Curriculum Policy – Senior School and College
A whole curriculum approach
Our aim is to help students acquire skills essential to tackling a competitive and rapidly changing world by promoting effective thinking skills together with personal and social development. We adhere, in broad terms, to the core requirements of the National Curriculum. However, an education at Howell’s extends well beyond the prescribed syllabus content, with the express intention of enthusing students about the very processes of learning itself. The key is independent learning. We feel that students must acquire insights into their own learning processes and their effectiveness. Our students are encouraged to develop skills of self-analysis and reflection, choosing learning methods that suit them best, while their teachers encourage in them an appetite for lifelong learning.
Curriculum
All girls in Years 7-11 study a core curriculum of English, Mathematics and Science which is enhanced by a variety of other subjects: creative activities in Art and Design, Music and Drama; practical subjects such as Design & Technology and ICT; physical activity in Games and PE; languages such as French, Spanish and German with the addition of Welsh and Latin; and humanities such as Geography, Religious Studies and History.
Teaching methods throughout the Senior School encourage the girls to be stimulated and challenged, yet always supported, enabling each to acquire the following groups
of skills:
• communication skills (e.g. listening to others)
• inter-personal skills (e.g. co-operating with others)
• intra-personal skills (e.g. self-analysis)
• problem-solving and decision-making skills
(e.g. in an enterprise activity)
• study skills (e.g. personal target-setting)
• practical skills (e.g. use of a keyboard).
Each term we assess girls’ progress by report, subject review or parents’ consultation meeting. Girls are encouraged to undertake self-assessment and reflect on their own progress as part of the process of understanding how they learn. Academic subjects are complemented by Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) which is non-examinable and is designed, along with General Studies at KS4, to help girls understand and cope well with the increasing responsibilities and freedom which they will face as they mature.
Key Stage 3
Years 7-9
All pupils study:
Art
Design Technology
Drama
English
French
Geography
History
ICT
Mathematics
Music
PSHE
Religious Studies
Science
PE & Games
In Year 7 pupils also choose whether to study German, Spanish or Welsh for the next three years. In addition all take Latin in Year 8 and 9.
Key Stage 4
Years 10 and 11
All pupils study:
English Language
English Literature
Mathematics
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
PSHE
General Studies
History or Geography
French or German
Physical Education
They also choose two subjects from the following list:
Art
Design Technology
Drama
French
Geography
German History
ICT
Latin
Music
Religious Studies
Welsh
GSCE examinations are taken in a maximum of 10 subjects; we believe in quality rather than quantity. The girls need time to pursue their extracurricular activities and time for themselves.
Key Stage 5
Year 12
The majority of students study 4 AS subjects from:
Art
Biology
Business Studies
Chemistry
Classical Civilisation
Critical Thinking
Drama
DT
English
French
Further Mathematics
Geography
German
Government and Politics
Greek
History
IT
Latin
Mathematics
Music
Physics
Welsh
Welsh First language
RS
Year 13
The majority of students continue with 3 A2 subjects.