Subject specific questions round up
Hello Curriculum Thinkers,
What do curriculum resources and curriculum decisions have in common?
Two things:
They take up a lot of time and head space.
They are better made with others, not alone.
This week we’ve rounded up the subject specific resources and discussions you’ve posted inside the community.
Borrow others’ resources. Share your own in return. Read the advice given. Add your perspective if you can.
On behalf of everyone who posted, thanks in advance for helping them out. It makes the world of difference.
But first…
Achieving greater consistency in curriculum delivery
We’re organising a set of subject specific meet ups about “achieving consistent curriculum delivery”.
To make them possible, we’re inviting subject leaders (who want to share and get feedback on their work and find out how others do it in their departments) to chair meetups in their subjects.
Why? The Subject Curriculum Goals Survey revealed it was a big priority for you.
📌 🤔 Community bulletin board - 26 curriculum questions you’re asking.
If you prefer to read these 26 questions inside the community…
🎨 Art
👩🎨 National Curriculum - artist choices
I'm looking to see if anyone has any knowledge or experience of the Art KS3 National Curriculum. We are looking at whether or not it is a problem that not all teachers deliver the same artists when teaching units of work, and instead chose to use artists of their own choosing to meet the briefs of the schemes designed by the Head of Subject.
📈 High performing departments
I would be keen to know of any schools with large KS4 cohorts that achieve at least 0.75 progress 8 and offer food or Art.
🥣 Ceramics connections
Hello As a new member and Head of Art and i am keen to make contact with any other schools who have a ceramics focus. My specialism is Ceramics and i am keen to see how other Schools and Academies run their KS3, KS4 and KS5 Curriculum with the specific focus on Ceramics rather than 3D/DT style projects😀.
💻 Computing & ICT
📜 Choosing qualifications
Hi all, first post so go easy on me. I am looking for a KS4 computing/ICT qualification that would potentially be a good fit for all. NOTE* this is not to satisfy the Big O!! I genuinely want our students, and believe our students will benefit from this type of qualification given our local job market. Any thoughts welcome 💪
💃🏽 Dance
National curriculum delivery choices
Hi - we are looking at our P.E. curriculum at KS3 and are looking to connect with schools on how they cover the Dance element of the National Curriculum - we are particularly interested in:
1) How much time is given across KS3 to Dance (we currently do 2 lessons per week of PE)
2) If Dance is compulsory for both boys and girls (or is there an element of 'choice')
3) If compulsory, what strategies you use for engaging boys
Thanks in advance!
🛠️ Design & Technology
✅ Assessment booklet
Hello Everyone, here is the booklet I shared with you all in our meet up, in the booklet you can see the different ways I shared on assessment focusing on Year 7 DT. Please let me know if you have any further questions or you require anything else that I may be able to help with. Many thanks again for joining and contributing in our meet up! Talk soon!
🎭 Drama
✍️ Written work
Hiya. I'm new to this platform. Drama question. I need to introduce more written work in KS3, and am interested in discovering how other schools set, manage, and feedback meaning written work in KS3 that leads directly into GCSE content. The students do not have exercise books and I am reluctant to introduce them... #Drama
📚English and Literacy
📖 Non-fiction schemes for year 8
Hello! Happy new year! Was wondering if anyone had any good modern non-fiction schemes of work for year 8?
✍️ Transactional writing
Hi all,
Does anyone have any resources/ideas on how to teach 'Transactional Writing' (Edexcel Language paper 2) ? It would be great to refresh the way we teach non fiction writing for KS4. Thanks🤓
🥗 Food
📈 High performing departments
I would be keen to know of any schools with large KS4 cohorts that achieve at least 0.75 progress 8 and offer food or Art.
🌍 Geography
📒Booklets
I know that lots of subjects have been making their own booklets to support learning in their subjects. There are also different pedagogical approaches to this. I have a fantastic head of geography who would love some feedback on his approach. Can anyone connect us with some fellow geographers to evaluate our departments approach? I have written 20 questions to help consider best practice if anyone is interested.
🏰 History
🏫 Museum assessment
Hi all, hoping you can help me. I can remember seeing somewhere an example of an assessment where students had to choose what to include in a museum. Does anyone know where I can see what it looked like?
🧩 SEND CPD
I am looking to provide some CPD for my department on supporting SEND students. Does anyone have any recommendations for things I could read, listen or watch so that I can prepare some CPD for them.
👋 Languages
📜 New MFL spec and exam board
Hello everyone. Quite new to this. Just wondering what any thinking is on the new MFL spec and exam boards? Is anyone looking to make a change? Have any of the boards in particular stood out for you and why? Thanks a lot. #mfltwitterati
📜 Higher or foundation tier?
I am new to being a HOD and wondering if anyone could give me some guidance on how to decide which tier to enter students for.
What do you use to determine this?
Due to the needs of the class and limited curriculum time we didn't do November mocks so I don't have this data to go off. They have mocks in February and I'd like to have them tiered for this.
I spoke to the Science HOD and he said they usually "play it safe" and enter more for foundation as it is easier to get a 5. From your experience, would you say this is the same for French and Spanish?
We are with AQA.
Any advice and guidance would be most appreciated.
Thank you 🙂
🏸 PE and Sport
💃🏽 National curriculum - dance element
Hi - we are looking at our P.E. curriculum at KS3 and are looking to connect with schools on how they cover the Dance element of the National Curriculum - we are particularly interested in:
1) How much time is given across KS3 to Dance (we currently do 2 lessons per week of PE)
2) If Dance is compulsory for both boys and girls (or is there an element of 'choice')
3) If compulsory, what strategies you use for engaging boys
Thanks in advance!
🕌 RE
📝 Feedback on new curriculum
Hello, I have spent last year reorganising and planning my RE curriculum. I was hoping that I could get some feedback as am the only RE teacher in my school.
📝 AQA GCSE Islam & Christianity resources
Hi all - New to We are in Beta community and have a plea for curriculum resource support for AQA GCSE RE. We had a massive IT failure and we have lost all of our GCSE resources for KS4 :(
Does anyone teach Islam & Christianity for Paper 1 and Themes A,B,D,E for Paper 2 (AQA)? Would you mind sharing SOW/Lesson resources / Work booklets - you name it we'd love the help! #SOS #CurriculumResources
⛪︎ Compulsory RE in Catholic Schools
Hi, I'm Sam Renshaw, AH for curriculum and T&L. Hoping to discuss this further with colleagues in Catholic Schools who also have RE as a compulsory subject, which affects the number of options choices for pupils. #options #catholicschools
🤯 Popularity = Workload
Hi all, I cant explain why, but RE A-level has suddenly become very popular at our school. I now have 42 students... any advice regarding work load, quicker ways to mark (AQA Religious Studies) courses, seminars anything to help me not lose my mind please....
🧬 Science
📜 Exam board choices
Hello. What are the pros and cons of the different exam boards for A-level physics. Currently doing AQA but thinking of switching. Advice welcome.
🗺️ End points
We had a mock inspection before Christmas and I have been told that we do not have end points identified, and that this needs to be explicit and shared with students.
Does anyone have any ideas about how to do this?
📜 Specification change: OCR B > A
We have recently swapped A level Physics specs from OCR B to OCR A. Our results historically have had too many students achieving D and E grades, so would be keen to hear from any schools with experience of this specification on how they ensure students achieve the higher grades.
꩜ 5 year spiral curriculum
I am looking to move the current approach in my department from KS3 and KS4 to a 5 year spiralised approach. I think that this is what the curriculum currently intends, but I would like to formalise this and be more explicit with my department about why we should be doing this.
Does anyone have any advice?
💻 Independent learning tech
Does anyone use Sparx Science? Our maths department use Sparx for independent learning and I was wondering if anyone has used the science platform? We currently use Seneca so if anyone has tried both, I'd be really interested in your views.
🧠 Social Science
📅 Timeline for KS4 Health and Social Care- Cambridge L1/2
Hi, I'm introducing the Cambridge Level 1/2 Health and Social Care in September, and I'd love to know how others have 'time-lined' the units? I was wondering if it is possible to cover both NEA pieces in Year 10- or is this too ambitious?
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