Curriculum Policy

 

Curriculum Policy

 

Mesarya Education House (“MEH”) is a learning environment.
We promote care and respect in all aspects of institution life.

Our aim is to meet the needs of young people and prepare them for adult life.
We recognise that the world is rapidly changing, and that young people have greater and greater access to information year on year.
We also recognise that adulthood requires economic participation in a global environment, but that students should expect that we contribute to their growth as whole persons as well.
We also recognise that students at the age of 18 will still be at an early stage of learning in the context of modern educational expectations.
We also understand that curriculum delivery should involve, at best, the exposure of students to adults other than teachers.
These could include support staff, graduates, lecturers, artists, sports people, politicians, and people from industry and business to support curriculum delivery.

Therefore, our curriculum policy is based on the following aims:

  • It puts students at its heart, with their interests paramount
  • It seeks  a  curriculum  that  is  fit  for  purpose,  offering  differentiation  and personalisation
  • It aspires to make MEH a centre of excellence in learning and teaching.
    It understands that students should be challenged by the academic rigour, depth, and breadth of their curriculum whilst being empowered by their exposure to teaching and learning.
  • It seeks to prepare all students for a successful adult life
  • It seeks to first achieve and then to exceed the achievement, attainment, and progression prevalent in comparable institutions
  • It is committed to the principle of coherent balance, so that each area of learning and experience will be given appropriate attention.
  • It seeks to nurture and develop the talents of all
  • It seeks above all else to offer an inspiring learning environment that allows staff and students to operate to the height of their abilities in a culture of excellence.
  • It aims to allow students to exercise and to develop physically, socially, and mentally in part by offering a range of physical activities and sports.

Curriculum Aims

The curriculum should inspire and challenge all learners and prepare them for the future. MEH’s aim is to develop a coherent curriculum that builds on young people’s previous education in such a way that all young people here become successful learners, confident individuals, and responsible citizens.

Specifically, the curriculum should help young people to:

  • achieve high standards and make good to excellent progress from their baseline
  • enable those who are underachieving to narrow the gap and catch up with their peers
  • move towards enabling students to more easily progress based on ability and to be able to enter for public examinations when they are ready rather than to have their entry dictated by age
  • have and be able to use high quality personal learning and thinking skills and become independent learners
  • have and be able to use high quality functional skills, including key literacy, numeracy, and ICT skills
  • be challenged and stretched to achieve beyond their potential
  • enjoy and be committed to learning, to 19 and beyond
  • value their learning outside of the curriculum and relate to the taught curriculum.

 

The needs of Students as they relate to the Curriculum

To secure the aims detailed above, and in addition to them, MEH as a whole will seek to address the needs of students across 6 broad headings.

These are:

  1. Linguistic

We will develop the students’ communication skills and command of language through speaking, listening, presentations, reading and writing. We will carefully assess the academic English needs of students and shall meet these across English GCSE, A-level, IELTS, and EAP courses. Every effort will be made to support pupils in the development of their linguistic skills. They will be taught to read with fluency, discrimination, and skill, for a variety of purposes and functions as well as for enjoyment. We shall seek to ensure that every student writes legibly and clearly with a high to excellent standard of spelling and punctuation. Students will also be taught to develop their research and enquiry skills, and will be informed of the need to produce evidence in research, and of the dangers of plagiarism. They will also be encouraged to develop cognitive research and thinking skills, and not to rely on electronic devices or to mistake the accumulation of assertions and facts for genuine knowledge.

 

  1. Scientific

We seek to provide a scientific education of the highest and most appropriate quality, so that students can develop their knowledge and understanding of Nature, environmental perspectives, materials, and forces. We aim to impart a sound knowledge of scientific beliefs, principles, and skills, and will encourage students studying science to observe, hypothesise, experiment and discriminate so that they can analyse and solve problems, and also derive satisfaction from their process of curiosity and enquiry.

 

  1. Mathematical

We seek to develop the mental agility of students so that they might make oral and written calculations with confidence and verve. We seek to impart a strong understanding of mathematics, and to develop mathematical abilities. The needs of students to learn how to think logically and clearly, and the benefits from developing and elaborating this process, will be made clear and students will be encouraged to develop in mathematics as far as they are able.

 

  1. Technological

We seek to develop and enhance not only the use of technology, but the ways in which students can use and understand it. We understand that technology is central to modern life, but we will endeavour to create a perspective in which it serves and does not lead, and in which students are never dependent on the simple accumulation of data or facts from the internet. Such a perspective will equip students to be flexible, curious, and independent.

 

  1. Human, Social and Spiritual

It is a fundamental duty of MEH to help students to develop a sense of self and sensitivity to others, acquiring along the way humility, understanding, and awareness of social issues and dangers. Students will be encouraged to learn about historical and social aspects of their courses, and where possible to link their course to real world perspectives that reflect global and British history and life. As part of this effort, MEH will try to help students to develop their confidence, physical control of mind and body, and teamwork. The curriculum delivery will make students aware at various points of the importance of a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle.

 

  1. Aesthetic and Artistic

Students will be encouraged to listen, make, compose, invent, perform and develop their imaginations and ideas through art, stories, music, media studies, and literature.

 

  1. Physical, Sporting, and Social

Physical Exercise is a requirement for students of compulsory school age, but also an essential part of human development and an outlet and learning opportunity for students.
MEH will, as part of curriculum provision, develop a capacity, which allows for hired sports facilities where necessary, but which will extend to all age ranges. We will seek to build not just around a sports co-ordinator, football provision, and existing table tennis, badminton, and netball, but also into sports such as climbing and swimming. Sports which encourage both individual challenge and social development will be prioritized in the context of MEH’s SMSC provision and aims.

 

 

 

Pupils should be taught to:

 

  • use and develop a variety of tactics and strategies to overcome opponents in team and individual games [for example, badminton, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, netball, rounders, rugby and tennis]
  • develop their technique and improve their performance in other competitive sports [for example, athletics and gymnastics] or other physical activities [for example, dance]
  • take part in further outdoor and adventurous activities in a range of environments which present intellectual and physical challenges and which encourage pupils to work in a team, building on trust and developing skills to solve problems, either individually or as a group
  • evaluate their performances compared to previous ones and demonstrate improvement across a range of physical activities to achieve their personal best
  • continue to take part regularly in competitive sports and activities outside school through community links or sports clubs

 

Curriculum Outcomes

Mesarya Education House use NCUK’s curriculum which will:

  • lead to qualifications that are of worth for employers and for entry into higher education
  • fulfil statutory and regulatory requirements
  • enable students to fulfil their potential
  • meet the needs of young people of all abilities at MEH
  • provide equal access for all students to a full range of learning experiences beyond sector and regulatory minima and guidelines
  • prepare students to make informed and appropriate academic and personal choices
  • help students to develop lively, enquiring minds, an ability to question and argue rationally, and an ability to apply themselves to tasks of all types
  • include the following characteristics; breadth, balance, relevance, differentiation, progression, continuity, and coherence
  • ensure continuity and progression within MEH and between phases of education
  • foster teaching styles which will offer and encourage a variety of learning opportunities
  • help students to use language and number effectively
  • help students to develop moral values, respect for religious values, and tolerance of the beliefs and ways of life of others
  • help students to understand the world in which they live

 

Roles and Responsibilities

 

The Principal and the Vice-Principal will ensure that:

  • Statutory and regulatory elements of the curriculum, and those subjects that MEH chooses to offer, have aims and objectives that reflect the aims of MEH and indicate how the needs of individual students will be met, including how the subject is taught and assessed
  • The amount of time provided for teaching the curriculum is adequate and is reviewed annually
  • The procedures for assessment meet all legal requirements and students and parents or guardians receive regular information to show how much progress the students are making and what is required to help them improve

 

 

Faculty Heads will ensure that:

  • They have oversight of curriculum structure and delivery within their faculty
  • Detailed and up-to-date schemes of learning are in place for the delivery of courses within their faculty
  • Schemes of learning are monitored and reviewed on a regular basis
  • Levels of attainment and rates of progression are communicated to Heads of Year and the Director of Welfare and Pastoral policy on a regular basis and that actions are taken where necessary to improve these
  • Long-term planning is in place for all courses
  • There is consistency in terms of curriculum delivery
  • Appropriate awarding bodies and courses are selected so that they best meet the learning needs of students
  • Assessment is consistent and appropriate to each course
  • They keep the Director of Studies and Examinations Officer informed of proposed changes to curriculum delivery
  • All relevant information and data is shared with the Administration team and the Examinations Officer (including deadlines for examinations, controlled assessments, and coursework)
  • Student performance data is maintained and reviewed on a regular basis
  • Best practice is shared with other colleagues in terms of curriculum design and delivery
  • Cpd needs are communicated to the Principal and Director of Studies

 

Teaching Staff and Learning Support Staff will:

  • Ensure that the MEH curriculum is implemented in accordance with this policy
  • Keep up to date with developments in their subjects
  • Have access to, and be able to interpret, data on each students to inform the design of the curriculum in order that it best meets the needs of each cohort of students
  • Share and exchange information about best practice among their colleagues so as to result in a dynamic and relevant curriculum and practice of delivery
  • Participate in high quality professional development

Students will:

  • Be treated as fellow travellers in their learning, contributing to the design and implementation of the curriculum
  • Have their individual needs addressed, both within MEH and beyond, via a curriculum which offers breadth, support, and challenge
  • Be given support and relevant feedback if they start to fall behind in their learning, helping them to get back on track quickly
  • Receive co-ordinated support to enable them to make the appropriate curriculum and university choices

 

Parents and guardians will:

  • Be consulted and informed about their children’s’ learning and in planning the future education of the students
  • Be confident that their child is receiving a high quality education that is designed to meet their learning needs and which will equip them with the skills they need to thrive throughout their lives
  • Be informed about the curriculum on offer and understand the rationale behind it.

 

Teaching Groups, class sizes and the MEH Day

  • Students will be placed in tutor registration groups which will be different from those of their taught classes
  • Average class sizes will be at 10-15, and in many subjects lower
  • The MEH day starts at 9am and finishes at 5pm and consists of 14 35 minute periods. Lunch is from 40 to 1.30pm.

Examinations and Predictor Tests

MEH will make wide and serious use of the ALIS and YELLIS predictor system, records of past performance, and fortnightly Examination Practice Papers (EPPs). In addition, the Director of Studies, in coordination with the Heads of Faculties, will annually review the planning of mocks, the policy for entering students into AS examinations, and the provision of subjects.

Curriculum Content

A very limited number of students join MEH with the intention of following a one- year GCSE course. These tend to be repeating a year or to be students of very high academic ability, or international students who have completed a similar stage of schooling in their own country but who wish to consolidate their knowledge. Two year GCSE programmes are the norm. Students are counselled to follow one of two pathways, one based on science and one on humanities.

Depending upon demand, foreign languages can be added to either pathway but are not integral to it.

A-level

MEH has taken a decision to broadly offer reformed, two-year linear A-levels and not AS plus A2. This offer depends, however, upon the speed and scale of reformation in subject areas, with mathematics not changing until 2019. Entry to the A-level programme will depend upon a course-appropriate level fluency in English and intellectual ability. Students who do not take AS levels will experience meaningful mock examinations at least three times, which will provide a serious estimate of their trajectory and current level.

Pre-A/International Pathway

Students joining without English fluency, an appropriate pass at English GCSE or IGCSE, or in some cases IELTS grades, will be required to undertake a programme of English instruction which will be integrated with different subjects so as to prepare them for A- levels. Such a course will have as its principal aim the achievement of enhanced academic English that is fit for the purpose of A-levels, though as a subsidiary and supplementary consequence might, in some streams, result in the acquisition of a GCSE in English Language. International students will be able to do termly, two-term, or full year pre-A courses, which over time will become known (cognate with the institution Development Plan) as International Pathway Courses.

 

Monitoring and Recording Student Progress and Achievement

Mesarya Education House will formally monitor each student’s achievement regularly through the Examination Practice Paper system and will record and publish results in accordance with regulatory guidance. In Sports, appropriate metrics for the activities involved will be used.
Previous results and information on achievement will be used to inform institution expectations of progress made by individual students.
A range of formative and summative assessment methods will be used to encourage and monitor each student’s progress, including tracker sheets kept in student folders.
MEH is committed to developing the coherence and quality of the curriculum via senior leadership input, schemes of work, staff development and participation in curriculum development at all levels. This will include regular assessments of the viability of programmes and occasional decisions to remove or engage with particular subjects from the curriculum offering.