Our Curriculum
For a full explanation of our curriculum rationale for the 2022-2023 academic year please click here.
At St Bernadette Catholic Secondary school our mission is to develop the whole person in a Catholic learning community, to provide a loving Christian environment and to strive for excellence in faith and learning. We aspire to be a successful community of faith and learning which is based on Gospel Values, places the child at the centre and prepares all children to achieve academic and personal excellence.
Our curriculum is a key means through which we embody our Catholic values, the principles of Catholic Social Teaching and through which we develop personal and academic excellence in our students. We believe that every pupil is capable of excellence and through the application of our curriculum seek to develop the full potential of each individual.
We provide a broad and balanced curriculum which is responsive to our student’s needs and aspirations and prepares our students for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life. Our curriculum is based on the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, explicitly develops the attributes our students need to be successful as scholars, develops their subject expertise and has a structure based on Rosenshines Principles.
Our approach to developing excellence is exemplified in our school excellence wheel and the development and implementation of our curriculum is central to achieving success in these areas. Our curriculum is ambitious and academic in nature, yet provides the flexibility to support all students including pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
What will you study?
From the beginning of Year 7 we want all of our pupils to experience not only a broad and balanced curriculum but also to develop skills that will help them become responsible and independent learners. We also look to our curriculum also to promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, aesthetic and physical development of our pupils, and to prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life.
Each pupil will study an exciting and varied range of subjects, including those with which there is already familiarity such as Mathematics, English, Science and Religious Education. In addition each pupil will also encounter a breadth of Humanities, French and Spanish, Technology, Drama, Art, Music, Physical Education, PSHE and Computing.
These are supplemented by cross-curricular work which involves ICT, Careers and the World of Work, Citizenship, Personal, Social and Health Education, Sex Education, and the Local and Global Environment.
Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Education (SMSC)
At St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School, we recognise that the personal development of our pupils plays a significant part in their ability to learn and achieve their full potential. As such, the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) enrichment of our pupils is at the heart of the school’s work.
The SMSC audit will give you a flavour of the diverse range of SMSC opportunities that our pupils participate in. To view the SMSC audit, please click here.
Key Contacts
Senior Leader with responsibility for Curriculum
Mr T Nadin
Pastoral Team Leader
Mr J Barr
To contact someone in relation to pastoral matters please contact your child's tutor.
For curriculum matters please contact your child's teacher.
Achievement Co-ordinators
Year 7 - Mrs N Cavil
Year 8 - Mrs D Holland
Year 9 - Ms J Rea
Year 10 - Ms D Holland
Year 11- Mrs J Johnson
To view information about what is studied in each faculty and why, please visit our faculty pages which can be accessed from the menu on the right hand side at the top of the page, or from the home page via the Curriculum section.