A Broad and Balanced Education
At the Abbey School, we place emphasis on the importance of every child having a broad and balanced education which includes a range of experiences both inside and outside of the classroom.
Lower School
In the Lower School (Years 7 and 8), students build on their existing subject knowledge and develop a range of new skills and understanding. The table below shows the curriculum allocation for students in each year group. The number of one-hour long lessons is either shown in brackets or referred to in the text. The school operates a two-week timetable consisting of 48 periods.
| Year Group | Subjects And Hours Per Fortnight (Each Lesson Is One Hour Long) |
|---|---|
| Year 7 | Art (2), English (8), MFL (5), Geography (3) History (3), Food Tech (2), Drama (2), Music (1), RE & Citizenship (2), Mathematics (8), Technology (2), Science (6) & PE (4) |
| Year 8 | Art (2), English (8), MFL (5), Geography (3) History (3), Food Tech (2), Drama (2), Music (1), RE & Citizenship (2), Mathematics (8), Technology (2), Science (6) & PE (4) |
Upper School
The Upper School (Year 9-11) curriculum has been developed in order that students study a range of qualifications that meet the national Progress 8 measure. This is the benchmark statistic against which all schools are measured and requires students to take GCSEs in the core subjects of English Language, English Literature, Mathematics and Science. In addition to these subjects, 48% of students also study a Modern Foreign Language, with students encouraged on pathway to take Geography or History. Finally, students can choose the remainder of their subjects from option blocks. This will enable them to tailor their educational journey to match their personal strengths and future career prospects.
| Year Group | Subjects And Hours Per Fortnight (Each Lesson Is One Hour Long) |
|---|---|
| Year 9 | English (8), RE & Citizenship (3), Mathematics (8), PE (3), Science (8) and four options each allocated either five or four periods per fortnight (dependent on option block). Options include History or Geography (one of these is compulsory), Business, Sports Science, Art, French, Spanish, Enterprise Education (ICT & Finance Qualifications), Health and Social Care, Drama, Media, Dance, ICT, Child Development, Food Technology, RE and Design Technology. |
| Year 10 | English (8), RE & Citizenship (2), Mathematics (8), PE (3), Science (8) and four options each allocated either five or four periods per fortnight (dependent on option block). Options include History or Geography (one of these is compulsory), Business, Sports Science, Art, French, Spanish, Enterprise Education (ICT & Finance Qualifications), Health and Social Care, Drama, Media, Dance, ICT, Child Development, Food Technology and Design Technology. |
| Year 11 | English (8), RE & Citizenship (2), Mathematics (8), PE (3), Science (8) and four options each allocated five periods per fortnight. Options include History or Geography (one of these is compulsory), Business, Child Development, Additional English/Maths/Science, Sports Science, Enterprise, Art, French, Spanish, Health and Social Care, Dance, Drama, Media, Performing Arts, ICT, Food Technology and 3D Spatial Design. |
Sixth Form
In the Sixth Form (Post 16), students will typically choose subjects available from four option blocks (named A to D). Qualifications available are from the Academic and Applied General qualification suites.
- Each option block is scheduled for 9 one hour periods per fortnight.
- Students have Directed Study (which is a conjoined block for Yr 12&13) and Core Learning associated to their timetable.
- There is a fifth option block (E) which is typically 12 periods a fortnight and used to schedule football academy time in addition to any other subjects that need to moved there to facilitate student choices.
- Students not in the academy but taking four choices across A-D will have Core and Private Study (Directed Study) allocated.
| Year Group | Subjects And Hours Per Fortnight (Each Lesson Is One Hour Long) |
|---|---|
| Year 12 |
Block A: History (A Level), Finance (LIBF), Applied Science (Applied GCE) and Media (Btec Extended Cert). Block B: ICT (Btec Extended Cert), Sport (BTec Diploma), Criminology (Certificate), Economics (A Level), English Literature (A Level) and RE (A Level) Block C: Business (Btec Extended Cert), Sport (Extended Cert), Maths (A Level), Health and Social (Extended Cert), Geography (A Level) and French (A Level) Block D: Sport (Extended Cert), Criminology (Certificate), Politics (A Level), Psychology (A Level) and Business (A Level) Block E: Football Academy, Dance (A Level) |
| Year 13 |
Block A: History (A Level), Finance (LIBF), Applied Science (Applied GCE) and Child Development (Btec Extended Cert) Block B: ICT (Btec Extended Cert), Sport (BTec Diploma), Criminology (Certificate) and Economics (A Level) Block C: Business (Btec Extended Cert), Sport (Extended Cert), Maths (A Level) and Health and Social (Extended Cert) Block D: Sport (Extended Cert), Criminology (Certificate), Politics (A Level), Psychology (A Level) and Business (A Level) Block E: Football Academy |