Curriculum Overview
AYA College is all about excellence. Our curriculum is designed to provide all students with the opportunity to make progress and attain their very best. Students begin this journey and forge ahead towards an excellent academic pathway.
Our Secondary Phase curriculum has a traditional framework, with a particular emphasis on preparing for achieving success in the twenty-first century through our elaborate and expansive PHSE curriculum.
AYA College students experience a balance of the traditional core subjects of English, Maths and Science alongside a range of other subjects through to subjects which support student achievement. We have introduced an innovative curriculum which allows our students to smash their year group’s learning barriers and take examinations when they are able to. We are always looking at innovative ways of enabling our students to secure their very best achievement.
All students at KS3 follow the National Curriculum and all are expected to take GCSEs in those subjects as well as a wide choice of optional courses, that will be made at the end of Year 9.
As a school, we share a positive relationship with Beckmead College. Our students benefit from the expertise they have in offering practical vocational courses. However, that does not mean we value just those subjects – we understand the need for excellence in all subjects, and we also recognise the vast range of opportunities in many aspects of humanities, ICT, the arts and business – using our students’ strengths of communication, problem-solving and teamwork to map them onto appropriate courses.
So, through our curriculum, we seek to create a balance, but we do not accept that there are any areas of study that are unsuitable for our students from becoming an artist to politicians; engineers to zoologists, and all students are encouraged to achieve their highest potential. This is borne out in our ethos: Strive, Succeed, Surpass.
A key part of our aim, therefore, is to prepare for a changing world. At AYA College, we recognise the need for a real grasp of the advantages and disadvantages of future technologies – how to be a discerning user of the tools that are available, as well as those that we can only begin to imagine at this point in time!
Across all year groups, there are countless planned trips and visits which take place in the UK and beyond. In other words, there is an extensive programme of educational and recreational
activities – all designed to contribute to the overall education of our students and embed cultural capital across the board.
There is, however, far more to education than what goes on in the formal classroom. To this end, a part of our student’s time at this school is given over to activities outside the classroom. These can vary from our individual enrichment activities such as music, drama, sports, and a wealth of other interests and activities including lunchtime and after-school clubs. We recognise that patterns for a healthy lifestyle are set in these formative adolescent years, and we are proud of the fact that our engaging PHSE curriculum captures this.
If you would like any further information about the curriculum, please contact the main school office.