Curriculum

At Southlands, our curriculum is designed to be ambitious, inclusive, and empowering for all students. We are committed to ensuring that every student feels safe, secure, and valued within a supportive learning environment. We believe that a positive school experience is fundamental to enabling students to grow into confident, resilient individuals who can become the best version of themselves.

Our curriculum is ambitious for all. It is carefully planned and coherently sequenced to build knowledge, deepen understanding, and develop skills over time. In the context of our school community, inclusion is not an add-on—it is the foundation. We deliberately designed our curriculum to remove barriers to learning, close attainment gaps, and ensure every learner is supported and challenged to achieve success academically, socially, and emotionally. This includes a strong focus on literacy, numeracy, and communication, alongside opportunities for students to develop independence, resilience, and a sense of responsibility for themselves and others.

We want Southlands students to leave us not only with strong academic outcomes, but with the confidence, character, and cultural awareness to thrive in the wider world. Our curriculum therefore extends beyond the classroom, offering rich experiences that broaden horizons, raise aspirations, and prepare students for the next phase of education, employment, or training.

Key Stage 3 Curriculum Model

At Southlands, our Key Stage 3 curriculum provides a broad, balanced, and ambitious foundation that ensures all students develop the knowledge, skills, and cultural capital needed for future success. The curriculum fulfils the National Curriculum and is carefully structured across Years 7, 8 and 9 to support strong progression, secure core learning, and promote engagement across a wide range of subjects.

Students follow a two-week timetable that prioritises core academic disciplines, with significant curriculum time dedicated to English, Mathematics, and Science, ensuring depth of learning and the development of essential literacy, numeracy, and scientific understanding. Alongside this, students study a full range of foundation subjects, including Geography and History, a Modern Foreign Languages and Computer Science, and Religious Education and PSHE, supporting both academic breadth and personal development.

Creative and expressive subjects—including Art, Music, Drama, and Dance—are integral to the curriculum, providing opportunities for self-expression, creativity, and confidence-building. Physical Education promotes physical wellbeing and healthy lifestyles, while Food and Design Technology develop practical skills and applied knowledge.

Our enrichment programme further enhances the curriculum by broadening students’ experiences, raising aspirations, and supporting personal development beyond the classroom.

This carefully balanced model ensures that all students receive a rich and inclusive educational experience, enabling them to build strong foundations, discover their interests and talents, and be fully prepared for the next stage of their education.

Key Stage 4 Curriculum Model

Our Key Stage 4 curriculum is designed to be broad, balanced, and ambitious, enabling all students to attain, achieve, and maximise their potential over the next stage of their education and beyond. The curriculum provides an appropriate level of challenge while remaining accessible to all learners, and is carefully structured to support progression into Post-16 education, employment, and future careers. 

All students study a core curriculum of English, Mathematics, Science, Physical Education, and PSHE. Students follow Combined Science as standard, with the option to study Separate Sciences where preferred. In addition, all students study a Humanities subject (History or Geography), ensuring a strong academic foundation. 

Our options model requires students to select three further subjects from a wide range of free options. These include creative, technical, and academic qualifications, allowing students to personalise their curriculum based on their interests, strengths, and aspirations. To maintain breadth and balance, students may choose a maximum of two subjects from the creative disciplines (such as Drama, Dance, Music, Art, Photography, or Textile Design) and a maximum of two from the technology-based pathways (including Product Design, Hospitality and Catering, Health and Social Care, Digital Information Technology, or Travel and Tourism). 

Additional options include subjects such as Modern Foreign Languages, Computer Science, Business Studies, Religious Studies, Statistics, and Physical Education or Sports Studies, ensuring a diverse and inclusive offer.

This carefully designed pathways model ensures that all students follow a curriculum that is both ambitious and appropriate, supporting strong outcomes while keeping future opportunities open. It enables students to make informed choices, develop their strengths, and progress confidently to the next stage of their education or career pathway.