Our Curriculum

At Walton we are proud of our curriculum. We believe that it lies at the heart of everything we are
trying to achieve. It is the vehicle which enables our students to learn – that is to say, to acquire
knowledge which will be useful to them not only for their public examinations, but for the rest of
their lives.

Our Curriculum: A further look

What subjects are offered at KS3?

• English
• Mathematics
• Science
• History
• Geography
• A Modern Foreign Language (French or German)
• PE
• Technology (via a rotation through Food, Textiles, Resistant Materials and Graphics)
• RE
• Music
• ICT
• Art

If you wish to have a deeper delve into the subjects offered; please see Our Departments.

What about at GCSE?

We cherish our “free option choice” system at KS4. All of our students are free to choose four options at KS4, without the hindrance of an option block system. In many schools, choices are limited to only two or three options; subject combinations are limited by unwieldy options blocks and free choice is limited by a student’s prior attainment. Unfortunately, in many schools subjects which we consider to be important are not offered at all and have been replaced by subjects which gain the school greater credit in the Department for Education Performance Tables.

The opposite applies at Walton High School: students are free to choose four subjects that they want to study (with the only provision being that one choice must come from the EBacc group of subjects: History, Geography, Modern Foreign Languages or Computer Science).

We then endeavour to make our timetable fit our students’ preferences (and we have an annual success rate of approximately 98%) – i.e. our timetable serves our curriculum, as opposed to determining it.

For more information and for a full list of subjects that you can study at GCSE, please see our options booklet.

How is progress and performance managed?

Performance and progress in these subjects is measured through our internal “Platinum”, “Gold”, “Silver” and “Bronze” assessment system in which, crucially, each student, whatever their starting point, has the opportunity to progress to our very highest standard of “Platinum”.

Furthermore, parents will receive a full report home detailing their child’s progress within each subject and improvements can be made.

For more details on Assessment in KS3 please see here.

What subjects are offered at KS5?

A Levels:

Whilst also offering vocational courses in for our students who do not wish to pursue a more traditional A Level route:

• Forensic Science
• Food & Nutrition
• Sports Science

Furthermore you can view the full course guide here.

If you would like more information, please read our Curriculum Statement or Contact Office@Walton.staffs.sch.uk