INFORMATIONAcademic Year 2012-2013

Our Curriculum VisionAt Maidstone Grammar School for Girls, our curriculum vision is toenable pupils to achieve academic excellence, in a caring and supportiveenvironment. We aim to foster a sense of scholarship, the developmentof thinking skills and a love of learning.

The curriculum is underpinned by a broad set of common values andpurposes. These are:

• encouraging in pupils a deeper knowledge and understanding of keyideas and concepts through an enquiry based approach to learning

• giving sufficient time to each Key Stage so that opportunities aremade available for significant enrichment and extension to ensurethat all students are intellectually challenged and develop asindependent learners and thinkers

• providing flexibility in curriculum design and subject choice so thatstudents are able to personalise their learning with regard to theirability and interests whilst retaining breadth in their studies

• ensuring that the delivery of learning and teaching is of the highestquality

Enquiry, enrichment and extension form the basis of our ‘CurriculumExtra’ programme both in timetabled lessons and extra-curricularactivities. These ideas are embedded within the schemes of work.

Gifted and TalentedIn addition to ‘Curriculum Extra’, the curriculum has also been organisedto accommodate the needs of very able pupils by:

• Provision of designated enrichment lessons in Year 7 where acarousel of ‘Big Questions’ such as ‘What is truth?’ are explored bypupils over the course of the academic year

• Immersion and Express Languages. Students have the opportunity tocomplete a MFL GCSE in KS3 and an AS in KS4. Some other lessons,e.g. P.E. are taught through the medium of French or Spanish.

• Provision of science courses leading to two or three qualifications inGCSE Science

• The opportunity for pupils to study GCSE Astronomy• Setting in Mathematics• Enabling pupils in GCSE Mathematics top sets 1 and 2 to study

free-standing Mathematics AS equivalent modules as well• Providing opportunities for sixth form students to follow a five A level

subject route• Providing access to Open University degree modules and

extended projects

The

Curr

iculu

m

Our Curriculum AimsWe want all of the pupils at MGGS to be:

• Successful learners: who enjoy learning, make excellent progressand achieve their full potential

• Confident individuals: who are able to lead safe, healthy andfulfilling lives and who are capable of leading others

• Responsible citizens: who make a positive contribution to societyand use their talents and abilities for the benefit of others as well asthemselves

We want our pupils to be Independent learners, thinkers and scholarswho can adapt their knowledge, understanding and skills to pose keyquestions, research wisely, articulate solutions and provide novel answersto problems. We have been accredited by the University of Exeter as a‘Thinking School’. Thinking skills are widely recognized by universities andemployers as being pivotal in helping people to be effective scholars andkey members of an organisation. In addition, we want to encourage all ourpupils to develop the capacity for lifelong learning, to have a love oflearning and to make sure that the learning needs of all pupils,including those who are gifted and talented, are fully met.

The curriculum and our studentsOur curriculum structure provides all students with:

• equality of access• an appropriate and challenging curriculum related to their needs• a broad and balanced curriculum which gives pupils significant

experience of activities and content that develop key skills,knowledge, understanding and attitudes

• a coherent curriculum which allows students to see how differentparts of the curriculum support and complement each other and howacquired skills and knowledge can be applied across a wide range ofcontexts and situations

• continuity and progression where learning takes account ofprevious experience, attainment and achievement, and wherestudents have challenging but attainable targets

Citizenship, Personal, Social &Health Education (PSHE) andWork Related Learning (WRL).School ‘Focus Days’, when the whole school timetable is suspended for aday, are held five times during the year. Such days provide the main wayin which Citizenship, PSHE and WRL are delivered although it should bestressed that timetabled lessons also cover significant parts of theseprogrammes of study.

Citizenship and PSHE include aspects of health, careers and politicaleducation, legal and economic issues, personal relationships andresponsibilities, community and social studies as well as study skills. Theprogramme recognises the importance of students’ lives outside andbeyond school and provides the opportunity for individuals to develop theskills, knowledge, attitudes and understanding which are required as theypass through their teenage years and prepare for adult life.

Careers support and guidance is an important and on-going process fromYear 7 to Year 13. The school employs its own Careers Officer and worksclosely with the Connexions Service to provide extensive advice onchoice of careers and Higher Education. As part of this package ofsupport students are able to have one to one career guidance interviews.They also gain a knowledge and understanding of work related areasthrough visits made to the school by employers and representatives ofacademic institutions, by attending careers based events outside ofschool and carrying out mini-enterprise, work experience and workshadowing placements during their time at school. There is a well stockedCareers Library and a wide range of other resources and services thatcan be accessed. A considerable amount of advice and support is alsogiven to students making applications to Higher Education institutions.

The quality of our career guidance has been acknowledged to be of thehighest standing and the school has been awarded Investors inCareers(Stage 3), the highest level of this award.

September 2011 Year 12 visit to Carroty WoodYear 10 Maths enrichment trip to the University of Kent, CanterburyYear 13 Textile students to Henry Poole Tailors, Savile RowYear 8 Art trip to the Royal Academy, Degas ExhibitionYear 11 Food Technology students to Bore Place FarmSome year 9 students to Teen Tech Festival

October 2011 U19 Kent Schools Netball TournamentU13 Kent Schools County Hockey TournamentYear 11 Art Trip to the Tate Modern and Tate Britain GalleriesYear 7 Residential weekend to Marchant’s Hill, SurreyYear 7 BAE RoadshowU14 Hockey Tournament4 Year 12 Students to the launch of the EES at BAE SystemsDuke of Edinburgh Bronze Qualifying Expedition, CranbrookYears 10-13 PE students to Motionhouse ‘Scattered’ Dance Show, CranbrookHouse Arts Competition - Singing

November 2011 Year 9 Geography field trip to Herne BayYear 12 Art & Design students to the Cork Street Galleries and the Hayward GallerySome students from years 11, 12 & 13 to Mock Bar Trial, Guilford Crown CourtYear 7+ Music concertGifted & Talented Year 8 student to Kids Lit QuizDistrict Cross CountrySports Presentation EveningU16 Kent Netball Tournament

December 2011 Year 8 German students to Koln4 students to participate in a Golf Tournament at Tudor ParkYear 13 Spanish students to La Tasca, MaidstoneYear 8 visit to Hever CastleBusiness Community Carol ServiceCarol Service at All Saints Church, Maidstone

January 2012 Years 10 & 11 Drama visit to ‘Warhorse’ New London TheatreYears 10 & 12 ICT visit to Kent UniversityYear 12 Drama visit to ‘Metamorphosis’, EM Forster TheatreYear 10 Art visit to Tate Britain and Tate Modern galleriesU14 Kent Netball tournamentYear 8 Art visit to the Royal Academy – David Hockney ExhibitionChoir members to Young Voices at the 02 ArenaYear 7 Gamelan

February 2012 U15 Cricket competitionIntermediate Maths ChallengeU13 Kent Netball tournamentSchool production of ‘Alice’U14 Kent Futsal Finals at University of Kent, CanterburyYear 12 Psychology trip to ‘The Holocaust Exhibition’ at the Imperial War MuseumYear 10 Food Technology trip to Commonwork Land Trust, Bore Place FarmCounty Indoor Rowing FinalYear 8 Art students to The Royal Academy, LondonA2 Sociology Seminar at St. Simon Stock SchoolPFA Quiz nightMusic ConcertYears 12/13 Maths Inspiration Lectures at the University of KentScience Week ActivitiesYear 7 visit to the Natural History MuseumScience QuizScience and Technology Career Talks on Pharmacy, Microbiology and Civil EngineeringCareers talk on dentistry

A Selection of Events fromthe School Calendar 2011 – 2012

Big Bug ShowYear 11 Psychology focus dayYear 11 Triple Biology students to Port Lympne Animal ParkYear 8 science day

March 2012 MGGS whole school fundraising event- helicopter fly-byYear 13 Drama students visit to the Globe TheatreKS3 Forte members to Young Voices at the O2 ArenaYear 13 Physics trip to CERN, GenevaU13 Kent School Games Basketball FinalsYear 12 & 13 Drama students to ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’U12 Kent Netball tournament at Aylesford Rugby ClubYear 8 students to ‘Risk It’ Enterprise Technology Challenge Final, BAERochesterWest Kent Book Awards Presentation EveningYear 12 Geography field trip to Swanage, Dorset10 Year 12 students to Queens’ College Cambridge RoadshowYears 9 & 10 Kent Indoor Cricket Finals

April 2012 Duke of Edinburgh Silver Qualifying Expedition12 Year 9 students to G&T Science and Technology Challenge DayJunior Maths ChallengeHigher Education Convention at Kent University, CanterburyMaidstone Area Book Awards

May 2012 Year 7 visit to St. Omer, FranceKent School Games championshipYear 7 Rowing at Maidstone Invicta Rowing ClubMayor Making CeremonyYear 9 Oxjam ConcertYear 12 visit to Health and Social Care Open Evening at theUniversity of SurreyYear 10 Geography Fieldtrip to RochesterYear 7 Street 20 Cricket CompetitionDuke of Edinburgh Bronze Practice ExpeditionYear 9 study trip to NormandyYear 8 visit to St. Omer, France

June 2012 Year 7 students to compete in Kent School Games AthleticsYears 12 & 13 MFL students to Stephen Fry Lecture at theRoyal Institution of Great Britain2 Year 9 students to DUX Award Scheme, Warwick UniversitySome year 8 and 9 students to compete in Inter-school Golf CompetitionSchools Summer Indoor Rowing CompetitionInter schools Tennis CompetitionYear 9 Maths Leader DayYear 8 History DaySome year 9 students to Maths Conference at Greenwich UniversityYear 8 Geography Fieldtrip to RyeYear 12 Health and Social Care students to Health & Social ExposéYear 10 Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Qualifying Expedition, CranbrookYear 10 GCSE Business Studies trip to Coca Cola Education CentreYear 7 Growing Scientists Project at Chatham Historical DockyardYear 8 students to Science Extravaganza at Kent UniversityDuke of Edinburgh Gold training ExpeditionSports Day

July 2012 Technology Master ClassesSummer dance ShowYear 7 Medieval EveningYear 9 ‘World of Work’ dayYear 7 Food technology trip to Bore Place FarmMusic and PE Students to Olympic Torch EventKS3 Celebration

ACCESS TO FURTHER INFORMATIONEach year, in addition to the School and Sixth Form Prospectuses, we produce a variety ofother publications. A regular newsletter is distributed to all parents.

Details of information contained in statutory orders, DFE circulars, the OFSTED Report (2009),school policy documents (e.g. the Governor’s Charging Policy; Health and Sex Education) andschemes of work are available on request from the school.

BUCKLAND ROADMAIDSTONEKENT ME16 0SF

TELEPHONE: 01622 752103FAX: 01622 681947EMAIL: central@mggs.orgWEBSITE: www.mggs.org