Curriculum & Options

Curriculum Intent

We believe our students are as good as anyone, anywhere.  Our intent is to recognise and celebrate difference; provide exciting opportunities; and to meet the needs of all students. 

When students leave The Marvell College, they are well prepared for life beyond the end of their compulsory secondary education. 

Our core values permeate all that we do.

Ambition

By tailoring our curriculum planning to the needs of all students we seek to instil in them a desire and determination to be successful, and the means to do so.

Respect

It is our expectation that we respect ourselves, each other, and the environment in which we live and work.

Courage

In accepting that some things will be difficult, and that sometimes we will fail, we demonstrate the courage required to become successful learners and valued members of society.

Alongside our core values, our common aims across the curriculum are:

• To develop students’ reading and disciplinary literacy skills.
• To adapt teaching to address misconceptions and meet the needs of all learners.
• To ensure knowledge retrieval and retention is at the forefront of curriculum design and assessment.
• To enable students to be able to apply skills and knowledge independently, including having the resilience to respond in unfamiliar contexts.

The Curriculum

Each subject area has their own page on our website. This contains details of the curriculum intent within their subject and how this fits within our common aims. Individual curriculum journey documents set out how the curriculum is sequenced from Years 7 to 11. They will also show how essential skills, knowledge and understanding are developed over time.

The timetable is a 25 unit week, each lesson being 60 minutes in duration. The day begins with a tutor period at the start of everyday running 8:45 - 09:05. Students have a 15 minute break between periods 2 and 3, with 30 minutes for lunch after period 4. Afternoon tutor time runs from 1.50pm-2pm and the school day finishes at 3pm.

Students are taught within mixed ability groups in some subjects and set by ability in others. We are flexible in our approach that takes account of the mix and needs of students in each year group.

At the end of Year 8 students have some choice over the guided pathway of study they feel is most suitable for them.  A high proportion of students will follow the EBacc pathway and study French. The vast majority of our students will study Geography and/or History throughout KS4. Decisions are made alongside their parents or carers, classroom teachers and the Year Team so that students maximise the enjoyment and enrichment they get from their choices, leading them to appropriate post-16 pathways.

Some students may follow a more bespoke curriculum offer that is better suited to their needs. Such decisions have the needs of the child at heart, and are taken in conjunction with the students and their parents or carers.

Our curriculum offer if reviewed on an annual basis. The current curriculum model is detailed below for illustrative purposes.

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