Prospective Year 7 Parents
Curriculum information for prospective Year 7 parents
In addition to considerable strengths in the core subjects of English, Maths and Science, we have flourishing Arts and Technology departments, strong Physical Education and excellent Humanities, Languages and Social Sciences provision. The College has a particular identity as being at the forefront of Computing education and digital literacy with our one-to-one Chromebook device scheme as a key part of our curriculum. We promote the E-Bacc route at GCSE, meaning that the majority of students will include either History or Geography and a Modern Foreign Language in their GCSE option choices.
When a student joins Uckfield College in Year 7, their timetable will comprise the following subjects: English, Maths, Science, French or Spanish, Technology (Textiles, Food Technology and Design Technology), History, Geography, PE, Dance, Drama, Art, Music, Religious Education, Computing and Personal, Social and Health Education. Each of the subjects is precisely-planned to be as inspiring, ambitious and knowledge-rich as possible.
Our subject-based curriculum is further enriched by visiting speakers and Deep Learning Days; in Year 7, these are great opportunities to learn more about digital literacy, identity and diversity, and exciting STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art and Maths) days where students experience how these subjects link up in real-life practical application. Every fortnight, students study a topical issue from ‘The Economist’ to develop their political and cultural understanding.
Public speaking and oracy skills are taught through a range of lessons and opportunities across the curriculum. For students who need additional support with their numeracy and literacy, we run a Direct Instruction programme, which helps students master the skills they need to access the curriculum and gain confidence. We place a significant focus on reading and vocabulary acquisition for all students and expect our students to be reading a minimum of twenty minutes a day at home in addition to their work on reading in College. Our homework curriculum is carefully planned in all subjects for all age groups and is a key element of the curriculum.
In our assembly and form mentor programmes, we support and challenge students to develop their character through the teaching of our College values, which we call our Uckfield Qualities:
Each student is supported with their academic and personal development through regular mentoring. This is either individually or in a small group, by their form mentor or sometimes a different member of staff. Our wide ranging and ambitious assembly programme plays a key part in the teaching of our personal development curriculum and also in building a culture of aspiration and community within each year group. We are constantly seeking to develop and extend our curriculum so that it is as inspiring and effective as possible.
