Curriculum

The curriculum operates within the framework of a 50 period time-table cycle over 2 weeks. This means that every week there are 25 one-hour periods.

The aim of the first 3 years is to ensure a smooth transition to secondary education and to extend the range of a pupil’s experiences within the framework of the requirements of the Curriculum for Wales.

The school day is structured with registration time in your form rooms, which is an opportunity to complete pastoral activities and have a wellbeing check-in with your form tutor. This is followed by 2 lessons, a 20 minute break, 2 more lessons then a 50 minute lunchtime and in the afternoon there is 1 final lesson.

During lunchtime there is a range of food options, activities and clubs.

At periods of external examinations the scheduled day changes to accommodate exam requirements.

Year 7, 8 and 9 (KS3)

Pupils study English, Welsh, Mathematics, Science, Technology, Modern Languages, Geography, History, RE, Art, Music, Drama, Information Technology and Physical Education.

As well as the subjects that pupils study, there are valuable opportunities to develop literacy, numeracy and digital competency skills through our REACH programme and to explore cross-curricular links between areas of learning through the Curriculum for Wales.

From September 2025, Pupils in Year 7 in both Welsh and English medium classes will be taught in mixed ability classes while maths classes are set according to ability. This structure will follow Year 7 as they progress through Key Stage 3 until Year 9.

Year 10 and Year 11 (KS4)

During Year 9, pupils choose which options they wish to study in Years 10 and 11 as part of their career  development. However, English, Mathematics, Welsh, Science, Physical Education and Religious Education continue to be compulsory for all pupils.

The courses in Years 10 and 11 generally lead to external examinations over the 2 years. A wide range of subjects are available at GCSE level in the mediums of English and Welsh. Pupils are set according to their ability in core subjects while all other subjects are based on option choice selection.

Also available to pupils in Years 10 and 11 are entry level WJEC courses in which the main form of assessment is through course work rather than formal examinations. All pupils also participate in REACH which is a programme designed to develop personal and career-related skills. The REACH programme includes our innovative work-based learning initiative in which students are matched with employers to have authentic experiences of solving real-world problems in the workplace.