Curriculum
At Orsett Heath, we know the choices we make about what to teach really matter. Our subject leaders carefully select and sequence the most powerful knowledge to equip students not only for academic success, but also to become thoughtful, resilient, and well-rounded young people. We are committed to ensuring that every student, whatever their starting point, has access the same ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum, and experiences success in their learning.
Our curriculum is designed to:
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Give students a broad, balanced, and well-sequenced education that helps them build knowledge step by step.
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Develop a love of learning, an ability to work independently, and the resilience to keep going when learning is difficult.
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Offer high ambition for every single student.
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Equip students with the knowledge and cultural capital they need to feel confident and ready for the future.
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Encourage students’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural growth.
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Support healthy lifestyles and active citizenship.
Lessons at Orsett Heath
At Orsett Heath, our teaching is based on what we know from cognitive science about how students learn. Broadly speaking, lessons at Orsett Heath follow the same structure:
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Retrieval Practice – students begin a lesson with a low-stakes quiz to help them remember knowledge from previous lessons.
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Knowledge Check – teachers check students have the prior knowledge they need to access the day's lesson.
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Teacher-led Explanation – teachers explain new knowledge and model in small steps (I do).
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Guided Practice – Teachers guide student practice (We do) and check for understanding to help decide when/if students are ready for independent practice.
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Independent Practice – Students work silently and independently (You do). Teachers circulate and provide feedback.
We recognise that, at times, learning can be complex. These stages are a starting point, but we trust our subject specialists to deviate slightly from these stages, when necessary.