Thank you to teachers and
parents for what seemed to be a very useful year 8 parents evening this week. We also had another very successful sixth form
open evening.
A number of parents asked me
questions about the curriculum, in particular if it would be possible to
introduce or reinstate various subjects. As an academy we do have some
flexibility as long as our curriculum is broad and balanced. As a faith school
we have a statutory obligation to offer RS at KS4 and as a music specialist
school I am of course keen to encourage music. In selecting the subject offer
we have to make sure that:
1.
We have the
staff with the subject expertise to teach them
2.
We can afford it
This affordability issue is
becoming increasingly important as schools work out what to do in the face of significant cuts to budgets. In all schools the average
class size decreases from KS3-5. State schools of course have to ensure that
class sizes remain high and have to be careful not to offer
too many subjects, bringing the average class size down.
You may have heard about the
introduction of the EB with a consultation launched earlier this month.
This will place greater
pressure on all schools, academies or otherwise to ensure that as many students
as possible take history, geography and a language. Additionally the changes in
league tables to include progress 8 measures make it inevitable that schools
will make alterations to their curriculum, not necessarily in the best
interests of their students!
I will be happy to discuss
these challenges at the parent consultation evening tomorrow evening.
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