Curriculum Overview

Vision

The Harris Academy Purley (HAPU) curriculum aims to develop reflective and resilient learners and will offer students a breadth of learning experiences with an emphasis on meaningful and deep engagement within the subjects. The curriculum is designed so that students, regardless of starting points, will thrive in an educational environment where the rigours and demands of the different subjects are embraced and taught in a supportive manner without compromising the academic challenges needed for success at all key stages. An emphasis on links with other subjects will help develop a student’s contextual and intertextual knowledge and understanding of the curriculum.  

Our strategic intent - we are aiming to:

• Provide rich and varied contexts for students to acquire, develop and apply a broad range of knowledge, understanding and skills, to encourage a desire for lifelong learning 
• Achieve the best possible progress for all by encouraging each subject to select and sequence their content in a way that enables our students to master the vocabulary and knowledge of their subjects from the foundation stages and onwards 
• Enable all students to develop their creativity and talents to the full, including celebrating and being successful in learning a modern foreign language 
• Personalise our curriculum ensuring it is flexible and appropriate, preparing students for the world of work 
• Promote students' self-esteem, confidence, and mental and emotional well-being  
• Enable students to understand and model fundamental British values/SMSC in their everyday lives and as a global citizen 
• Ensure that no teaching or interaction with students promotes any particular political or preferred ideology. 

The key values underpinning our curriculum intent:

• Meaningful and deep engagement with subject content 
• Knowledge and vocabulary as the foundations for subject skills  
• Personal development supports academic development 
• Literacy and numeracy knowledge and skills are vital to personal and academic success.

Equality

Our curriculum is underpinned by a commitment to equality of opportunity and complies with the Equality Act (2010) and Special Educational Needs Regulations (2014). We strive to ensure that all students are able to succeed no matter what their entry point is. This means that we have a sharp focus on reading, writing, speaking and numeracy. Some will require specialist teaching to help develop the basics that were not formed appropriately in Key Stage 1 and 2 through formal teaching of Phonics. For others this will be the development of subject specific language and knowledge through specialist teachers. All teachers know their classes and the individuals in them and so ensure that specific needs are catered for.

These values will be achieved by:

• Students being fully involved in their learning at all stages and by engaging with their teachers to assess and improve their knowledge, vocabulary and skills 
• Parents and carers being actively involved in working with the Academy to support their child's academic progress, through consistent and regular communication and full involvement in the advice and guidance process at all stages 
• Teachers being experts in their subjects, planning and delivering their curriculum in line with expectations, meeting the individual learning needs of their classes 
• Subject leaders ensuring high-quality and coherently sequenced schemes of learning and resources are in place to support lesson planning and delivery at all key stages   
• Senior leaders and governors leading the way in reviewing the curriculum and supporting everyone to experience an outstanding curriculum

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Key Stage 3 (Year 7 to Year 9)

The Key Stage 3 curriculum is followed by students in Years 7, 8 and 9. Following their admissions tests for the Academy, Year 7 students are banded into X and Y bands with top sets, middle ability sets and lower ability sets in each band.

In this way stretch and challenge as well as additional support can be given to all students allowing teaching to be as closely matched as possible to students’ needs and to ensure all students make the best possible progress.

Regular assessments every half term means that progress is reviewed and students are able to move up or down sets within their banding

Subject	Periods	Minutes
English Language	2	100
English Literature & Drama	3	150
Maths	5	250
Science	4	200
Physical Education	2	100
Languages (French or Spanish)	3	150
Geography	2	100
History	2	100
RE*	1	50
Computing	1	50
Citizenship	1*	50
Music	1	50
Art	2	100
DT & Food	2	100
PSHE & Careers	Tutor x2	100
Total	30	1500

^{* 2 week timetable}

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Key Stage 4 (Year 10 and Year 11)

The Key Stage 4 curriculum is followed by Years 10 and 11. The Academy offers a wide range of academic and vocational courses. All students are given subject options advice, guidance and make their choices during the spring term in Year 9.

Most students will follow an Ebacc Pathway enabling them to study a range of academic core subjects as well as individual choices. The Academy tries as far as possible to cater for all subject choices within the timetable, but if only a small number of students express a preference for a Key Stage 4 course it may not be possible to offer the course. Some subjects may also be oversubscribed, in which case students will be selected according to their aptitude and Attitude to Learning.

Subjects	Periods	Minutes
English Language	3	150
English Literature	3	150
Maths	6	300
Science	6	300
Physical Education	2	100
Languages GCSE	3	150
Humanities	3	150
Open Choice 1	3	150
Open Choice 2	3	150
RE	1*	50
Computing & ICT	Integrated	-
Citizenship	1*	50
PSHE & Careers	Tutor x2	100
Total	32	1500

^{* 2 week timetable}

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Key Stage 5 (Year 12 and Year 13)

The Harris Academy Purley Sixth Form curriculum provides an educational offer for students who have a breadth of subject interests.

The curriculum is designed for students who will thrive in an educational environment where the rigours and demands of the different subjects are embraced and taught in a supportive manner without compromising the academic challenges of Sixth Form study.

Whilst the majority of subjects on offer are A Level qualifications, some subjects follow a Technical Level route, in order to support students who have specific vocational paths in mind or who have a preferred learning style different to that required for the A Level qualifications.

Whereas the A Levels are assessed predominantly through external examinations, the Technical Levels will have a greater percentage of coursework involved. A student can choose to follow either route or a combination of both. Whichever pathway a student follows, the aim is to build upon the foundation knowledge and skills gained throughout their KS3 and KS4 study.

At the point of enrolment, students are guided in their course choices so that they follow a cohesive and coherent programme of study where the content and skills of the individual subjects complement each other, as well as furnishing students with a depth of cultural, social and intellectual ideas.

Year 12

Block A	Block B	Block C	Block D	Block X
Geography	History	Art	Biology	Further Maths
Politics	Mathematics	Chemistry	Economics	Core Maths
Mathematics	CTEC Sport Extended Certificate	Computer Science	English Literature
CTEC Media	Physics	French	CTEC Business Extended Certificate
Psychology	Sociology	CTEC Business Diploma	Religious Studies
	Spanish	CTEC Sport Diploma

^{* denotes a double period lesson    ± denotes a single period lesson}

Year 13

Block A	Block B	Block C	Block D
Biology	Art and Design	French	English Literature
Computing	Chemistry	Government & Politics	Mathematics
Sociology	Economics	Mathematics	Media
Business / History	Geography	Physics	Photography
CTEC Business	CTEC Business	Psychology	CTEC Sport
CTEC IT	Health & Social Care	Spanish
		Health & Social Care
	CTEC Media	WJEC Criminology

^{* denotes a double period lesson    ± denotes a single period lesson}

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Finding Out More

Please visit our Subjects page for course and curriculum information and contact details for each Head of Subject.