New Ways of Learning

Learning to Learn

All Y9 students experience a completely new course which aims to make them better learners, well equipped to succeed at school and in the world at large, more able to respond to technological changes, and able to communicate their ideas effectively. Based in the Discovery Zone and using the latest ICT and video technology, the new Learning to Learn course is one of the first of its kind in the country. It includes thinking skills and problem solving, and develops attitudes needed to become life long learner.

Intensive Study Weeks

All students take part in Intensive Study weeks in the autumn and summer term. We reorganise the curriculum to allow larger blocks of teaching time and students have an opportunity to study for longer periods and in greater depth. We also use some of the time to invite parents into school for individual progress and target setting interviews with their child and the tutor.

New Learning Challenges

After their Key Stage 3 tests, Y9 students follow a completely new timetable designed to give them a different learning experience and to develop new skills. During this time they will work with a team of teachers to complete a series of challenges to explore health, business and citizenship issues. Students are encouraged to think about how to work effectively as a team and how to find information for themselves. Community service and enterprise forms part of the timetable.

As a designated Science College we explore how science impacts on our daily lives. Y9 students immerse themselves in a particular Science challenge, the culmination of which is Super Science Day, where students present their work to a real audience the local community.