Curriculum Overview

Abbs Cross is all about achieving. Our curriculum is designed to provide all students with the opportunity to make progress and attain their very best. Our School curriculum has a traditional framework, with a particular emphasis on preparing for success in the twenty-first century.

Students experience a balance of the traditional core subjects of English, Maths and Science alongside a range of other subjects. We are always looking at innovative ways of enabling our students to secure their very best achievement.

All students follow the National Curriculum and all are expected to take GCSEs in those subjects as well as a wide choice of optional courses.

As a school, we gained an excellent reputation for our specialist status as a Performing Arts School. Our students still benefit from the expertise we have within these subject areas. However that doesn’t mean we value just those subjects – we understand the need for excellence in all subjects, and we also recognise the vast range of opportunities in many aspects of technology, the arts and business – using our students’ strengths of communication, problem-solving and team-work.

So through our curriculum, we seek to create a balance, but we do not accept that there are any areas of study that are unsuitable for our students from artist to politician; engineer to zoologist, all students are encouraged to achieve to their highest potential. This is borne out in our achievement. These show the progress our students make from year 7 to year 11 and beyond is of a good standard.

A key part of our aim, therefore, is to prepare for a changing world. We recognise the need for a real grasp of the advantages and disadvantages of future technologies – how to be a discerning user of the tools that are available, as well as those that we can only begin to imagine at this point in time! Our modern building is enabling us to realise some of those dreams.

Across all year groups, there are countless trips and visits which take place in the UK and beyond, there are history trips to France, language visits to France, study visits to Russia, theatre visits, and the list goes on and on. In other words there is an extensive programme of educational and recreational activity – all designed to contribute to the overall education of our students.

There is, however, far more to education than what goes on in the formal classroom. To this end, a part of our student’s time at this school is given over to activities outside the classroom. These can vary from our reading programmes through to individual enrichment activities such as music, drama, sports, and a wealth of other interests and activities including lunch-time and after-school clubs. We recognise that patterns for a healthy lifestyle are set in these formative adolescent years and we are proud of the fact that there really is something for everyone.

If you would like any further information about the curriculum, please contact the main school office.