The Curriculum Statement must reflect the school mission statement, ie "To maximise the potential of all in a happy, caring and disciplined environment", as well as being directly related to the following whole school aims and objectives:

The school aims to:

provide for the acquisition of knowledge through learning;
provide for the development of high levels of work related skills and good social skills.

In order to fulfil these curriculum aims, the school's objectives are:

to emphasise teaching and leaning as a core function;
to foster high expectations of all students to refuse to accept underachievement;
to ensure that each student is known as an individual and to maintain a support structure so that each student achieves his or her potential academically, physically and socially;
to endeavour to produce the best possible examination results for students at all levels;
to teach a curriculum which will have relevance to the world of work and to give vocational guidance and experience of work to help in Careers preparation;
to develop programmes for students with special and additional educational needs;
to promote close and effective links with feeder primary schools in order to facilitate the smooth transition of students from Year 6 into Year 7;
to ensure that all students have equal access to their entitlement under the National Curriculum.

(Aims and objectives with a specific relevance to the whole school curriculum identified in the whole school AIMS AND OBJECTIVES.)

These curriculum aims and objectives reflect the 1998 Education Reform Act Statement:

'To promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of students and society, and to prepare students for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life.'

This statement captures the fundamental purposes of education.

The characteristics of our curriculum at Caerleon Comprehensive School include:

Securing Achievement at the Core, ie equipping students with the essential skills of Literacy, Numeracy and Information Communication Technology (ICT);

Maintaining Breadth and Balance to include the following:

The Linguistic and the Literacy
The Aesthetic
The Creative
The Physical
The Mathematical
The Scientific
The Technological
The Social and Environment
The Spiritual
The Moral (Ref: ACCAC)

Securing continuity and progression recognising that education is a lifelong learning process: continuity and progression from KS2 through KS3, KS4, KS5 to Higher Education

The Curriculum Cymraeg

An awareness of equal opportunities

Establishing close links with the world of work via Careers Education, experience of work and industry links

Promoting key skills across the curriculum

Most importantly, the curriculum should be delivered through good teaching and effective learning. It should be guided by clear objectives, differentiated where appropriate to meet the needs of all students and be informed by the knowledge that students learn in different ways and at different speeds

Annual School Curriculum Review

Each academic year the Curriculum is reviewed using the following process:

September
At a Heads of Department meeting, the curriculum is discussed to establish the functional effectiveness of the new timetable

September to January
The Curriculum Review group meets to review the new timetable but more importantly, to discuss plans, suggestions and recommendations for the next academic year. This is an open forum which any member of staff can attend. Throughout this process the Deputy Head (Curriculum) reports back to the Leadership Team.

When the Curriculum Plan for the next academic year has been agreed, the Deputy Head (Curriculum) meets with the Governors' Curriculum Panel to update them on any changes and seek their approval.

Timetable Construction

Influences

The input of the Curriculum Review Group
Statutory Educational Legislation
Assessment of Whole School Needs by the Leadership Team
Staffing availability and special requests
Staffing development and promotions (internal roles, external appointments and retirements)
Financial Constraints
Prospective Year 12 option choices
Prospective Year 10 option choices

With reference to option choices, there is an important pastoral input and Head of Department scrutiny of the prospective groups in particular at KS5 (February/March).

Processes

Establish subject group balances on a timetable framework for Years 10 - 13 (April)
Complete Years 10 - 13 timetable honouring Heads of Department's staffing requests. This is then made available to them for checking prior to continuation with the KS3 timetable construction.
The aim is to complete a new timetable by mid-June allowing time for the rooming process and yet further opportunity for Heads of Department to fine-tune the needs of their department.
At every stage of the timetable construction, consultation takes place with the Heads of Department.
Consultation and rational compromise are successful factors in this school for timetable construction, allowing us to make the best use of all resources, ie teaching rooms, laboratories, playing fields, gymnasia, workshops and above all teaching staff.