Our Curriculum

 We aim to offer a joined-up curriculum at the Knights Templar School; a curriculum that offers a rich learning experience to our students at all stages of their school education. We aim to offer a curriculum that supports the development of the whole child through learning in subjects, personal development and the habits of mind.

Scroll down to access our subject curriculum information for each year.

Our Curriculum’s ‘big ideas’

At the Knights Templar School, we have ten ‘big ideas’ that help us to design, develop and review our curriculum to ensure we offer the best education we can for our students. Here are our ten big ideas:

Meet the Needs of All Students                Broad and Balanced                       Traditional Core Skills

Creativity            Critical Thinking               Practice, Perseverance and Resilience                   Making Links

Substance and Deep Learning                    Enrichment and Cultural Capital                               Inclusive

The document below offers a brief overview of each of our ‘big ideas’.

KTS 10 Big Ideas Overview

Being an independent learner is important at the Knights Templar School

Effective independent learning has immediate impact on a child’s studies because they have the thinking skills to help them engage and complete a specific learning activity.

Over time, being an independent learner will mean that a child can pick up new knowledge and skills more quickly. They will ask the right questions to help deepen their understanding of the subjects that they are studying and they will be able to make confident decisions about how to apply their knowledge and skills to learning activities and assessments.

In the long term when a child leaves school and begins their life as an adult, they will use the skills they have developed as an independent learner to successfully tackle tasks that they come across in their personal life or in their job. You never stop learning as an adult!

The Habits of Mind express the thinking skills of an independent learner

At the Knights Templar School, we are excited to be adopting the Habits of Mind, which will help our students to develop as independent learners. The Habits of Mind are about the routine ways of thinking that help us learn. They support our students to be creative and critical thinkers. Here are the five habits of mind:

Inquisitive          Imaginative        Collaborative    Persistent           Disciplined

The document below offers a brief overview of the Habits of Mind.

KTS Habits of Mind

Find out more

Please click on the year groups below to find out more about the curriculum for students in that year group.

Year 7

Year 7 students study a broad and balanced curriculum that lays the foundation for their time at secondary school, building on and developing knowledge and skills acquired at primary school and introducing new subjects and skills that will be necessary for secondary school life.

Year 7 students study the subjects shown in the table below. You can find more specific information about what students learn in each subject, by clicking on the subject name.

Year 8

Year 8 students continue to study a broad and balanced curriculum that continues to build on and develop knowledge and skills acquired at primary school and during Year 7.

In Year 8 all students will begin to study German, as a second modern foreign language. Some students will receive additional lessons in English, mathematics, IT skills and Adventure Based Learning rather than study two modern foreign languages.

Year 8 students study the subjects shown in the table below. You can find more specific information about what students learn in each subject, by clicking on the subject name.

Year 9

Year 9 students continue to study a broad and balanced curriculum that continues to build on and develop knowledge and skills acquired at primary school and during Years 7 and 8. This learning completes the foundation for successful GCSE study in Years 10 and 11.

In Year 9 students will choose to study either French or German. Students will also choose to study two subjects from Art, Music or Drama. Some students will complete the Arts Award, and study financial studies and IT skills, rather than studying a modern foreign language.

Year 9 students study the subjects shown in the table below. You can find more specific information about what students learn in each subject, by clicking on the subject name.

Years 10 and 11

Year 11 2020-21 Updates

Year 11 Study Support and Wellbeing

Please click here to see the presentation slides from the Year 11 Study Support and Wellbeing webinar from the 2^nd December 2020.

Year 10 and 11 students study a core curriculum as well as a broad and balanced choice of options subjects.

Year 9 Options Advice

Please click here for the KS4 Curriculum and Options Guidance 2021

Please see below for links to subject information for both core and option subjects available to our current Year 9 students when they move into years 10 and 11.

Core Curriculum

The Core Curriculum constitutes the elements of the school curriculum that all students must study. These subjects are not optional. Examined subjects will lead to one or more GCSE qualifications, while the non-examined subjects will not lead to a qualification, but form an important part of students’ learning.

The subjects that form the core curriculum are shown in the table below. You can find more specific information about what students learn in each subject, by clicking on the subject name.

Guided Options Curriculum

As well as the Core Curriculum of English, Maths and Science GCSEs, students will need to select other courses based on their personal preferences and our guidance. These are known as the guided options.

Our guided options are offered through a pathway structure. Students will receive an individual letter with the pathway considered most appropriate for them along with the groups of courses available on that pathway. We will distribute this letter in early January. A student’s pathways will be either Blue or Yellow.

Blue Pathway

Core curriculum: As above plus either GCSE French, GCSE German or GCSE Spanish (whichever language has been studied in Year 9)

One humanities subject: GCSE Geography or GCSE History

Options subjects: Students may select two options from the table below.  So that all students follow a broad and balanced curriculum, students are allowed to study no more than two subjects in any group.

Yellow Pathway

Core curriculum: As above

One subject from the following: GCSE Computer Science, GCSE French, GCSE German, GCSE Geography or GCSE History

Options subjects: Students may select three options from the table below. So that all students follow a broad and balanced curriculum, students are allowed to study no more than two subjects in any group.