At Queens’ School, our whole school curriculum aims to instil our core values of Scholarship, Tenacity, Altruism and Respect; and to develop in students the lifelong learning associated with these values. In their teaching and learning, all of our students should experience, understand and develop:

• Scholarship: the ambitious pursuit of knowledge, achievement and independence across a broad and balanced range of subjects.
• Tenacity: the expectation of supported challenge for students of all abilities and talents; and of persevering in the face of that challenge.
• Altruism: the habits of working collaboratively and selflessly as part of a learning community.
• Respect: the importance of demonstrating kindness, tolerance and respect for others’ views, abilities and contexts in learning.

Key Stage 3

At Key Stage 3, students follow the National Curriculum, its broad and balanced range of subjects designed to develop a rich knowledge base and broad range of skills. Each department offers a relevant, balanced and engaging curriculum that provides the foundations for further study.

We have spent significant time over the last two years researching best practice, consulting with students, parents and staff, and reviewing and modifying the curriculum we deliver to our Key Stage 3 students in order to make sure it is appropriately challenging, broad and balanced; and to make sure it supports the teaching and learning of our STAR values.

For a guide to our KS3 STAR curriculum, the values which underpin it, the subjects, topics and sequences taught, the arrangements for setting, timetabling and assessments and a clear overview of how these aspects support and enhance the delivery of scholarship, tenacity, altruism and respect, please see the document below.

Key Stage 4

At Key Stage 4, students follow a curriculum designed to prepare them for GCSE examinations and Post-16 opportunities. The curriculum includes a compulsory core of subjects (English Language, English Literature, Mathematics, Science, Modern Foreign Language, Humanities, PE and Lifelong Learning) and a broad range of optional subjects across the arts, humanities, languages, technologies and social sciences, designed to allow students to pursue their areas of interest.

Key Stage 5

At Key Stage 5, students choose from an extensive range of academic subjects, with around 25 courses available at GCE level and a small number of BTECs. Alongside their A Levels, students have the opportunity to take Core Maths and the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), to further pursue a particular area of interest. PE, Lifelong Learning and Face the Future form part of the curriculum experience, as do other non-qualification enrichment options such as Culture & Society, Technology for Life and MFL conversational lessons.