Intent

Our curriculum sits at the heart of our school’s purpose and reflects our core values of Resilience, Faith, Inclusion, Aspiration and Respect.

It is designed to inspire curiosity, nurture lifelong learning, and uphold our Catholic mission: to support the all‑inclusive development of every individual within a loving, safe, positive and welcoming community, encouraging all to follow Christ in service to others. We strive to ensure that every student—regardless of ability—is challenged, supported and able to fulfil their God‑given potential.

Our curriculum aims to:

• Provide a broad and balanced education for all.
• Be highly ambitious across KS3 and KS4, ensuring wide Post‑16 opportunities.
• Develop students’ knowledge, understanding and skills, and help them apply these confidently in different contexts.
• Promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
• Support physical development, healthy lifestyles and active participation.
• Foster a positive attitude towards learning.
• Ensure equal access to high‑quality learning with appropriate challenge and support.
• Offer subject choices that promote progression and help students achieve their goals.
• Build independence and resilience, preparing students for further education and employment.
• Underpin our whole‑school ethos of “Do Your Best.”

Our curriculum is a five‑year journey that builds on primary learning and prepares students for Post‑16 pathways. We aim for every student to meet the expectations of the National Curriculum at Key Stage 3 and to fully access and succeed in their GCSE courses at Key Stage 4. Our curriculum is ambitious, inclusive and challenging, offering a wide range of creative and academic subjects to maximise life chances for all students, regardless of background.

We are proud to provide a curriculum that enables every student to flourish across KS3 and KS4, giving them a strong foundation for future education, training or employment. Personal development is prioritised through a comprehensive PSHE/RSE and Careers programme that prepares students for the demands of modern life.

Learning extends beyond the classroom. Each subject offers at least two educational visits per year—one per Key Stage. Alongside whole‑year trips, retreats, visiting speakers and conferences, these experiences make learning at St Thomas More rich, engaging and memorable.

In short, our Curriculum Intent is to design a curriculum that serves the best interests of our students within our unique context.

Implementation

At St Thomas More, we are committed to outstanding teaching and to fostering positive behaviours for learning—including commitment, resilience, diligence, motivation and a deep appreciation of the value of education. Our curriculum is designed to inspire enquiry, promote lifelong learning and ensure that its successful implementation enables every student to thrive.

We ensure all students are challenged within our ambitious curriculum and supported throughout KS3 and KS4 so they are well prepared for Post‑16 study and life beyond school. Recognising that students have diverse learning needs, our teachers use a range of pedagogical approaches to secure strong learning outcomes for all. We believe that students make the greatest progress when they actively engage with high‑quality feedback.

Although we do not prescribe a single teaching method, there are core principles and ongoing assessment strategies expected in every classroom, such as retrieval practice, the principle that every question is for every student, and a no‑hands‑up culture. Teachers are encouraged to be innovative, adapt their practice to meet learner needs, and bring curriculum content to life through creative, challenging and inspiring teaching. While schemes of work provide structure, professional skill is essential in engaging students and deepening their understanding.

Curriculum Structure

We believe that a two‑year Key Stage 3 followed by a three‑year Key Stage 4 provides the best outcomes for our students.

Why we can deliver the National Curriculum in depth over 2 years

This model is successful because:

• Behaviour for learning is excellent, ensuring no loss of lesson time and a shared commitment that no student may disrupt the learning of others.
• Students work together respectfully and safely, enabling them to take risks, ask questions and persevere.
• Attendance is strong, and students are expected to catch up promptly when absent, preventing significant knowledge gaps.
• Homework expectations are high, supporting deepened understanding.
• Teachers have strong subject knowledge and pedagogy, supported by ongoing professional development.
• Schemes of work and lessons are well‑planned, sequenced and regularly updated by Heads of Department in response to national developments.
• Lessons in Year 7 and 8 are taught in ability bands, enabling appropriately targeted stretch and challenge.
• As a 4‑form‑entry school, the majority of subjects teach across five sets, allowing for smaller class sizes and therefore improved teacher‑to‑student support.
• Humanities have gained an extra period to ensure depth is covered where it was falling short previously.

Why a three‑year Key Stage 4 is essential

A three‑year KS4 provides significant benefits:

• Students maintain breadth at KS4 by taking four option subjects alongside English, Maths and Science. Many schools only offer three.
• As a faith school, GCSE RE is compulsory, meaning most students effectively study five option subjects.
• 97% of students leave with 10 or 11 GCSEs, above the national average.
• A broader curriculum increases access to a wider range of Post‑16 pathways.
• High levels of motivation and focus are sustained—there is no Year 9 dip.
• Courses can be taught in greater depth, better preparing students for Post‑16 study.
• A three‑year model supports an extensive enrichment programme and cultural capital, broadening students’ learning experience.

Why a two‑year KS4 would be limiting

If we reduced KS4 to two years:

• With a focus on the EBacc and only three option choices, the uptake of creative subjects would fall significantly, narrowing the curriculum. Evidence suggests subjects such as DT, Drama and Music could become unsustainable, with as few as 40 students taking creative options.
• Trips and visits can account for approximately 20-40 hours of curriculum time; a two‑year model would leave insufficient time to teach GCSE courses in the required depth. Beginning courses in Year 9 provides 130–140 hours, aligning with the recommended 120–140 hours of curriculum time per GCSE.

Additional Support Pathways

Certain students in Years 9–11 benefit from an adjusted curriculum. These students take three option subjects instead of four, using the additional time to receive targeted support from the SEND department. This helps them make strong progress across their nine GCSEs.

We also support students facing health or wellbeing challenges by allowing them to reduce from ten to nine GCSEs and access Curriculum Support lessons. This offers a more manageable workload and protected time to complete classwork, homework and revision.

Impact

We are extremely proud of the achievements of all our students. Across St Thomas More, you will find young people consistently striving to “do their best.” This mindset enables them to develop strong character, grow in their faith, learn effectively, participate enthusiastically in clubs and trips, achieve Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh Awards, and perform significantly above national standards. As a result, our students are well prepared for the next stage of their education and for adult life as responsible citizens who contribute positively to their communities.

We consistently achieve a positive Progress 8 score which is significantly above national figures, demonstrating that the majority of our students attain higher GCSE grades than peers of similar starting points in local schools. This strong academic performance, combined with personal development and enrichment opportunities, ensures that every young person leaves St Thomas More equipped for future success.

How STM compares to the other local authority and national schools (2025 GCSE results):

St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School - Compare school and college performance data in England - GOV.UK

This pattern is unusual for St Thomas More, as the longer‑term trend shows disadvantaged students typically achieving stronger progress outcomes over time.

Results over time:

Curriculum Structure

Key Stage 3

In Years 7 and 8, students benefit from a broad range of traditional subjects that provide a strong foundation for future learning. Lessons are 50 minutes long, with a slight variation on Thursdays where lessons last 45 minutes to accommodate an extended form time dedicated to Personal Development.

Although we operate a two‑week timetable, students receive the equivalent number of lessons in each subject across a standard one‑week cycle

NB:

• Art, DT and Food & Nutrition are taught on a carousel, giving students three lessons per week for a set block of time, which balances across the year.
• Students study one Modern Foreign Language, either French or Spanish, with the language choice made prior to starting Year 7.
• Both Geography and History were previously 2 periods in each year group. By having an additional period across the key stage ensures that the curriculum is taught in depth.

Key Stage 4

In Years 9–11, students benefit from a comprehensive options process that ensures every learner can study the subjects they wish to pursue. With RE as a core subject and four additional option choices, students at St Thomas More continue to follow a broad and balanced curriculum. There are no restrictions on option choices based on academic ability—every student is encouraged and supported to choose the subjects that best suit their interests and aspirations.

In addition, students in Year 9 have an extra lesson of Music and Computing once a fortnight to ensure they meet the core requirements of the National Curriculum and to further develop the soft skills, such as creativity, collaboration, problem‑solving and digital literacy, that are so valuable for future learning and the modern workplace. Further details about this process can be found on the Year 8 Options page.

There is an expectation that all students continue to develop computing skills during KS4. Most students will meet this requirement by taking one of the following subjects:

• Art
• Computer Science
• Design and Technology
• Food and Nutrition
• Geography
• Music
• PE

If a student does not take one of these subjects, they are given additional support outside of the curriculum to ensure they meet the expected level of computer literacy.

As in Key Stage 3, lessons are 50 minutes long, with a slight variation on Thursdays, where lessons are 45 minutes to allow for extended form time dedicated to Personal Development. Option subjects receive one double lesson per week, ensuring students have extended periods for the practical work required in many subjects.

Although we operate a two‑week timetable, students receive the equivalent number of lessons in each subject across a standard one‑week cycle.