CURRICULUM STRUCTURE
PHASE 1 · YEARS 7 & 8
Develop
Strong foundations for secondary education.
Phase 1 establishes the foundations for a successful Rainhill education. Across Years 7 and 8, pupils develop secure academic knowledge, effective learning habits, positive relationships and a strong sense of belonging.
The progression within our Character Curriculum moves from Belonging in Year 7 to Voice & Community in Year 8. Pupils learn how to participate successfully in secondary school before taking increasing responsibility for their learning, contribution and leadership.
THE PURPOSE OF PHASE 1
Belong. Build Knowledge. Develop Confidence.
Phase 1 helps pupils make a successful transition into secondary education while establishing the knowledge, learning habits, relationships and independence they will need throughout their Rainhill journey.
CURRICULUM ENTITLEMENT
A Broad and Ambitious Curriculum
Pupils follow a broad Key Stage 3 curriculum across 50 lessons each fortnight.
In Year 7 and Year 8 pupils study:
| Subject | Lessons per fortnight | |
|---|---|---|
| Year 7 | Year 8 | |
| English | 8 | 8 |
| Mathematics | 8 | 8 |
| Science | 7 | 7 |
| Physical Education | 4 | 4 |
| Modern Foreign Languages | 4 | 4 |
| Geography | 3 | 3 |
| History | 3 | 3 |
| Design Technology | 3 | 3 |
| Religious Education | 2 | 2 |
| Computing | 2 | 2 |
| Art | 2 | 2 |
| Music | 2 | 1 |
| Drama | 1 | 1 |
| Character Curriculum | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 50 | 50 |
Morning Character Curriculum: In addition to the 50 timetabled lessons shown above, all pupils take part in a 30-minute Character Curriculum session with their form each morning. Across a two-week timetable, this provides a further 5 hours of Character Curriculum provision for pupils in both Year 7 and Year 8.
Each subject is planned through a Curriculum Map, identifying essential knowledge, disciplinary skills and vocabulary. Learning is deliberately sequenced so that pupils build securely on what they already know and develop increasingly sophisticated understanding over time.
INCLUSION WITH AMBITION
An Inclusive Curriculum
Our starting point is that every pupil should access the full ambition and breadth of the curriculum wherever possible.
Where pupils experience barriers, our first response is to understand those barriers and adapt teaching, resources, support or organisation so that pupils can continue to participate successfully alongside their peers.
Our approach to adaptive teaching is supported by the Expert Teacher Manual, Systems of Learning and Teacher Transitions, providing consistent frameworks through which teachers plan, deliver and adapt learning to meet pupils' needs.
For some pupils, particularly during the transition to secondary education, a more adapted curriculum may be appropriate. Our nurture provision therefore provides additional support rather than a lower expectation of what pupils can achieve.
The purpose of adaptation is to remove barriers, strengthen independence and enable pupils to participate increasingly successfully in the wider curriculum, rather than unnecessarily separating pupils from it.
THE PRINCIPLE
Remove the barrier. Retain ambition. Maximise participation.
The nurture curriculum preserves access to a broad range of subjects while providing additional emphasis on foundational literacy, numeracy, communication and successful participation in learning.
ADAPTED PROVISION
Nurture Curriculum
Nurture provision within Phase 1 supports pupils across the whole H band: H1, H2 and H3.
Pupils continue to access a broad range of subjects while receiving additional support for foundational literacy, numeracy, communication and successful participation in learning. All H-band groups receive two additional lessons of English within their timetable.
Provision is supported through smaller class sizes, reduced cognitive load created by fewer movements and transitions around the school, and additional Teaching Assistant support. These adjustments are designed to remove barriers while retaining ambition and increasing pupils' confidence and independence.
In Year 7 and Year 8, pupils within the H band study:
| Subject | Year 7 | Year 8 |
|---|---|---|
| English | 8 | 8 |
| Mathematics | 8 | 8 |
| Science | 7 | 7 |
| PE | 4 | 4 |
| Geography | 3 | 3 |
| History | 3 | 3 |
| Religious Education | 2 | 2 |
| Character Curriculum | 1 | 2 |
| Spanish, German or French* | 2 | 2 |
| Computing | 2 | 2 |
| Drama | 1 | 1 |
| Music | 2 | 1 |
| Design & Technology | 3 | 3 |
| Art | 2 | 2 |
| Additional English | 2 | 2 |
Morning Character Curriculum: Pupils within the H band also take part in the same 30-minute daily form-based Character Curriculum sessions as their peers, providing a further 5 hours of Character Curriculum provision each fortnight.
*Year 7 pupils study Spanish, French or German. From Year 8 onwards, pupils specialise in that language.
LEARNING & PROGRESS
Building Secure Foundations
LEARNING BEYOND LESSONS
Developing Effective Learning Habits
At Rainhill, curriculum extends beyond the timetable.
Homework and independent learning help pupils revisit important knowledge, practise what they have learned and establish effective habits of organisation and study.
Recall 100 supports daily retention and retrieval practice across Key Stage 3, helping pupils revisit and secure important knowledge over time.
Reading Plus provides structured development of reading fluency and comprehension.
Sparx Maths provides weekly independent mathematical practice and consolidation, responsive to pupils' learning needs.
Reading is particularly important. Every subject contributes to pupils' reading, vocabulary, writing and communication. Where assessment identifies barriers in reading, literacy or numeracy, additional support is matched to the identified need while pupils continue to experience an ambitious curriculum.
UNDERSTANDING PROGRESS
Assessment That Improves Learning
Teachers assess pupils' learning regularly to establish what they know, identify misconceptions and adapt teaching.
LP1, LP2 and LP3 provide three formal Learning Progress points during the year. At Key Stage 3, assessment is rooted in subject Curriculum Maps, with the final cycle building to a synoptic assessment of the knowledge and skills taught.
Assessment supports both reporting and timely response: where pupils require additional help, the aim is to adjust provision early rather than allow barriers to become established.
CHARACTER CURRICULUM
Develop
The Develop phase complements pupils' academic education and helps them become increasingly confident, responsible members of the Rainhill community.
Character development takes place through both the bespoke taught Character Curriculum and a 30-minute Character Curriculum session with pupils' forms each morning. Across a two-week timetable, these morning sessions provide a further five hours of structured Character Curriculum provision, ensuring that character, responsibility and personal development are reinforced throughout pupils' daily experience of school.
YEAR 7
Belonging
Year 7 focuses on belonging, relationships, identity, resilience, literacy and numeracy, enrichment and successful transition.
YEAR 8
Voice & Community
Year 8 builds towards greater voice, responsibility, community participation and leadership.
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
Character, Opportunity & Participation
Our Professional Standards reinforce the habits and attitudes that support successful participation in school.
Character is developed not simply through teaching about these qualities, but through opportunities to practise them through school life.
Sport, Arts & Enrichment
Pupils can participate in sport, music, drama and performing arts, creative activities, academic and subject clubs, House activities, community projects, trips and visits.
Freshers Fayre
The Freshers Fayre introduces pupils to the wider offer at the beginning of Year 7.
Outdoor Residential
The outdoor residential experience provides opportunities to develop confidence, teamwork and independence.
Inclusive Participation
We aim to identify and reduce barriers to participation so that wider opportunities are not restricted unnecessarily by pupils' background, SEND or other circumstances.
VOICE, LEADERSHIP & ASPIRATION
Growing Responsibility
LEADERSHIP & VOICE
Contribution Begins Early
Leadership opportunities begin in Year 7 and increase progressively.
These include class and dining-room responsibilities, Student Parliament, Form Standards Officers, transition representatives and Eco Committee participation.
In Year 8, pupils can take on further responsibilities including charity leadership and digital or homework ambassador roles.
Student Parliament provides a structured route for pupils to contribute to learning, belonging and wellbeing, school improvement and community.
CAREERS & ACADEMIC ASPIRATION
Looking Ahead
Careers education begins in Phase 1 through curriculum links, assemblies, visiting speakers and encounters with the world of work.
The Scholars Programme provides additional academic enrichment and challenge.
Identification is intended to ensure that academic potential is not defined solely by prior attainment or background.
RECOGNITION & CULTURE
Recognition and Celebration
01
House Points
House Points are the everyday currency of recognition at Rainhill, affirming the actions, attitudes and achievements we want to see across learning, character, leadership and contribution.
02
Club 100
Daily House Points accumulate towards Club 100 recognition, providing a clear achievement milestone and connecting pupils' everyday positive choices and contributions with wider school rewards.
03
Lions
Lions recognise the exceptional: achievements, attitudes, behaviours or contributions that stand out and merit particular recognition.
04
Celebrating Achievement
Achievers Awards, certificates, badges, House competitions and celebration events provide further opportunities to recognise academic achievement and wider personal development.
BY THE END OF PHASE 1
Ready for the Next Stage
Phase 1 is designed to ensure that pupils have experienced a broad curriculum and developed the knowledge, learning habits, confidence, relationships and increasing independence needed for Year 9.
For pupils requiring adaptation or additional support, the same principle applies: remove the barrier, retain ambition and maximise participation in the wider curriculum.
