Our aim at The Chapel is to engage students in learning that is representative of elements of learning in mainstream school while enabling students to gain confidence in their ability and potential.

The long-term plans are dictated largely by the demands of the AQA exam syllabus. At The Chapel we work towards enabling students to gain a grade 4 or above in both English Language and Literature. However, we aim to be flexible and this pathway is not suitable for all of our students due to their individual circumstances. We also offer a Functional English course alongside the GCSEs for selected students.

The course starts with close study of two literature texts that explore the theme of social responsibility: An Inspector Calls and A Christmas Carol. We then turn to developing skills in creative reading and writing for the English Language exam.

Throughout the course we examine a collection of poetry connected by the theme of 'power and conflict', with poems from Percy Bysshe Shelley and William Blake alongside modern contemporary poems by Imtiaz Dharker and Carol Ann Duffy.

We also study Macbeth or Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare and analyse how writers use language to express their viewpoints before writing our own.

We want our students to learn to :

· Read a wide range of non-fiction and fiction texts with understanding and insight.

· Develop an appreciation of literature through the close study of prose, poetry and drama texts.

· Write skilfully to suit various audiences, purposes and forms such as letters, speeches etc.

· Speak with increasing confidence and fluency for a variety of purposes and audiences.

We also expect our pupils in KS4 to bring a private reading book to school every day. There is a reading opportunity towards the end of one of their English lessons and there may be chances to read in form time or in other lessons when work is completed.

Our approach is to enhance pupils' enjoyment of maths by working to ensure they experience success. For pupils who have missed time in school or who have struggled to make progress, this may mean spending more time building up their knowledge of number facts and methods, with structured practice to help with long term retention. Pupils who are already more confident also spend time learning strategies to apply to problems and recognising when a particular strategy is required. 

Although pupils join us at different points, we structure the school year to provide the possibility for progression and some clarity for pupils as to what to expect and what they might have missed. 

Y11a students follow the Edexcel 1MA1 syllabuses. Y11b study the foundation level aiming for GCSE Grade 3 or Grade 4. The curriculum is split into five areas: Number, Ratio and Proportion, Algebra, Geometry and Statistics. Each area is taught as a whole over the course of a half term.  

In Science our aim is to enhance pupil’s enjoyment of the Sciences. Our curriculum at KS4 involves the teaching of Chemistry, Biology and Physics at GCSE level and is taught in an engaging and interactive way, making the learning fun and ensuring that pupils’ experience success. We structure the lessons so that they are representative of learning in the pupils’ home school and support pupils to gain both the substantive and disciplinary knowledge that they need to succeed in the subject.

Although pupils join us at different points, we structure the school year to provide the possibility for progression and some clarity for pupils as to what to expect and what they might have missed. 

Staff work with the pupil during their time at Chapel House to identify any gaps in learning and then work together to address those gaps.

All Becton students are taught using a spiral curriculum approach which is a curriculum that returns to the same topics over time. All lessons are aligned to the National Curriculum.

 The spiral approach to curriculum has three key principles. The three principles are:

1. Cyclical: Students should return to the same topic several times throughout their school career;
2. Increasing Depth: Each time a student returns to the topic it should be learned at a deeper level and explore more complexity;
3. Prior Knowledge: A student’s prior knowledge should be utilised when a topic is returned to so that they build from their foundations rather than starting anew.

The curriculum approach uses 5 levels of skills across 3 different areas:

• Health and Wellbeing
• Living in the Wider World
• Relationships

Staff will benchmark students on entry and will choose a level and subject according to the specific, bespoke needs of the students at that time. The choices will be made with liaison with the wider multidisciplinary team.

Our enrichment sessions occur on a Thursday afternoon and pupils can choose from a variety of activities to suit their needs and interests. Activities change across the terms and examples of what we have offered can be seen below: