We provide our pupils with educational opportunities that are academically challenging, supportive, and individually personalised through an academic curriculum that is holistic, broad and full of opportunity.
Honing strengths and supporting areas for development
Working in a range of specialist facilities, our enthusiastic teachers build on the best of Pocklington’s educational traditions, blending these with the incorporation of innovative approaches, including the newest technologies.
The strength and quality of the relationships between our pupils and teachers, along with small class sizes of around 20 or fewer, allow us to personalise pupils’ learning experiences and to ensure that individual needs are met. Expert support is available for those pupils with specific learning requirements and enables all in our community to achieve their potential.
These all help us to broaden our pupils’ horizons, raise their ambitions, and deliver teaching and learning of the highest quality.
Our pupils'
academic journey
The academic curriculum at Pocklington is deliberately broad, exposing our Lower School pupils to a wide range of subject disciplines, ensuring Middle School pupils balance the rigorous core curriculum with personalised options packages, and enabling our Sixth Form pupils to tailor specialised learning programmes from subject disciplines covering both academic and vocational options.
Lower School
Our Lower School curriculum establishes a stimulating, rigorous foundation for pupils’ learning throughout their time at Pocklington. Its breadth affords pupils a multitude of opportunities: to solve problems and tackle challenges; to pose their own questions about the world around them; to apply their learning in unfamiliar scenarios; to work with care and technical precision; to listen empathetically and communicate effectively with others; to devise creative and imaginative forms of self-expression.
Across the range of academic disciplines, subject content is carefully selected to ensure that pupils not only acquire relevant subject-specific knowledge and understanding, but also develop the wider learning skills and aptitudes encapsulated in our Values and Virtues.
The majority of subjects are taught in mixed ability groupings. Core subjects (English, mathematics and sciences) are taught in ability-based sets which are gradually introduced during the Lower School and continue to the end of GCSE study.
In Lower School, pupils study two of the following modern languages: French, German and Spanish. Pupils are offered the opportunity to select their first choice of language; the second is selected by the School.
Middle School
As pupils progress to Middle School, they embark in earnest upon their journey to success at GCSE and beyond. The opportunity to shape and select their personal academic programme is introduced.
This begins in Year 9, with the introduction of GCSE subject content in some subjects and the development of key skills and approaches in others. A small amount of subject optionality in this year enables pupils to begin refining their subject selection, while a full programme of careers and subject guidance supports pupils to make GCSE subject choices, from a wide range of over 20 options, that best fit their individual interests and aptitudes.
Throughout Middle School our goal is for all our pupils to become self-aware learners, enhancing their understanding of areas of personal strength and targeting those requiring further development with the encouragement and support of specialist teachers.
Teaching in English, mathematics, science and humanities (Year 9 only) is in ability-based sets. Option subjects are taught in mixed ability classes.
Most pupils will complete either nine or ten GCSEs comprising a mixture of compulsory core subjects and option subjects. All pupils take the core subjects and will choose a modern language as one of their option subjects. Pupils then have a choice of three further option subjects. Further details on choosing GCSE compulsory core and option subjects can be found in the GCSE Choices Booklet.
Sixth Form
Our Sixth Form curriculum enables students to develop greater levels of independence and autonomy by introducing an even wider element of choice and self-direction into the structure and content of their study programmes.
With 28 options available, including A levels and a carefully selected range of BTECs, students have a diverse selection to choose from. Subject packages can be tailored to suit students’ aptitudes and to help them prepare for university, apprenticeship, further training or the workplace.
Students can also choose to complete one of a range of enrichment qualifications. In some cases, taking a fourth A level may be an appropriate option. The breadth of these opportunities helps students to develop key skills, both as learners and as individuals ready to enter the workplace.
Through a carefully balanced combination of challenge and support, we encourage our students to refine their individual areas of interest, to identify clear goals, and to develop aspirations related to their chosen areas of specialism.
