Curriculum Statement

Curriculum Statement

“A great education in a great comprehensive school.”

John Dunford, Headteacher at Durham Johnston 1982-98

At Durham Johnston Comprehensive School we aspire to deliver a curriculum which engages all of our students, regardless of background, in a rich, academically rigorous and aspirational programme of study throughout their time at our school. We ensure that the curriculum is regularly quality assured at departmental and whole school level so that adjustments can be made as part of a regular review process. We also prioritise an ambitious curriculum for all, ensuring that all school staff plan effectively so that the curriculum is accessible for all students, including those with specific learning needs. Our curriculum is wide ranging and inclusive, and provides a number of opportunities for students to read in depth, to prepare for life in modern Britain and to develop personally. Those key threads are present in our curriculum offer for all students at Durham Johnston Comprehensive School.

Our curriculum is designed to give students an appreciation of human creativity and achievement, drawing inspiration from Matthew Arnold’s often quoted 1869 essay ‘Culture & Anarchy’ in which he suggested that people should be introduced “…to the best that has been thought and said.” We hope to deliver a quality of education that does just that in the broadest possible terms. However, the context of the quotation in Arnold’s essay is often overlooked; he believed that exposure to be necessary in order to challenge “exuberant individualism, replete with prejudice, greed, xenophobia, racism, intolerance and aggression. All of which would lead to anarchy.” Our curriculum, ethos, strategic priorities and planning are all intended to provide an environment in which students can thrive, learn and be guided away from those things which denigrate and negatively impact our society.  We want students at Durham Johnston to achieve academic excellence based upon their starting points, to acquire detailed knowledge and to develop into individuals who maximise their talents and make a positive contribution to society.

Our teachers are subject specialists who value learning and are continually developing our curriculum plans to ensure knowledge progression, clear sequencing of concepts and opportunities for knowledge recall to transfer key knowledge into students’ long-term memory.

We are committed to social justice and to closing the attainment gap. We balance equal access to subjects deemed academic against fair access to future opportunities, in order to give all our students a rounded education that ‘opens doors’ regardless of location or specialism.

Key Stage 3

Our Key Stage 3 curriculum is taught over three years and aims to be broader, richer and deeper than the national curriculum. The content in each subject is coherently planned and carefully sequenced to allow students to acquire deep knowledge, develop skills and build solid foundations for Key Stage 4.

Further details of the content that Years 7-9 will be studying for each of their subjects can be found on the Curriculum pages in this section of the school website. The time allocation in hours for all subjects at Key Stage 3 is given below:

Languages at Key Stage 3

The study of languages is very important at all levels of society and as such features significantly in our ambitious Key Stage 3 curriculum. The ability to communicate in multiple languages can give students an advantage in their future career and support success an increasingly global business community. Equally, the study of languages can help foster positive attitudes to people from different backgrounds, promote tolerance and empathy and develop an understanding of different cultures and traditions.

In Year 7, students study two hours of French a week and do a carousel with a term each of German, Mandarin and Spanish in the remaining hour and have taster sessions in Latin. Students then choose any 2 of these 5 languages to continue in Years 8 and 9 and study each for two hours a week.

Key Stage 4

One of the key strengths of our school is the breadth of academic subjects that we offer our students both at Key Stage 4 and 5. We are a truly comprehensive school with a diverse range of students with correspondingly diverse talents and interests and this is reflected in the breadth of our curriculum offer.

At the end of Year 9, students select three ‘option’ subjects. At least one of these will be from the Ebacc (English Baccalaureate) subjects listed below and the other two option choices can be from any of the 23 courses offered. We support students through this process and advise them to follow a broad and balanced curriculum, to keep their options open, and to pick subjects they are passionate about and those that support their future aspirations.

Our Pastoral and Learning Support teams also work to identify individual student needs and provide specialised and targeted support to ensure all students reach their full potential. This support can take many forms including literacy or numeracy intervention, Sixth Form mentoring or access to pastoral programmes including working with staff in our Student Support Centre. We are ambitious and ensure that all students can access the curriculum and continue with subjects that they enjoy and want to pursuer at a higher level.

Key Stage 5

Our academic and consistently successful Sixth Form offers a wide breadth of courses to reflect the range of students we attract. Students generally choose four courses from the list below in Year 12 and then focus on three A-Levels during Year 13.

A Level Subjects