Our Whole Curriculum

Our Whole Curriculum

Our curriculum intent at Wilmslow High School is to enable every student to take advantage of the experiences, opportunities and choices that a great education brings.

To achieve this, we aim for every student to access a powerful curriculum, which we call our Whole Curriculum because its aim is to develop the whole person.

We believe our curriculum is powerful because:

It provides our students with a breadth and depth of powerful knowledge that enables them to understand the world around them and their unique voice within this
It empowers our students to develop their strength of character so that they can flourish in life, learning and work
It challenges our students to endeavour to make a positive difference to the world

Our Whole Curriculum is delivered in three elements

The
Formal Curriculum

The learning of subject disciplines

The
Wider Curriculum

The experiences and learning that take students beyond the classroom

The
Wilmslow Way

The character values that underpin our community

In everyday language, we want students to Know More (in our Formal Curriculum), Do More (in our Wider Curriculum), and Be More (through the Wilmslow Way) to make the most of their experience at Wilmslow High School and develop into young people of character.

Graphic showing -Know More - Do More - Be More

The Formal Curriculum Intent

Our Formal Curriculum seeks to build our students’ knowledge and understanding of a broad range of subject disciplines.

We aim to empower every student to see beyond the everyday and construct meanings about the world they live in – enabling them to apply this learning in school, through success in qualifications, and beyond, both now and in the future.

We hope that our students will use this powerful knowledge in their own unique way to make a difference for the better to the world that we live in.

Powerful knowledge:

We believe that:

Each subject makes a unique and important contribution to the building of powerful knowledge and cultural capital
A curriculum that is inclusive, including and representative of diverse voices best empowers our students to flourish in the world of the twenty-first century.

Powerful understanding:

We want our students (and their parents and carers) to understand:

That every subject is founded upon big ideas – these are the core concepts, principles, theories, themes, areas or processes that are the focal points through which curriculum, teaching and assessment in the subject are organised
The ‘big picture’ of how the knowledge and big ideas of each subject fit together
The way that learning is sequenced in each subject to build understanding over the course of a coherent Curriculum Journey
How and when students’ progression through their Curriculum Journeys will be assessed

Powerful learning:

We want our students to gain at least substantial knowledge of their curriculum so that their knowledge can be recalled and applied in the future as part of their understanding about the world.

We therefore want our students to:

Build fluency in every aspect of their whole curriculum
Build fluency in all the subjects they study: both in Knowing what and Knowing how to
Build fluency across the subjects that they study so that they can develop broad and deep understanding of the world around and beyond us

The Wider Curriculum Intent

Our Wider Curriculum seeks to develop well-informed, healthy and caring Young People of Character who will flourish in life, learning and work.

We aim to empower every student to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding to lead safe, happy and fulfilling lives and to make a positive contribution to their community.

Powerful knowledge:

We believe that the social, moral, social and cultural development of our students is as important as their academic development; therefore:

Our Wider Curriculum encompasses a broad range of powerful knowledge and enriching opportunities and experiences
Each of our Wider Curriculum threads makes an important contribution to the personal development of our students
Our Wider Curriculum is intended to help our students to find and communicate their unique voice

Powerful understanding:

We want our students to understand:

How to stay safe
How to build healthy relationships with others
How to make independent and informed decisions to enhance and enrich their own and other people’s lives and enable them to achieve their aspirations for the future
How to make a difference for the better

Powerful learning:

We want our students:

To learn the importance, and live the values, of: respect, tolerance, integrity and inclusivity
To gain self-awareness and self-confidence
To develop skills in communicating ideas and opinions to influence social change

Where is this intent found?

Intent: that our students, parents and carers understand:	Where can this be found?
Overview of Wider Curriculum Intent	Website: Wider Curriculum
Overview of SMSC intent	Website: Wider Curriculum
Details of the ‘Xtra’ offer in relation to sports, performing arts and other wider opportunities	Website: Xtra Curricular
How we approach the delivery of RSE and how content is covered by year group	Website: Personal Development
Daily personal development linked inputs during tutor time	Student noticeboard (link for staff, students and parents only):

The Wilmslow Way Intent

Our Wilmslow Way seeks to develop Young People of Character who routinely demonstrate the character values of PRIDE:

Professionalism	‘High standards in all that we do’
Respect	‘Showing consideration for yourself and others’
Integrity	‘Just doing the right thing’
Determination	‘Not giving up and aiming for your personal best’
Empathy	‘Thinking about and helping others’

We aim to empower every student to perform with PRIDE across our Formal and Wider Curriculum, and in their daily lives, both now and in the future.

Powerful knowledge:

We believe that the character development of our students is as important as their academic development; therefore:

Our daily tutor time focuses on building these character values
We reinforce these character values through our Wilmslow Way systems and the language we use with students
The staff model the Wilmslow Way values so that character is not only ‘taught’ but ‘caught’

Powerful understanding:

We want our students to understand the importance of character education and its ability to enable students to contribute powerfully and purposefully to the communities that they live in.

Powerful learning:

We want our students:

To learn the importance, and live the values of: professionalism, respect, integrity, determination and empathy
To develop a strength of character that will help them to meet life’s challenges
To be proud of their school, their community and, most of all, who they are