Curriculum Overview

At Welling School, our curriculum is designed as a broad and balanced seven-year journey that inspires and challenges every student, preparing them for future success. From Year 7 to Year 13, we aim to cultivate a lifelong love of learning, ensuring that students not only enjoy our subjects but are also stretched by them, developing the confidence to become innovators in the fields they are passionate about.

We believe that a well-planned curriculum nurtures creativity, resilience, and intellectual curiosity. To achieve this, we offer carefully tailored curriculum pathways at Key Stage 3 that meet the diverse needs of all learners, ensuring that each student can progress equitably into Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5. This inclusive approach ensures that every student, regardless of their starting point, can access a rich, engaging curriculum that supports their individual ambitions.

Our curriculum isn’t just about academic achievement—it’s about building character, fostering ambition, and developing the skills and knowledge students need to thrive in a rapidly changing world. At Welling School, we are proud to guide our students on a seven-year journey where they grow as learners, innovators, and confident future leaders.

Curriculum Intent:

Our curriculum aims to:

• Provide a broad and balanced education: We offer a comprehensive range of subjects, ensuring students receive a well-rounded education that prepares them for future success.
• Ensure mastery of core: We focus on students mastering essential knowledge and skills, enabling them to achieve the best possible outcomes and excel in their future careers.
• Foster personal development: Our curriculum supports students' spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development, encouraging them to be kind to themselves and others.
• Promote physical well-being: We emphasize the importance of physical activity and health, encouraging students to be active participants in their well-being.
• Cultivate ambition and responsibility: We inspire students to be ambitious, take responsibility for their learning, and strive to achieve beyond expectations.

Implementation of Our Curriculum:

Our curriculum is structured across key stages and delivered through a variety of subjects, each contributing to the richness and depth of the educational experience at Welling School.

Key Stage 3:

The KS3 curriculum at Welling is delivered through our four academic streams, allowing us to best serve the diverse range of needs, abilities and ambitions across our student body. Students are placed in a curriculum pathway, initially based on their KS2 attainment data, with movements between streams taking place after assessment points throughout KS3.

Students follow one of the following academic pathways: Grammar, Express, Ambition or Aspire.

Grammar Pathway

The Grammar pathway is designed for our more able students offering the traditional EBACC pathway with additional stretch towards studying Triple Science at Key Stage 4. The pathway allows learners to pursue a wider range of academic subjects beyond KS4. These students are set by ability for the core subjects as well Humanities and MFL. They are in mixed ability groups for PE, Performing Arts, Visual Arts and Technologies.

Express Pathway

The Express pathway is designed for those students who are not yet working at grammar level, but who show the potential to do so at a later stage.  This pathway can be seen as a gateway to the grammar stream, and follow the same co-curricular pathway. Students in the Express pathway are typically guided towards an academic suite of GCSE options in Year 9, but may choose to supplement these with more practical or vocational subjects should they choose to do so.

Ambition Pathway

The Ambition pathway is designed for students to have access to the whole breadth of subjects to develop both their academic and practical skills. The pathway allows learners to pursue a wide range of academic or applied subjects beyond KS4. These students are taught in mixed ability groupings for all of their subjects. Teachers plan lessons aimed at the top ability within their class and provide scaffolds and support for students who need it through differentiation strategies.

Aspire Pathway

The Aspire pathway is a bespoke pathway offered to students who require additional learning support, such as with literacy and/or numeracy. Students in the Aspire pathway do not study an MFL subject, in order to provide more capacity in students’ timetable to develop their core skills.  Students in the Aspire pathway are guided towards the most suitable range of vocational options for GCSE study, as well as additional literacy studies.

Key Stage 4:

• Personalised options process: We ensure students follow a curriculum that prepares them for their next steps
• Pathways to higher education: All Key Stage 4 pathways are lead to further education opportunities
• English Baccalaureate opportunities: In addition to core subjects, students can pursue courses that fulfill the English Baccalaureate suite of qualifications
• Reinforcement of learning: Our curriculum revisits and reviews concepts, skills, and content to ensure they are thoroughly embedded.

Key Stage 5:

Pathways to higher education: Students pursue courses that enable them to access further education and university opportunities and the world of work. Students can choose from A-Levels, vocational courses, or a combination, tailored to their interests and career aspirations.

• Sports Academy: Our thriving Sports Academy offers a pathway to university and the workforce for students interested in a more vocational route.
• Personal development opportunities: We provide experiences that support personal growth, employability, and academic study.
• Preparation for next steps: Through comprehensive support, we prepare students for university, apprenticeships, or employment.

By implementing this comprehensive curriculum, Welling School ensures that all students are well-prepared to excel academically, socially, and personally, both during their time with us and in their future endeavors.