Milford Haven School’s vision is to provide a curriculum to help our learning community achieve the four core purposes. Our vision is to create a curriculum that is theory and practically based, is relevant, progressive, challenging, promotes creativity and establishes a shared sense of responsibility: to ourselves, others, our community and our surroundings. We will develop collaboration, ensuring our pupils and staff are proud to work together with a strong sense of shared purpose and proud to participate for their house and school.
Our vision is to create a curriculum that will motivate our pupils to be committed, excited and engaged with their learning; and to develop their personal skills, such as being independent, empathetic, supportive, resilient, dignified and honest.
We will aspire to ensure that our dedicated staff will be dynamic, progressive and ambitious in their planning; compassionate and supportive when communicating with the learning community; so we all feel confident, safe and highly valued.
MHS Values
Our ASPIRE values are as follows: Ambition, Self-belief, Persistence, Independence, Responsibility, Effort. Regular assemblies, messages and posters around the school reinforce these values to pupils and staff.
MHS Inclusivity
At Milford Haven School, we believe in creating an inclusive learning community that celebrates the abilities and achievements of all learners. The school will promote stimulating and challenging experiences through a broad balanced curriculum that also offers quality learning activities that focus on the particular needs and talents of the learners and achieve the four purposes. We are also committed to identifying and meeting the needs of these learners as early as possible in order to enable all pupils to achieve their fullest potential.
Statements of What Matters:
MHS CfW will provide opportunities and experiences for all pupils to develop their knowledge, skills and experiences, as described in the statements of what matters for each AOLE and in line with the Statements of What Matters Code.
Areas of Learning and Experience
Our curriculum will provide learning experiences through the 7 AoLEs:
Our Directors of Learning are responsible for the leadership of each AOLE in terms of achieving their AOLE vision, promoting AOLE projects and the successful delivery of discrete subjects within the AOLE. We do have a thriving seventh AOLE, the Bay team, whose work and achievements underpin and strengthen our curriculum with strong foundations, aiding our pupils to succeed at every level.
Learning, progression and assessment
Our curriculum design recognises the importance of the four purposes, which are underpinned by the 12 pedagogical principles as the foundation for the aspirations we have for all our learners (Curriculum Design). The four purposes guide our curriculum and assessment design to ensure that we deliver engaging teaching and learning experiences with assessment integrated into every day practice, so our learners make progress at an appropriate pace and are inspired to achieve excellence across the curriculum. Our developing assessment procedures and rationale identify each individual learner’s strengths, achievements, areas for improvement and any barriers to learning to help inform their next steps in learning. This, coupled with learner self reflection opportunities, ensures they are supported and challenged accordingly and supports teacher assessment in line with the principles of the progression steps.
Welsh and English
As an English Medium School, we are continuing to improve and extend our use of Welsh language for instruction, welcomes and commands; orally and in pupils’ work and reports. Welsh is taught throughout all key stages and is reinforced by effective bilingual signage and an array of initiatives in and around the school. English is taught as part of the LLC AOLE throughout the school from Year 7 to 11, using a range of explicit strategies to enhance pupils’ writing, reading and oracy standards, including: Talk for Writing, 8 reading behaviours and Voice21.
Cross-curricular skills
Milford Haven School has made significant steps to ensure pupils’ Literacy, Numeracy and IT/DCF skills are well developed, well practised and provide opportunities to make progress in lessons across the curriculum and through a wide range of interventions and support. In Key Stage 3, each AOLE has selected subject specific-skills, that are taught organically through their Schemes of Learning. Cross-curricular skills are taught and reinforced during themed skills weeks, branded as ‘Super Sgiliau’, that enable pupils to develop competence and capability in these skills; to extend and apply them across all areas of learning.
Learners will be given opportunities across the curriculum to:
CWRE
CWRE is fundamental in developing skills for work and life to help our learners understand the relationship between their learning and the world of work. We promote opportunities within the community both in school and off site to develop CWRE skills. Collaboration with our locality and cluster also promote learning experiences, particularly alongside Pembrokeshire College, UWTSD and other learning organisations
RSE
We embrace and develop RSE within our school, as we believe it has a positive and empowering role in our young people’s education. It plays a vital role in supporting pupils to realise the four purposes as part of our whole school approach. The RSE Code is achieved by consistent teaching approaches through PSE during Health and Wellbeing lessons and year group PSE days, Empathy Lab reading and cross-curricular links.
RVE
RVE is central to the 4 purposes and a statutory requirement of the Curriculum for Wales. It is mandatory for all learners from ages 3 to 16. There is no parental right to request that a child is withdrawn from RVE in the Curriculum for Wales. As RVE is a locally determined subject, the agreed syllabus specifies what should be taught in RVE within the local authority and our curriculum will reflect this guidance.. The central importance of RVE will also be promoted through whole school events in line with our community, such as Armistice Day and Holocaust Memorial day. In addition to these community events, pupils will visit a variety of centres of faith in the community, such as a church, chapel, meeting house or mosque. Empathy reading, ethical dilemmas and DACW in H&WB sessions enrich the RVE experience at MHS. Across the curriculum consideration of human rights issues will also feed into the RVE curriculum. Pembrokeshire agreed RVE syllabus
UNCRC/UNCPRD
At Milford Haven School, we strongly believe in promoting UNCRC and UNCPRD within the school community. We have successfully achieved the silver award for our commitment to the rights respecting and staff and pupils have started to work towards achieving the gold award. The gold award requires a commitment to adopt a child rights approach based on the UNCRC and has embedded it in school policy, practice and culture. Children, young people and adults in Milford Haven school will have a thorough understanding of a child’s rights and pupils will see themselves as rights respecting global citizens, advocates for social justice, fairness and children’s rights at home and abroad. To see more information about our journey please click here.
Review and refinement
Our school curriculum will be kept under review in order to respond to the outputs of professional inquiry, the changing needs of learners and social contexts and needs. The reviews will take into account the views of stakeholders and will be signed off by the Governing Body. We will publish a summary of our curriculum and revise the summary if changes to the curriculum are made during the review process. This will be located on our school website under the Our Curriculum tab.
Our CfW Vision and Hook both aim and support our learners to become:
Have secure values, establish spiritual and ethical beliefs.
Develop confidence, resilience and empathy.
Know and apply the impact of exercise on your physical and mental health.
Find information and support to keep safe and well.
Face and overcome challenges.
Form positive relationships based on trust and respect.
Have the skills and knowledge to live life as independently as you can.
Find, evaluate, use evidence to form views.
Understand and exercise your human and democratic rights.
Engage with today’s issues based on your knowledge and values.
Know your culture and community now and the past.
Understand and consider the impact of your actions when making choices.
Be committed to the sustainability of the planet.
Respect the needs and rights of others.
Connect and apply your knowledge and skills to create ideas and products.
Think creatively to reframe and solve problems.
Identify and grasp opportunities.
Take measured risks.
Lead and play different roles in teams and groups effectively.
Express ideas and emotions through different media.
Give your energy and skills so others may benefit.
Set yourself high standards and seek new challenges.
Learn new information and skills and apply them in a range of situations.
Ask questions and enjoy solving problems.
Communicate clearly in English and your best Welsh.
Use numbers effectively in a variety of situations.
Understand and interpret data, applying. mathematical concepts.
Use digital technologies creatively to communicate and research information.
At Milford Haven School we aim to develop the four purposes of the curriculum which underpin all learning experiences, creating:
Through this we aim to enhance learners’ cross-curricular skills, including literacy, numeracy and digital competence through a learning continuum across the 7 areas of learning and experience. This will help to develop independent, resilient learners, with high aspirations and who are equipped with a wide range of cross-curricular skills. By doing this it is our pledge to provide equal opportunities for all pupils to learn in order to reach their full potential.
From September 2019 we will be operating a two-year lower school level and a three-year upper school level, with GCSEs (or equivalent examination courses) starting in Year 10 and with most examinations being completed at the end of Year 11. This is designed to:
In Year 7 and 8 students are taught in mixed groups for all subjects. SciTech is taught in half year groups on a rotational basis. The school aims for a maximum class size of 33 in lower school.
All students in lower school follow the RSE curriculum delivered by tutors through dedicated Health and Wellbeing sessions. Outside agencies visit the school to enhance the programme and discrete workshops are used to deliver more sensitive issues. The programme incorporates the curriculum areas such as religion, careers, health, personal and social education and is centred on our “ASPIRE” ethos.
During Health and Wellbeing lessons, pupils in years 7, 8 and 9 also participate in our Empathy Reading programme. This programme aims to improve pupils’ reading skills, as well as improve their empathy skills.
In Year 9, 10 and 11 pupils study their GCSE or equivalent examination courses. Our three-year upper school level allows pupils more time to study their chosen subjects as well as providing them with the best opportunity to achieve their full potential in the core curriculum areas.
All of our pupils follow GCSE courses in English Language, English Literature, Mathematics, Numeracy, Science (double GCSE), Religious Studies, Welsh and Welsh Baccalaureate. More able scientists are able to opt for Triple Science, leading to three GCSEs; Biology, Chemistry and Physics. All participate in Games sessions, which is also extended into the Optional Curriculum for those wishing to obtain a GCSE in Physical Education, BTEC Sport and Coaching Principles and/or BTEC Teamwork qualifications. In addition to the Core GCSEs, students select three courses from the Optional Curriculum. These include GCSE and BTEC Level 2 courses.
English, Mathematics and Science GCSE groups are set by ability. All other subjects, including optional courses, are mixed ability. The school aims for a maximum class size of 33 in upper school and this year reports an average of 26.5.
As in lower school, all pupils in upper school follow a Personal and Social Education Programme delivered by tutors through a daily enrichment session.
Here at Milford Haven School we operate a 2 week timetable . The number of lessons dedicated each fortnight to each subject in lower school and upper school are shown in the table below.
|
Subject |
Year 7 |
Year 8 |
Year 9 |
Year 10 |
Year 11 |
|
English |
8 |
8 |
8 |
8 |
8 |
|
Maths |
7 |
7 |
8 |
7 |
7 |
|
Science |
6 |
6 |
9 |
7 |
7 |
|
Art |
2 |
2 |
– |
– |
– |
|
Design Technology |
4 |
4 |
– |
– |
– |
|
Drama |
1 |
1 |
– |
– |
– |
|
Games |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
|
Geography |
2 |
3 |
– |
– |
– |
|
History |
2 |
3 |
– |
– |
– |
|
ICT |
3 |
3 |
– |
– |
– |
|
International Languages |
3 |
3 |
– |
– |
– |
|
Music |
2 |
2 |
– |
– |
– |
|
RE/Ethics |
2 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
RVE |
1 |
1 |
– |
– |
– |
|
Welsh |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
|
Welsh Baccalaureate |
– |
– |
3 |
3 |
3 |
