Rawlins Curriculum

The curriculum at Rawlins is shaped by our vision to ‘Act wisely and make the most of every opportunity’ (Colossians 4:5), has been designed to offer students a broad and balanced curriculum across all key stages.

In considering our curriculum offer we recognise that our school curriculum must provide opportunities for all our students to acquire the powerful knowledge, skills and understanding they need to flourish and move on to the next step in their life-long learning journey, towards employment, further study at college or university.

Developing trust through the delivery of our broad and balanced curriculum, we aim to help our young people grow from dependent to independent and onto interdependent young adults. Through our actions we aim to inspire hope and motivate our students to build success and achieve their very best.

Our curriculum creates opportunities for students to work independently and with others, broaden their cultural capital, build resilience and empower them to live life in all its fullness. Working in partnership with students and stakeholders, we believe we can shape the future together, and help us all to strengthen our community, by empowering each other to become active citizens, serving the common good, through the enactment of our vision, to ‘act wisely and make the most of every opportunity’ together.

Our Curriculum:

  • fulfils statutory requirements and recommendations being based upon the National Curriculum
  • includes breadth, balance, relevance, adaptation, progression and coherence across a diverse range of academic, creative and sporting opportunities
  • offers a range of qualifications that maximise successful progression to the next step in the learning journey of our students, through entry to further and higher education, or training, apprenticeships and employment
  • prepares students to make informed and appropriate choices at crucial times
  • enables all students to access a full range of learning experiences and qualifications
  • enables students to develop a love of reading, literacy and numeracy skills
  • enables students to understand protected characteristics, develop personal moral values, a respect for religious values and the acceptance of other races beliefs and ways of life
  • enables students to make good decisions about their futures, their health, their safety and their relationships.

Delivering Our Curriculum:

  • the curriculum is kept under constant review and changes are made to content, courses, subjects and modes of delivery as appropriate
  • time provided for teaching the different components of the curriculum is carefully considered and planned
  • student progress is carefully assessed and information shared with students and parents
  • schemes of learning are in place for all courses
  • levels of attainment and rates of progression are monitored by heads of department and other senior leaders
  • the Trust board and local governing board monitors the curriculum and discusses/approves significant changes
  • most knowledge and skills are covered by the National Curriculum; in addition, a wider set of skills and attributes are developed through the informal curriculum, the extended curriculum and the values of and daily life at Rawlins.

The School Day

The school day starts at 8.30am and ends at 3:00 pm*. This totals 32.5 hours per week. After tutor time there are five 60-minute lessons split by a break of 20 minutes and a lunchtime of 40 minutes. *Some lessons are timetabled to run from 3:00pm – 4:00pm (known as Period 6 lessons).

Curriculum content and grouping

All students are part of a tutor group, which meet for 25 minutes each morning. The time is used for Collective Worship, which includes daily Spiritual Reflection sessions and a Values in Action session, once per week. In addition, the curriculum includes the tutor group reading programme, Rawlins Reads, which happens three times per week. Year group assemblies also take place during this time which reflect the collective worship programme theme of the week. Tutor time and assemblies are an important part of the wider curriculum, where SMSC, the values of the school and important current local and national issues are explored and discussed.

Religious Education

Religious Education (RE) is classified as a statutory subject as set out by the DfE for all schools. As a Church of England School, RE is provided for all students, is inclusive and broad minded, and students are entered for GCSE Religious Studies in Year 11. Parents do have the right to withdraw pupils from RE: if you wish to do this, contact the Vice Principal – QoE for a discussion. The school does not support selective withdrawal from RE.

You can find out more here:

Legal Requirements for Religious Education in the UK | NATRE

KS3-KS5 Rawlins Curriculum Overview

Curriculum Policy 2024-25_v2