Year 9 Curriculum
In Year 9 students continue to study a broad range of subjects whilst having the opportunity to choose which creative subjects and which languages they will focus on in year 9. This provides the opportunity for students to have more lesson time specialising in these subjects and gaining deeper knowledge in preparation for year 10. Our detailed Curriculum Learning Map describes our programme of learning in Year 9.
Language and Creative Choices
Humanities Subjects
Students study 2 periods of Geography and History in Year 9, these highly academic subjects help our students understand themselves and others through their histories and cultures. These subjects contribute to student’s moral, spiritual and intellectual sense of the world developing our students into informed and critical citizens. Students are encouraged to think creatively and to ask questions about our world whilst building skills in writing and critical reading.
Access and Inclusion
A&I supports SEND students with a learning profiles through 1:1 in-class support and small-group literacy interventions such as Lifeboat literacy and Social Skills and Occupational Therapy. Students’ progress and attainment is assessed and provision is then personalised to help target specific areas for development.
Higher Prior Attainment
In Year 9, higher able students will continue to be stretched and challenged as they access an increasingly challenging and engaging curriculum. The provision of exciting extra-curricular opportunities inside and outside of school continues, and more options such as STEM clubs become optional. The most able students continue to be a part of a bespoke Scholarship programme which offers a range of activities and visits.
Enhanced Learning Days
To support all of the students at Sarah Bonnell we have an exciting and stimulating programme of 6 Enhanced Learning Days across the Year, where the students are off-timetable for the day, participating in enriching activities to support their learning.
The purpose of Enhanced Learning Days are to:
- Allow students the opportunity to experience learning outside of the classroom through a comprehensive visits and events calendar
- Encourage students to reflect on how they are preparing to become global citizens through engaging workshops and guest speakers
- Promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural growth by engaging with topics that promote mutual respect and cohesion
Subjects Taught in Year 9
The curriculum for each subject, in every year group, is carefully planned and delivered. Click on any subject below to learn more – and click the subject again to collapse the information.
The aim of the Art, Design and Technology curriculum is to provide all students the opportunity to be empowered through creative problem solving and independence. This is at the heart of the subject and embedded in projects and activities inside and outside of the classroom. Innovative projects are designed to provide extensive experiences for inquisitive individuals to explore an impressive range of different materials and techniques. Our students become creative, confident and independent lifelong learners, who are highly skilled and have high expectations, aspirations and passionately engage with the world around them.
Over the Key Stages, through a strategically structured and scaffolded curriculum, we believe that students should be given opportunities to develop confidence and ownership over their progress by gradually developing these mastery level skills, techniques and subject knowledge overtime.
Our students will be creatively challenged within disciplines by actively promoting the application of mathematical, scientific and literacy skills through a range of exciting and engaging projects. Curriculum content provides regular opportunities to prepare students for a rapidly advancing technological world, which reflects the creative industries that are thriving in Newham, the UK, and internationally.
We work closely with a range of industry professionals, further education providers and external organisations to provide regular opportunities to stimulate students and enhance curriculum’s. We continue to work closely with organisations including Bow Arts Education, University of the Arts London, Fixperts, Tech bloq. The links that we have nurtured have allowed us to establish an annual Our Creative Careers Event which helps students make purposeful connections and links between their subjects, pathways and their local communities developing their aspirations in the process.
We offer a range of opportunities for students to regularly engage with ADT subjects both within and outside the curriculum, Including:-
- Art Club, Baking club, Making club
- Masterclass sessions in subjects such as Engineering, Calligraphy and Photography
- Arts Award Bronze program in Photography
- Regular trips to galleries around London such as the V&A and the Tate Modern
Developing Independence in Art
In year 9 students create informed, personal and meaningful artwork with increasing independence that draws influence from the world around them, and the artists they study. They continue to build on their technical mastery skills and refine personal ideas, informed by a range of contextual and artist research relevant to each theme. Sketchbooks evidence their thoughtful exploration, experimentation in a variety of artistic styles and perceptive evaluation. Students develop their skills to a point which prepares them for GCSE, including the introduction of photography. This involves mastery level Drawing, Printmaking, Painting, and Ceramics.
Anatomy of Nature: Observational Drawing and Acrylic Painting
Students discover the technical fundamentals of observational drawing, developing their ability to draw from observation using accurate tone, shape and proportion. They further their understanding of colour theory and apply this to create depth and dimension through an acrylic painting using tints, tone and shades. Artists studied in this unit are Ernest Haeckel, Leonardo Da Vinci, Georgia O’Keeffe and Peter Randall Page.
In the News: Portraiture and Printmaking
Students develop their technical portraiture drawing skills in addition to exploring split-lighting photography. They explore wider influences on artist content and consider how they can convey a message through artwork. Student develop photomontages, monoprints and reduction lino prints in the style of relevant artists to portray social and political messages in their work. Artists studied in this unit are Shepard Fairey, Barbara Kruger, Mark Rowden, Elizabeth Catlett and Theresa Martin.
Assemble: 3D slab-built abstract ceramics
Students refine their slab-built ceramics techniques, exploring abstract composition through use of positive and negative spaces, surface pattern and texture. Students build their ideas starting with technical geometric drawing, 2D compositions. Students then create relief and 3D structures from clay, then finally refined clay designs. Artists studied in this project are Louise Nevelson, Kurt Schwitters, Rachel Whiteread and Mette Marie Osted.
In Year 9, students get the opportunity to to take part in an trip, workshop or visit to help them make considered choices about their GCSE options. Past trips include trips to the Victoria and Albert Museum, Tate Modern gallery or workshops with Bow Arts Education. Students are also offered to attend our annual Creative Careers Event, aimed and showcasing the large number of career and education pathways associated within the creative sector.
At Sarah Bonnell School we aim to ensure that every student has the opportunity to learn and achieve in Computing. Students are taught a variety of skills in their Computing lessons which they will use throughout their lives in and out of school. During their Computing studies students are taught how to code using various programming languages. This in turns enables students to develop their computational thinking and develops their skills further in the subject.
Students have the latest computers in class as well as access to IPads. We aim to encourage students to become independent and confident learners. The digital world is constantly changing and we encourage our students to become producers of products and to further study computing once they leave school. As a department we hope to provide students with the best Computing, IT & Business experience.
In year 9 we deliver Business Studies which is a highly desirable subject which offers students an insight into the real working world as well as equipping them with a wide and varied knowledge of Marketing, Finance and Accounts, Operations Management, Human Resource Management and the External Environment and Economy.
Students are also introduced to Business during the year 9 Computing lesson, they take part in an Enterprise challenge entitled ‘The Tenner Challenge!’ students get a taste of what it’s like to be an entrepreneur. It will give them an opportunity to think of a new business idea and make it happen, using real money to take calculated risks in the business field, make a profit – and make a difference.
In Computing students advance their current knowledge of computer programming skills, through writing more complicated programs. They further their knowledge and understanding of hardware, software and internet technologies.
Year 9 Computing curriculum includes:
- History & Future technology
- Game design using App invention
- Tycoons in Business
- Programming with Python
- System Architecture
- IT
In IT students advance their knowledge of current and emerging technologies. This course is engaging and allows students to use a range of IT tools and techniques to help solve a problem. Students are able to develop their ability to work collaboratively.
Year 9 IT curriculum includes:
- Creative Projects
- Binary Numbers, and how they are used to represent of text, images and sound
- Coding using the Python programming language (beginners and advanced)
- Computational thinking (incorporating algorithms, flowcharts, Boolean algebra, hexadecimal)
- Computer Networks and the Internet
- Online Safety (incorporating web design)
- Creating animation, video editing and special effects
In Business, students start by exploring the world of small businesses through the lens of an entrepreneur. They learn how to develop an idea, spot an opportunity and turn it into a successful business. Students will understand how to make a business effective, manage money and see how the world around us affects small businesses and all the people involved.
Then students move on to investigating business growth. Students learn about key business concepts and issues and decisions they need to make when growing a business and working in a global business. They learn about meeting customer needs and explore how the wider world impacts the business as it grows.
Year 9 Business curriculum includes:
- How and why do business ideas come about
- What makes a successful business
- How a business develops beyond the start-up phase
- Customer needs
- Marketing, operational, financial and human resourcing
The aim of the Art, Design and Technology curriculum is to provide all students the opportunity to be empowered through creative problem solving and independence. This is at the heart of the subject and embedded in projects and activities inside and outside of the classroom. Innovative projects are designed to provide extensive experiences for inquisitive individuals to explore an impressive range of different materials and techniques. Our students become creative, confident and independent lifelong learners, who are highly skilled and have high expectations, aspirations and passionately engage with the world around them.
Over the Key Stages, through a strategically structured and scaffolded curriculum, we believe that students should be given opportunities to develop confidence and ownership over their progress by gradually developing these mastery level skills, techniques and subject knowledge overtime.
Our students will be creatively challenged within all disciplines by actively promoting the application of mathematical, scientific and literacy skills through a range of exciting and engaging projects. Curriculum content provides regular opportunities to prepare students for a rapidly advancing technological world, which reflects the creative industries that are thriving in Newham, the UK, and internationally.
We work closely with a range of industry professionals, further education providers and external organisations to provide regular opportunities to stimulate students and enhance curriculums. We continue to work closely with organisations including Bow Arts Education, University of the Arts London, Fixperts, TechBloq. The links that we have nurtured have allowed us to establish an annual Our Creative Careers Event, which helps students make purposeful connections and links between their subjects, pathways and their local communities developing their aspirations in the process.
We offer a range of opportunities for students to regularly engage with ADT subjects both within and outside the curriculum, Including-
- Art Club, Baking club, Making club
- Masterclass sessions in subjects such as Engineering, Calligraphy and Photography
- Arts Award Bronze program in Photography
- Regular trips to galleries around London such as the V&A and the Tate Modern
Product Design Stream – Developing Digital Design Skills
Year 9 Design Technology builds upon the foundational skills of ‘design, make and test’, and applies them to real world problems. Students are provided with the freedom to take a more independent approach as they work with GCSE style briefs which requires them to explore many real-world design scenarios which are user-centered, allowing students to develop their empathetic skills when designing. Students are encouraged to find solutions by interacting with the end-user and making and testing hand-made models, refining their model making skills. Learners will develop their digital engineering and design skills using industry standard 3D CAD modelling software such as Autodesk Fusion 360 which will allow for an enhanced level of quality in the outcomes of final products.
Designing for People – Working with Foam, Polymers and Wood
The focus of this project will be to identify the importance of who students are designing for and how they are able to use the study of anthropometric data and ergonomic measurements as a reference point when designing products. Students will be introduced to working with Styrofoam to model natural and anatomical forms that will be the basis of their testing, studying the interaction between user and product. The main focus of assessment for this project will be how accurately the students have used the measurement data of target users within their design solution. Students will also be assessed on the quality of the final outcome through accurate use of tools and machines.
Autonomous Solutions – Working with CAD/CAM
Up until now, students have been mostly designing and making by hand. This project allows students to further explore digital design techniques that are used to aid the design process. Students will be taught how automation can improve accuracy during the manufacturing stage and how this can aid production processes such that batch production of a range of products can be achieved. Students will use CAD (computer aided design) software to edit, modify and further develop a provided design based on a given specification and will also be expected to justify their modifications based on the final outcomes. Laser cutting and 3D printing will be used as the computer aided manufacturing processes, which students will learn how to interact with and use based on their provided designs. Students will be assessed on the understanding of the CAD software process and detail which they have included into their final designs through accurate modelling.
Lighting Design Project – Working with Polymers, Wood and Electronics
Students are given the same design problem relating to lighting as their textile counterpart students in order to provide a unique solution to the same problem, however using a different range of materials. Formal 3D isometric drawing techniques are taught, such that students can present their ideas in a formal manner to aid manufacturing of their final design. Students are exposed to working with polymers and electronics to make their final products. This project will assess how closely students can evidence the stylings and themes of their chosen design theme. Students will also be assessed on how safely and accurately they can make their final prototype of the lighting solution using a range of fabrication tools and electronic equipment.
In Year 9, students get the opportunity to join making club as an ambassador role. Students take the lead in developing their own designs and also assisting younger students in making activities. Students are also provided with the opportunity to work with engineering colleges to enhance their experience of how the design industry links with other subjects areas such as Computer Science. In the past, students have worked with UCL developing designs of bio-robotic devices. Students are also offered to attend the annual Creative Careers Event, aimed at showcasing the large number of career and education pathways associated with the creative sector.
The Drama Curriculum Area at Sarah Bonnell School seeks to build a learning culture of aspiration, achievement and creativity. We aim to empower our students so that they can all reach their full potential and develop as confident young performers. We believe that the skills students ascertain can provide them with a fulfilling career in the Arts, but also, equip them with transferable skills that can be used in everyday life. We feel that the study of Drama reflects the ethos of our school motto:
Be Proud: Students are proud to showcase their work both in class, at extracurricular events and performances inside and outside of school.
Aim High: Students are encouraged to challenge themselves leading to increased confidence and resilience.
Work Hard: Students see the importance of working hard to reach their goals. For example, their dedication to learning at GCSE level ensures that they achieve excellent results.
Be Kind: Students understand that communication, working with others and having great teamwork skills are essential ingredients to succeeding in Drama and life.
No Excuses: Students have high expectations for themselves and the work they create and are committed to their learning inside and outside the Drama curriculum area.
In Year 9 students are given the opportunity to hone their craft as performers, analytical thinkers and writers. Students explore drama as a practical art form in which ideas and meaning are communicated to an audience through choices of form, style and convention. There is a balance of practical and written activities where they explore devised drama, scripted work, style and practitioners in more-depth. This prepares them with necessary knowledge and skills to continue their learning journey if they choose to study Drama as a pathway at GCSE level.
The Year 9 curriculum includes:
The Hate U Give – Scripted Unit
Documentary Theatre – Approaches to devising
Blood Brothers – Scripted unit
The Globe Theatre – Live Theatre Unit
Noughts and Crosses – Scripted Unit
Throughout KS3, the curriculum area provides a full range of exciting opportunities for students to perform and thrive in, for example, the annual School Production. Additionally, Year 9 students are given the opportunity to visit the world renowned ‘Shakespeare’s Globe’ to watch and review a live performance which links with their ‘The Globe Project’’ scheme of learning.
Over the years the Drama Curriculum Area has built excellent relationships with world renowned institutions including Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Stratford East Theatre and UCL: Institute of Education. In addition to this, students have the opportunity to work with a range of professional actors.
English at Sarah Bonnell School fosters a deep passion for Literature and creativity, inspiring students to develop excellent communication skills which empowers them to succeed in all areas of life. Our curriculum offers challenge and rigour providing students with opportunities to: read widely and critically; write with prowess and skill; communicate articulately and become independent, evaluative learners.
Our curriculum is challenging and pertinent to ensure all students can become successful English students. They are inspired through engagement with literary heritage as well as contemporary writers and thinkers – all readings encourage students to enjoy Literature and see the value of exploring the world through reading. We deliver a curriculum which focuses on skills empowering all students to communicate in a fluent and confident manner. Students leave SBS with the skills they need to engage and flourish within their community and society as a whole.
English Year 9 – Empower
English in Year 9 empowers all learners to be critical and successful; students gain an acute understanding of reading and writing success. Students read seminal texts and discover different perspectives readying them to meet the challenge of GCSE English.
What students study:
- Novel – ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ by R L Stevenson
- Shakespeare – ‘The Merchant of Venice’
- Non-fiction (‘Difficult Women’)
- Poetry – ‘Worlds and lives’
Why they study this:
Students are introduced to the 19th century context through reading ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ as well as exploring its themes of duplicity and repression. Their later readings of Shakespeare’s ‘Merchant of Venice’ and a collection of nonfiction, which confronts what it means to be a ‘difficult woman’, also empowers them to be analytical and thoughtful readers. It is through this engagement that students are also able to establish their own voice in creative pieces. By the end of Year 9, students are confident with the expectations of a sophisticated response to Literature and creating convincing pieces of writing. They become students who are passionate about English and well-equipped to explore and understand the world around them.
Year 9 Food Preparation and Nutrition introduces students to more in depth knowledge and understanding of ingredients and their working properties within cooking. Students build upon their theory knowledge and understanding of functional and nutritional properties, sensory qualities and microbiological food safety considerations when preparing, processing, storing, cooking and serving food. By demonstrating and applying their knowledge of nutrition, students will build on their extensive technical skill set from KS3 preparing them for GCSE and beyond.
Food Commodities and Cooking Skills
During this topic students explore more in depth about health and safety in the Kitchen by looking at how food can cause ill health. Students learn about a range of versatile ingredients such as rice and mince beef and how they go from field to fork. Students are taught how to cost dishes and read nutritional information which enables them to make informed decisions about food and nutrition and allows them to acquire knowledge in order to be able to feed themselves and others affordably and nutritiously, now and later in life.
Advanced Culinary Skills and Food Science
Students focus on deepening their knowledge of food science such as the denaturing of proteins and how this affects eggs and gelatinisation and how this enables us to create sauces and expanding on their culinary skills to create highly skilled dishes such as: Creamy mushroom Ravioli with Roux Sauce and lemon meringue tart.
Food Science Investigation (Sugar Investigation)
Students focus on carrying out a Mini Food Science experiment on using alternative sugars in baking. Students analyse the brief to broaden their understanding of how ingredients react with each other and the purpose of each ingredient in baking. They are guided on how to conduct research, how to hypothesise and conduct a food science experiment and how to create results tables in a variety of different formats.
Street Food Project – Street food from different countries
Students get the opportunity to do secondary research on dishes from a chosen country ( Italy, Greece, Japan, France and Mexico) They will explore what street food is and learn a variety of new practical skills that they will than use to create dishes and present their findings in an NEA style evaluation in which they will learn how to create sensory analysis.
In Year 9, students get the opportunity to to take part in an trip, workshop or visit to help them make considered choices about their GCSE options. Past trips include trips to the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Throughout Year 9, Geography at Sarah Bonnell maintains a focus on developing well rounded students who can be successful in their study of the subject. The team works hard to ensure lessons are engaging, challenging current and relevant to the girls. We aim to promote curious and inspired minds. As part of being an independent learner, the team encourages the students to get involved in project work and use online resources on platforms such as Google Classroom. In Year 9, we begin to assess students by using GCSE grades (9-1), but still ensure that we cover a broad range of topics in a creative way.
- Hazards (Wildfires/Tropical storms/Tectonics): Pupils will be given the opportunity to reflect on the risk of these disasters and contextualise future implications for HIC and LICs.
- Ecosystems/Living World (Oceans)- Pupils will focus on specific case studies related to marine ecosystems, such as adaptation, symbiosis and nomadic lifestyles.
- Globalisation: Pupils will explore the importance of interconnectedness of people and economies around the world.
- Issue Evaluation (Peruvian Rainforest): Pupils will be assessed in their ‘critical thinking’ skills, using their knowledge and understanding on rainforests and applying this to a case study on the difficulty of deforestation.
In History at Sarah Bonnell, we passionately believe in the relevance of studying the past in order to prepare for the future. Through the study of a diverse range people, places and cultures, students will broaden their horizons and develop as broad minded, critical thinkers.
Our teachers are immensely passionate about the subject and recognise the fundamental importance of engaging learners in an academically rigorous subject. We plan, and teach, lessons that foster a spirit of enquiry, debate and enthusiasm for History. This enables our students to gain a more rounded understanding of society and the world as a whole.
As students progress into Year 9, they have 2 hours a week to study History. We continue to teach an enquiry based learning where each topic is framed around a specific historical question. Enquiries cover a mixture of breadth (e.g. exploring a range of issues) and depth (e.g. focusing on a specific event or concept). Year 9 students are able to consolidate their ability to think critically about the past and develop a range of extended writing skills that are necessary to be successful in Year 10 and 11.
Year 9 curriculum includes:
CONFLICT & PROGRESS
- Why was WW1 called the “War to end all wars”?
- Did WW1 lead to conflict or progress? (Case Studies: The Suffragette Movement, The Russian Revolution, The Arab-Israeli Conflict)
- Life in Nazi Germany
- The Holocaust
The vision for the music department at Sarah Bonnell is to give all students access to the best possible opportunities whilst pushing the very best to perform, compose and understand music at the highest level. We aim to achieve this by offering a broad curriculum experience with a variety of opportunities inside and outside the classroom. We want all of our students to have access to quality first music teaching, professional performances, great facilities and an exciting and inclusive extra-curricular programme.
We have an accomplished team of professionals who work alongside our curriculum team to deliver small group and one-to-one instrumental tuition, run beginner clubs and support our extra-curricular programme. As a department we think it is important to showcase this work throughout the year at termly concerts and events attended by parents and the school community.
The music department is a well equipped space with a wide range of instruments and great access to music technology. We are also very excited to be moving to a new state of the art music hub later this year.
In year 9 students opt to specialise in music and develop their skills from KS3, with many of them already involved in our extra-curricular and instrumental lesson programmes. Students continue to study music from a range of different styles but at this stage they are encouraged to develop their own musical identity through composing or performing on their chosen instrument. Students will combine their knowledge of classical music and technology through the ‘classical remix’ project. They further develop their composition skills through an advanced film music project. They will learn more complex techniques for composition and perform as part of a class ensemble and as a soloist.
The music department offers a range of extra-curricular activities for musicians of all ages and standards. These include choir, jazz band, string ensemble, drum works, piano club, Music Producer Club and band club. Students showcase high quality work at events throughout the year including lunchtime concerts, evening concerts, the Christmas show, and collaborations within Newham Borough.
Autumn 1 Reasoning with algebra: straight line graphs, forming and solving equations and inequalities and testing conjectures
Autumn 2 Constructions and congruence: properties of 2D and 3D shapes, nets, plans and elevations, area, volume and surface area, construction and Loci
Spring 1 Reasoning with number : rational and irrational numbers, surd, fraction calculations with fractions, standard form, using percentages and maths and money
Spring 2 Reasoning with geometry : Transformations and pythagoras theorem
Summer 1 Reasoning with proportion: Enlargement and similarity, solving ratio and proportion problems and rates
Summer 2 Statistics and probability: probability, tree diagrams and venn diagrams
At Sarah Bonnell we offer a spiral curriculum which develops the students’ Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education enabling them to further enhance their confidence and the contribution they make to the local, national and global community. Form time is an integral part of this and we provide a well-structured and purposeful start to the day through this medium. As well as encompassing the DfE’s fundamental British values, the PSHCE curriculum follows the three core subjects of the PSHE Association: health and wellbeing, relationships and living in the wider world. Through these core themes, our form time curriculum promotes leadership, wellbeing, resilience and spiritual, moral, social and cultural aspects of education, and complements our curriculum and Enhanced Learning Days (ELDs). An overview of our timetable for PHSE is available in the graphic below.
“Women are always told, ‘You’re not going to make it, it’s too difficult, you can’t do that, don’t enter this competition, you’ll never win it,’ – they need confidence in themselves and people around them to help them to get on.” – Zaha Hadid
During Y9 Form Time and ELDs, students will continue to become better able to understand the issues that face them as young women in our modern society, as well as how to be confident in keeping themselves safe. They will also gain a greater understanding of their place in the SB community and be able to reflect more deeply on their relationships as well as their futures.
Year 9 is a year of transition in which students’ choose their GCSE options, so the PSHCE is more future-focused and enables the students to identify their strengths and address any concerns they may have. In addition, Mental Health and Wellbeing is revisited and built upon in relation to healthy choices (both mentally and physically) which enable the students to succeed and feel confident both at school and outside in the wider world, at a time when we have identified that they are encountering more academic but also friendship pressures.
Term 1 – Health and Wellbeing
Core theme: A greater understanding of ourselves and the impact we can make on the community
Core theme: How to look after yourself and maintain a healthy lifestyle
Term 2 – Friends and Relationships
Core theme: Impact of relationships
Core theme: Developing and maintaining healthy relationships
Term 3 – Living in the Wider World
Core theme: Recognising own strengths
Core theme: Careers
Our RSHE (Relationships, Sex and Health Education) curriculum is designed to reflect Newham’s guidance around the implementation of the statutory arrangements in this area.
The PE Curriculum Area is extremely passionate about providing positive experiences within, and beyond, Physical Education, School Sport and Physical Activity for all pupils at Sarah Bonnell School. Every student will take part in two hours of timetables high quality PE lessons a week. Students also have the opportunity to take part in up to seven additional hours a week through the extensive extra-curricular timetable. We are proud of the opportunities that we provide students through both curriculum based PE lessons and the extra-curricular activities on offer.
PE is an integral part of the school week as it is a key subject that enables students to focus on their physical development and movement. The core of the planning for each lesson is to providing multiple opportunities to learn through challenging and engaging content that is inclusive for every student taking part.
The department at Sarah Bonnell truly believe in placing PE, School Sport and Physical Activity at the heart of school life by promoting a culture of achievement, leadership, teamwork, participation and fair play to ensure that every student in PE experiences success.
Extra-Curricular Physical Activity Opportunities at Sarah Bonnell
All students are actively encouraged to join at least one extra-curricular PE club to develop the skills/tactics that they have learnt in their PE lessons, to experience/engage with a brand new sport/activity, to relieve stress/improve mindfulness, to build fitness levels or to represent the school in one of the many sports teams. These extra-curricular clubs are fully inclusive and are on offer to all students at Sarah Bonnell.
Our curriculum intent is to provide: Inspirational, Quality First Teaching + a wide range of opportunities in Physical Activity + progress for all = Physically Literate Students
- Students will build on the physical development and skills learned in year 7/8, becoming more of an ‘expert’ in their techniques across a wide variety of physical activities
- Students will be competent in analysing their own and other’s performances to bring about practical improvements to achieve their personal best. They will fully understand what makes a performance effective and how to put practical remedies in place to aid progress
- Students will demonstrate the more advanced compositional, creative and aesthetic skills in gymnastics, dance and trampolining
- Students will learn about more advanced tactics and set plays to overcome opponents in competitive settings through team and individual games
- Students will understand the long term health benefits of exercise and will show an interest in getting involved in exercise, sports and physical activities outside of school hours
The Religious Studies Curriculum Area strives for students to engage in rigorous academic pursuit through critical engagement with the truth claims of major world faiths and philosophies, while creating opportunities for students to explore, reflect and understand the impact of beliefs on the lives of believers. Students are encouraged to explore, challenge and develop their own views, knowledge and skills through discussion, debate and extracurricular activities. They showcase their understanding of matters of philosophy, religion and ethics through essays, presentations and by applying knowledge in creative ways.
In the study of matters of life, death and reality, students develop empathy, understanding and tolerance. This prepares students to engage in the wider world with an understanding of the diversity, values and challenges within society.
In preparation for the transition to KS4 students engage in the thematic study of religion, applying and honing the analytical skills they have developed in previous years. Students will evaluate the religious truth claims about the nature of reality and how they shape the world; investigating how and where these beliefs and principles are reflected. To support student wellbeing, the GCSE course begins in the summer term with the study of Islamic beliefs. This allows students to develop confidence in applying their knowledge and skills to the exam specification, prior to balancing the workload of multiple subjects.
The Existence of God – Students explore St Thomas Aquinas’ first cause and design arguments for the existence of God and evaluate their success in proving the existence of God. Students go on to assess whether religious responses to the problem of evil are sufficient and whether miracles, morality and revelation of scripture provide evidence of God’s existence.
Human Rights and Social Justice / Write for Rights – Students investigate the history of human rights legislation, religious views on human rights and social justice, conflicting rights, ethics and human rights to assess how and why these principles are reflected by the people and governments that subscribe to them.
Bible Stories – Students study Biblical stories from Christianity in this unit of work focusing on the different religious key figures and stories such as Adam and Eve, Noah’s Ark, Joseph the King of Dreams and Jonah and the Whale.
Pre-Islamic Arabia – Students explore the rich history of Arabia and the Pre-Islamic Arabian context. This refers to the Arabian Peninsula before Prophet Muhammad’s first revelation in 610 CE. Students study the coming of Islam in this historical period and how this impacted the Arabian society of this time.
GCSE Religious Studies: Component 1 – Islamic Beliefs – Understanding the beliefs, values and traditions of Islam and investigating the religious responses to the fundamental questions of life, raised by the human experience. Students study the foundations of belief, the role of prophets and scripture to develop their own theological and philosophical responses to issues of freewill and determinism, divine judgement and afterlife.
The Existence of God
Students explore St Thomas Aquinas’ first cause and design arguments for the existence of God and evaluate their success in proving the existence of God. Students go on to assess whether religious responses to the problem of evil are sufficient and whether miracles, morality and revelation of scripture provide evidence of God’s existence.
Human Rights and Social Justice
Students investigate the history of human rights legislation, religious views on human rights and social justice, conflicting rights, ethics and human rights to assess how and why these principles are reflected by the people and governments that subscribe to them.
GCSE Religious Studies: Component 1 – Islamic Beliefs
Understanding the beliefs, values and traditions of Islam and investigating the religious responses to the fundamental questions of life, raised by the human experience. Students study the foundations of belief, the role of prophets and scripture to develop their own theological and philosophical responses to issues of freewill and determinism, divine judgement and afterlife.
The Science curriculum functions with the vision of building excellence at all levels. This means that we nurture and coach learners to be the best that they can be. KS3 and KS4 students are taught with strong emphasis on ensuring they develop scientific knowledge, conceptual understanding and of the nature, processes and methods of Science.
Teaching Science content falls within the categories of biology, chemistry or physics however, our approach to the different aspect of the scientific enquiry skills overlap all three disciplines helping to reinforce and strengthen knowledge, understanding and mastery of ‘working scientifically’. Increasingly, our students develop scientific thinking, experimental skills and strategies, analytical and evaluating skills and develop the use of scientific nomenclature and understand how they are determined.
Our approach helps our students grow in confidence to make links between different sciences and beyond science subjects through our curriculum, dissect scientific questions about the world around them and be equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of Science, today and for the future. As teaching progresses, students acquire new knowledge (Assessment Objective 1) to fully develop their scientific understanding (Assessment Objective 2) and confidence to engage in discussions about how science has evolved and its application in the 21st century and beyond (Assessment Objective 3).
We understand the importance of providing students with varied context therefore encouraging resilience and rigour in their approach to problem solving and we achieve this by:
- Organising visits and events to science centres
- Collaborations with 6th form schools and College
- Collaborations with a number of department across the school
- Organising STEAM focus events and enrichment activities
- Organising science clubs for KS3 students
- Encouraging Science mentors
- Appointing Science Ambassadors and Middle leaders
In doing these, we continue to strengthen, secure and enrich students’ scientific understanding, uses and applications of Science today, at KS5 and for their future STEAM careers.
The principal focus for our year 9 students is to reinforce the connections between Biology, Chemistry and Physics and the ‘Big Ideas’- scientific knowledge and understanding underpinning these subjects. Quality First Teaching and learning is achieved with greater emphasis on depth, detail and understanding therefore preparing students with the right platform for the rigour of year 10 and beyond.
The natural progression we nurture allows us to plan and sequence the curriculum in year 9 so that new knowledge are acquired and skills taught build upon KS3 content, knowledge and skills. We use the time to develop and strengthen skills that can be used in the GCSE, address misunderstanding and misconceptions and build on content knowledge by starting with topics that follow a natural progression from year 7 and 8 in readiness for the complexity of the new GCSE curriculum. Through our teaching, students gain an in-depth understanding of triple and combined science content with better understanding of examinations, marks and progression opportunities beyond GCSE. At the end of year 9, students are well-informed about the curriculum choices that are available to them and are best placed to decide on the appropriate route for themselves or provide with the additional guidance to make this important decision.
By the end of year 9, students will have studied the following content:
- Biology: Cell biology, Organisation and Biogenetics
- Chemistry: Atomic structure and the periodic table, Structure, bonding and the properties of matter and Quantitative chemistry
- Physics: Energy, Electricity and Particle model of matter
Be Proud: “A language is not just words. It’s a culture, a tradition, a unification of a community.” Noam Chomsky.
The diversity of languages offered reflects the rich cultural and linguistic heritage of our community. Languages at Sarah Bonnell offer students the opportunity to gain cultural capital through a wide range of extra-curricular enrichments, international and London based visits and opportunities to work with our native speaker language assistants.
Aim High: “Knowledge of language is the doorway to wisdom”, Roger Bacon
We offer a challenging and supportive curriculum that empowers all students to be able to communicate effectively in the languages they are studying. Students master a range of grammatical structures from year 7, allowing them to manipulate language for a range of purposes and become independent, confident linguists.
Work Hard: “One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.” Frank Smith
Enthusiasm, engagement and enjoyment are at the heart of language learning at Sarah Bonnell. The importance of languages is emphasised through a curriculum that links to the wider world. We aim to foster self-motivated students with a lifelong love of language learning.
Be Kind: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” Nelson Mandela.
Learning a language develops understanding, empathy and solidarity. It allows us to see the world from a different perspective.
No excuses: “The limits of my language mean the limit of my world”, Ludwig Wittgensteign.
In the 21st century, living in a global community, English is not enough. Learning languages will open the door to our students to global employment, social and educational opportunities.
The Year 9 curriculum includes:
- Identity and Culture
- Cultural Life
- Holidays
- Travel and Tourism
- School
- International and Global Dimension