. Click here: Values Progression Map 2025-26 to open our current values progression map |
Psychology | ‘The intent of the Psychology curriculum is to assure that individuals are enthused and inspired to think rationally of how the human mind influences our modern-day society’. |
RPE | To provide students with the opportunity to deconstruct their own beliefs so that they are able to consider the viewpoints of others, become tolerant citizens and make substantiated judgements about key global issues which will be vital to their futures. |
Science | In studying science, we aim to empower students with scientific knowledge and skills to be able to explain, predict and analyse the world in which we live and to be able to pursue further study of the sciences beyond school. Through our curriculum, students will develop the skills and knowledge essential to be able to achieve their full potential in science but also to access and critically analyse science in the real world. Students will learn to think like scientists – ask questions, make detailed observations, develop hypothesis, find answers using tests and question these answers. They will develop an understanding of theories and evidence to reason with the physical world. |
Sociology | The study of Sociology aims to equip students with the knowledge needed to work towards social justice and develop a passion for the academic discipline itself, linking and building on the wider study of Humanities students have undertaken in KS3. We want students to be able to use their understanding of Sociology to become global citizens who can create positive change for the future, question what is right and just, and challenge inequalities and prejudices within our society. In order to do this our students will acquire powerful knowledge on underlying key concepts such as families, education, and crime and deviance. Students will be challenged and inspired to think wider, and question their place in the world whilst ensuring that the Woodlands values of respect, responsibility and resilience are upheld and embedded into their study and enquiry. |
Textiles | Textiles enables students to learn valuable life skills. Students will be taught how to hand sew and attach buttons all the way through to machine stitching and making their own garments. Textiles will allow students to use their creativity to design their own products and give them the knowledge and tools to create them to a high standard. In Textiles we develop independent learners who feel confident to apply their knowledge to create innovative and meaningful final outcomes. |
Travel and Tourism | Travel and Tourism at Woodlands strives to prepare students for the world of work by developing transferable vocational/employability skills. These skills will support learners planning to enter employment in the travel and tourism sector or who wish to progress to further vocational qualifications at college and university. Our learners develop a range of personal skills and attributes needed in the workplace. We encourage learners to work effectively in teams as well as becoming independent learners. The Travel and Tourism curriculum is one that allows all learners to follow a career path and goals that they desire, through giving them the opportunity to learn about one of the fastest growing industries in the UK. |