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Curriculum
Academic Ambition
Everything we do, whether it is scholarly, sporting, solitary or social, provides the opportunity for us to prepare, participate and perform to the absolute best of our abilities. We expect a great deal of our students and they expect much of us in return.
Academic potential comes in all shapes and forms. Every student is unique. We cherish that but expect, as a minimum, a passion for learning; an independence of thought; an enthusiasm for applying knowledge as CH encourages academic excellence.
This ethos explains why some of the country’s most accomplished teachers continue to beat a path to Christ’s Hospital. They bring to our students mental stimulation and intellectual enquiry, a commitment to passing on knowledge and learning to others and a joy in watching imaginative minds grow.
Vibrant Curriculum
Christ’s Hospital prides itself on delivering a vibrant curriculum that has both challenge and opportunity at its heart. The CH curriculum is made up of three interwoven parts: a stimulating academic curriculum which covers everything inside the classroom; an extensive broader curriculum which encapsulates everything outside the classroom; and a pastoral curriculum which has deep roots in the boarding
house system, complemented by a dynamic learning for life programme which teaches personal development. All three complement and support the progress of our students at every stage.
In Year 7 and 8 the focus is on a diverse academic curriculum offering the students an abundance and breadth of experiences. In Year 8 the students are challenged to deliberate, rationalise and debate the world around them. In Year 9, in addition to exploring the core subjects, students select a further five optional subjects. In Year 10, to allow for greater depth and exploration, this is slimmed down to four optional subjects alongside the core subjects in readiness for GCSEs.
The experience of sixth form at Christ’s Hospital is stretching, broadening and supportive. It is also hugely rewarding and provides an array of exciting experiences that not only prepares students for the rigour of A levels, but equips them with key life skills, helping them to flourish regardless of career choice.
Teaching and Learning
At Christ’s Hospital we have two key principles at the heart of our teaching and learning – for students to love learning for life and for them to get the best qualifications they can.
To this end we have created a unique Excellent Learning Framework to help guide them. This combines the expertise of teachers with key insights from cognitive science into a practical toolkit to help them with their studies in all subjects.
Following consultation with teachers and students and a review of key literature on cognitive science, the Excellent Learning Framework was formulated. The goal is to combine teacher expertise and insights from scientific findings on learning. It is also to provide students with actionable insights into how they can learn better.
The first element of the structure are the pillars. These are the key stages in learning and can be seen as a learning cycle. Encounter is when new material is first to be learnt, Plan is the preparation both of equipment and schedules that should happen before learning, Practise (an imperative!) is the key part of embedding learning and Reflect on previous learning is what must happen to improve the next stage of learning.
Within each pillar, certain specific techniques are recommended to learners. These are not exhaustive. They are also more or less applicable depending on the subject matter / domain being studied. Examples include ‘chunking’ during Encounter – to break new material up into smaller pieces – and ‘spaced’ or ‘distributed’ Practice – to spread ‘little and often’ throughout a period of learning to make it more effective.
Through assemblies, departmental courses of work and student surveys we are rolling this out to students and look forward to embedding its impact and reviewing it regularly as time and teaching and learning evolve into the future.
Order our prospectus
Our School Prospectus provides an introduction to life at Christ’s Hospital. You can request a printed copy which includes an application form by completing the form and/or you can download a pdf of the prospectus.
