CURRICULUM COMMITTEE

Chair 2002/2003 – Mr John Clay

The Curriculum Committee is responsible for ensuring that the school meets the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum and monitors the performance of individual departments.  It is responsible for setting the school’s annual examination targets and recommending these to the Governing Body.  The Committee met on four occasions during the year.

The Committee reviewed the Government’s 14–19 strategy and considered its implications for Nonsuch.  The strategy offers possibilities for curriculum reform, acceleration, and the introduction of vocational courses.  Although the Committee recognised that the strategy provided potential opportunities for Nonsuch, it was felt that many factors were still unclear and that no major changes would be made in the short term.  In July, the Committee gave approval for some pupils to take a GCSE in their first foreign language in Year 10.  The first such group will take their exams in summer 2004.

The Key Stage 3 strategy is now well established and the Committee received a report on its implementation.  Literacy across the curriculum has been the focus for the first stage of the strategy.  Literacy forms part of lesson observation and every classroom has dictionaries and displays of language appropriate to the subject taught.  An internal audit of Key Stage 3 teaching led to additional Inset provision.

The Committee received a report on the Science Department.  Mr Lewin Smale, appointed as Head of Science in September 2002, gave an overview of the department, current initiatives and plans for future development.  The Committee noted the successful introduction of integrated science in Year 7 and its progression to Year 8.   Mr Smale had organised reviews of schemes of work in Key Stage 4 and 5, updated risk assessment procedures and reviewed the facilities for preparation of practical lessons.  Future plans include a fully integrated science department and refurbishment of laboratories.

In July, the Committee reviewed the History department and received a report from an external assessor who met with the department and observed lessons.  External assessment is part of a rolling programme of departmental review.  The assessor commented favourably on a department that is well resourced, with particular mention of ‘the wealth of experience’, that teaching was ‘good overall’ and the very positive use of questioning techniques.  The GSCE results for history are excellent.

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