Cottenham Through aspiration and endeavour, we flourish
Cottenham Through aspiration and endeavour, we flourish
The Curriculum at CVC
Aims and purpose
Learning is the core purpose and function of Cottenham Village College and at the heart of the college’s ability to deliver educational excellence is a rigorous and well-structured curriculum. Our curriculum at both Key Stage 3 (years 7 to 9) and Key Stage 4 (years 10 and 11) is structured by subjects, taught by specialists, and sequenced in a way that ensures systematic and thorough teaching.
We believe this is a right of all pupils and one which is liberating and empowering. Through the curriculum we aim to foster pupils’ curiosity and raise their aspirations, as well as ensure that pupils achieve high levels of attainment that will open doors for their future. A stimulating and broad curriculum also places pupils in a strong position to question and debate the world around them, making them intellectually resilient and preparing them for citizenship in a democratic society.
All pupils will study a broad curriculum from Year 7, which includes English; mathematics; the sciences; modern foreign languages; geography; history; art; design technology; food technology; music; dance; drama; computer science; religion, philosophy and ethics; personal, social and health education; and PE. In Year 9 pupils are given the opportunity to make preferences in optional subjects that will make up part of their GCSE curriculum at Key Stage 4.
Our curriculum is compliant with our duties in the Equality Act 2010 and the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014: our curriculum is accessible for those with disabilities or special educational needs and over time increases the extent to which disabled pupils and those with special educational needs participate in the school’s curriculum. Detailed information can be found in our Accessibility Plan which can be found in the Policies section of this website.
Structure and timetabling
Key Stage 3 (Year 7-9)
CVC runs a 50-hour, two-week timetable, with five 55 minute lessons per day. The following table shows the time allocated to each subject per fortnight on pupils’ timetables:
| Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 | |
| Art & Design | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Computer Science | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Design Technology | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Drama | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| English | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Geography | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| History | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Mathematics | 8 | 7 | 7 |
| MFL (French/Spanish) | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Music | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| PE | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Religious Studies | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Science | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| PSHE | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Our classroom practice to deliver our broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum is outlined in our Teaching and Learning Vision where we collectively agree on the key principles that underpin our approach. This is available to read below.
Overview of curriculum
For details of the curriculum at Key Stage 3 we have provided overviews for each subject in the relevant year group area of the website. Details of the PSHE and RSE curriculum are in the Personal Development area of the website.
Key Stage 4
Our curriculum offer at key stage 4 is underpinned by the values of access to a broad and balanced curriculum. Students study compulsory subjects of English, maths, sciences, RE, PSHE, PE and computing and are able to select 4 curriculum preferences for their choice of qualification.
The key stage 4 curriculum for 2023-24 is designed on a 50 teaching period fortnight (25 lessons a week).
The four options subjects are allocated 6 periods a fortnight each, science 9 periods, maths 7 periods, English 7 periods, PE 1 period, PSHE 1 period. RE is delivered using drop-down sessions and computing via tutor time sessions in an IT suite.
Please find details of qualification details at Key Stage 4, such as exam board and number of exam papers in our Key Stage 4 Curriculum Overview. More details can be found on each subject by visiting the Year 9 page for parents, where full details on each of the options subjects are shared.
Personal Development
We recognise that a well-rounded education goes beyond subjects and we have a strong vision for our wider, pastoral curriculum and educational experiences outside the classroom.
Our overall vision for our personal development provision is outlined here Personal Development Vision
We deliver PSHE through timetabled Personal Development lessons. These are weekly at KS3 and fortnightly at KS4.
In addition, themes from the Personal Development curriculum that are pertinent to particular year groups are covered in our ‘One Big Question’ discussions in tutor times and through our assembly programme. Our provision is further strengthened by a series of Conference Days where the timetable is collapsed and students engage in a range of activities focused on the PSHE curriculum. This allows us to use time more flexibly and invite external, visiting speakers to share their expertise with our students.
The PSHE Curriculum
This is an essential part of our Personal Development programme. Our model PSHE curriculum draws upon our Trust-wide Personal Development curriculum and resources, underpinned by our use of the Cambridgeshire PSHE Framework.
Our curricular model enables students to make progress over time in relation to several key concepts. We return to these concepts across Key Stage 3 and 4, returning to them over time from increasingly complex age-appropriate perspective.
Key aspects of the PSHE curriculum covered in our Personal Development programme include:
Managing Risk
Managing Change
Healthy Lifestyles
Healthy Relationships (including RSE)
Citizenship
Economic Wellbeing
Implementing the Statutory Relationships and Sex Education Framework September 2021
We have ensured that our PSHE curriculum is in line with the statutory RSE Framework. How this is put into practice is outlined in our RSE Policy.
We work within the Cambridgeshire PSHE Framework, which frames the curriculum in this area around a series of age-appropriate questions. A booklet that we shared with parents at Easter 2021 outlining the county-wide approach to meeting the statutory requirements of the RSE curriculum using this framework can be accessed here.
If you would like more information about the overview of our curriculum please click on this link:
Personal Development Curriculum
Responding to the Ofsted review into sexual abuse and harassment in schools, 2021
Below is a summary of our response to the Ofsted review into sexual harassment in schools. The case for schools taking action in this area is strong. Nine in ten of the girls Ofsted spoke to told them that sexist behaviour was happening in their school community. Ofsted’s message to schools was clear: that schools should, “act on the assumption that sexual harassment is affecting their pupils”. If you would like to read the review and recommendations yourself, then you can find the report here. The definition of sexual harassment used in the Department for Education “Keeping Children Safe in Education” (2021) includes behaviours such as “sexual comments, remarks, jokes and online sexual harassment, which may be standalone or part of a broader pattern of abuse. “
In September 2021, we carried out compulsory staff training raising awareness of the issues raised by this Ofsted report and have adapted our curriculum to raise awareness of these issues with students in an age-appropriate way. We are working with the PSHE Service at the Local Authority to develop an approach to finding out about how aware students are of what sexual harassment is and its prevalence in our school community. As a result, all students from Year 8-11 will have the opportunity to complete a very brief, anonymous and voluntary online survey. Our survey reflects best practice in this area. We will share its main outcomes with parents and the results will be used to further develop the curriculum and continue to strive towards a create a culture where all children feel safe and respected, and where there is no place for sexist behaviour. We run an annual survey, written jointly with the Cambridgeshire PSHE Service, annually since the Autumn Term 2021. This ensures that we get feedback from students to alert us to any behaviour or concern expressed by the student body that we may need to address. It ensures that we remain vigilant and proactive in our response to sexual harassment.
Our curriculum has already been adapted to incorporate the issues raised by the report. An overview of our PSHE curriculum is available here:
Personal Development Curriculum Overview
We would also encourage you to talk to your child about this issue. Ofsted found that sexist behaviour is so normalised in our children’s culture that most of them simply accept it, and don’t feel it is worth reporting. We all have a part to play in challenging this culture. A conversation with their parents may help your child feel more confident discussing their feelings about the issues surrounding sexism and sexual harassment.