Curriculum
Key Stage 3
PDE provides students with the skills and knowledge to make informed decisions in all aspects of their lives. Learning about PDE creates a purposeful environment where there is an emphasis on success, building on students’ strengths, interests and experiences. Through PDE students learn to realise the importance of a healthy lifestyle, develop critical thinking and leadership skills.
Year 7
Induction unit; Introduction to Citizenship unit; Emotional and Physical health and well-being unit; Spring assessment; Relationships Sex education(RSE).
Year 8
Democracy and Justice unit; Drugs Education (DAT: Drugs and Alcohol); Celebrating Diversity (X1 lesson on diverse Careers); Human Rights unit; Relationships Sex education.
Year 9
Youth crime; Leadership unit; Safety, Protection and the Law unit; Careers education and guidance unit; Relationships Sex education (RSE); (DAT: Drugs and Alcohol).
Homework
Homework is clearly identified for each year group. There is an emphasis on preparation and research at key stage three. Tasks tend to have a community or controversial issue focus and involve students completing a variety of activities based around Citizenship.
Key Stage 4
Citizenship is a subject that gives students the opportunity to discuss important issues in the world today. It encourages students to think critically about fundamental aspects of society. Citizenship education gives people the knowledge they need to play a full and active part in society. Your Citizenship course will help you to understand how you can make your voice heard and change things. Students are encouraged to develop an interest in topical and controversial issues, and ethical considerations. Students should engage in discussion and debate, have a firm grasp of the differences between facts and opinions and their significance, and be able to recognise bias. Critical engagement is central to this unit as active learning enables students to achieve deeper understanding and appreciation of concepts.
Year 10
The three themes that will be covered in the new specification are as follows:
- Theme A: Living together in the UK
- Theme C: How the law works
- Theme D: Power and Influence
Year 11
The two themes that will be covered in the new specification are as follows:
- Theme B: Democracy at work in the UK
- Theme E: Taking citizenship action
- Revision
Homework
Year 10
GCSE: essay based homework tasks; research pieces; themed homework booklets; power point presentation homework and other forms of homework. To ensure quality we like to give students a variety of different homework tasks. All pieces of homework are marked either in line with the GCSE mark scheme, task marked, self/peer assessed or comment based.
Year 11
Homework is clearly identified in the two units of work taught in year 11 and students are also given themed homework booklets. Students also complete active Citizenship tasks which involves homework. Keeping up to date with the news and topical issues is a focus and students are often reminded of this.
Enrichment
- Student voice advocates – PDE team
- Second in department – Miss Mambuini (whole school role)
- External visitors at Key Stage 3 and 4.
- ACHIEVE days for Year 10 students in October and July.
Marking Policy
At the core of our approach to marking at JRCS is task marking.
In non-practical subjects one substantial piece of work will be task marked at least once every eight hours of teaching. Students will respond to the tasks and they will be checked by staff. In between that time students’ work may be peer or self-assessed or briefly checked by staff.
It is likely the same piece of work will be assessed for literacy. Staff will mark work using the literacy marking code:
| Sp | spelling mistake |
| P | punctuation mark missing or incorrectly used |
| Voc | incorrect use of vocabulary |
| ^ | word missed out of sentence |
| ~ | unclear meaning or grammar within a sentence |
| // | new paragraph required |
| CL | capital letter error |
Levelling and Assessment
KS3
To develop a growth mindset and reflect ‘life after levels’ work in KS3 books will not usually be levelled; assessment will be formative and highlight how students can improve. Students will record areas of strength and development on their ‘reflection sheets’ which will be at the front or back of the book. At the end of each term a level is reported for students in each subject, which reflects all their work over that term. These are found on students’ pale yellow progress cards, which are stuck into their planners. These cards show students whether they are in line to meet their end of key stage target. With the move away from National Curriculum levels, the school is trialling a new ‘skills thermometer’ and 1 to 9 levelling in English. Other KS3 subjects will be using NC levels for the remainder of this year.
KS4
KS4 practice exam questions and mock exams are likely to be graded. This work might not be in student books. Students will record grades and areas of strength and development in their ‘reflection sheets’ which will be at the front or back of the book. All students receive an attainment and predicted grade at the end of each term. These are found on their pale yellow progress cards, which are stuck into their planners. These cards show students whether they are in line to meet their end of key stage target.
KS5
At KS5 students take a series of VIMAs (Sixth Form Milestone Assessments) during their course. Students receive developmental comments to help them improve their work. Each VIMA result includes four parts: the grade for that assessment, a comparison of the grade with their expected progress grade (EPG), a Learning Capability mark and a prediction of their end of year grade (PEG). The outcomes of these assessments and other graded work will be in student folders. They are also sent home to parents. A summary of VIMA marks and the students’ expected progress grade is also recorded in their planner.