Curriculum

The art and design department is a busy, thriving department consisting of 4 teachers and 4 specialist spaces. In the 2019-20 academic year we are very excited to be implementing GCSE Textile Design alongside our existing GCSE Art, Craft and Design course.

How can the UK return to its entrepreneurial heyday? We once led the world in innovation and trade, but now lag behind in the business start-up stakes. Our economy relies heavily on new business start-ups emerging and going on to develop into successful organisations; which go on to help the UK trade our way into a prosperous future. For this to happen, we rely on individuals with the will to achieve, who will go on to generate these new ideas and ventures.

Joanna Murchie is our in-house Careers Adviser and Co-Ordinator, working across all age groups to provide bespoke, impartial advice on careers pathways and choices for pupils on both a one-to-one and group basis. Having run her own careers consultancy for several years, she comes from a business background and has wide experience in modern recruitment practice.

A busy, specialist department comprising of 5 well equipped specialist rooms including facilities for varied practical, theory and IT based learning, all integral elements of teaching and learning in Design and Technology. We are a motivated and positive department who strive to ensure we are producing projects that are relevant, which enable our students to gain the required skills not only for their course but also for their future studies.

The GoBeyond award is the GFM's personal development curriculum for Years 7 and 8. The Duke of Edinburgh scheme is an amazing personal development experience that gives our pupils the opportunity to develop essential skills for life.

Brune Park offers a variety of off-site visits, learning outside the classroom opportunities and clubs/societies, all of which aim to supplement and enhance the curriculum.

Our Year 7 English curriculum will give students the room to think beyond Primary Level English, empowering them to draw their own conclusions about the texts we study; this will provide the foundation for achieving their best on their Flight Path to GCSE.

We encourage all students at the school to try to participate in activities run by the school either during the school day or after. There are regular notices shared with students at Tutor Time which share when clubs and activities are on and where they are being held. The school has a number of student led clubs and activities, where students work with the support of a member of staff.  These include: Environmental, Well being, Digital, House and a Teaching and Learning student group.

A committed team including a full time food LSA and food technician. The department consists of three modernised, specialist rooms that facilitate practical and theory learning. KS3 is core food education with year 7 and 8 taught on rotation with technology for one and a half terms.

Geography is a large department with six classrooms within a dedicated building for Geography and History. The department currently consists of eight teachers, who teach across the Key Stages. We have our own laptops for students to use and are well resourced.

In Year 9, all of our students make some choices about the subjects that they would like to focus on in Years 10 and 11. We are here to support you and your child through this process.

History is a large department with six classrooms within a dedicated building for Geography and History. The department currently consists of seven teachers that teach across the Key Stages. We have our own laptops for students to use and are well resourced.

We recognise the value and importance of what good quality homework can support students to achieve. Perhaps more importantly is the role homework can have in building a genuine passion for learning; in the classroom and beyond the classroom. We also recognise as a school that we still have much to do to build a culture and ethos that values the importance of good quality homework, with regular teacher feedback.

It is the aim of the Mathematics faculty to inspire the next generation to a love of learning Mathematics through a well-structured course, which allows students to master key skills throughout their studies. Students are encouraged to grow and develop in a safe nurturing environment. Mathematics is taught to all students from Year 7 to Year 11 and the curriculum covers number, calculations, algebra, shape, space and measures, and data handling.

The Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) department teaches French at KS3 and KS4. Students are taught the basic skills of studying a language in the form of listening, reading, speaking and writing each lesson. Students use these skills throughout KS3 and can transfer them if they opt for a language at GCSE.

Within the Performing Arts Faculty there are numerous opportunities for students to extend their knowledge and skills, broaden their experience and develop a lifelong passion for the Arts. At Brune Park Community School students in KS3 are able to study Dance, Drama and Music. In KS4 they can opt for GCSE Dance, Drama, Film Studies, Music, and BTEC Performing Arts.

Brune Park Community School’s PE department strives to create a lifelong love of being physically active within our students. Our aim is to be a thoroughly inclusive PE department that recognises students’ commitment, effort and attitude. At the same time we take great pride in celebrating and promoting students sporting endeavours. They will have the chance to learn about the principles and practices which lead to good performance whilst working individually, in groups and in teams.

Our PSHRE provision complements and supports our ‘in and beyond’ curriculum provision to do all we can to ensure our young people are confident, respectful, kind, knowledgeable and aware, see themselves and others as equal, are tolerant and accepting of difference, are patient and respectful and have a clarity for what they value and why.

During Key Stage 3, our teaching of Religious Education offers students encounters with people from different religious, non-religious, cultural and philosophical groups, who can express a range of convictions on religious and ethical issues.

Students can use the library system Oliver 5 to search for books and reliable websites; as well as write book reviews and reserve books that are currently unavailable. Students can access the library system by logging in with their school email and IT password.

In science at Brune Park we study a wide curriculum that incorporates the all three scientific disciplines. Emphasis is based on understanding the world around us and time and care is taken to unpick and understand scientific ideas. Knowledge is key in science and throughout your child’s time at Brune Park knowledge is obtained and built on topic by topic.

The House system at Brune Park is part of the School’s strong sense of belonging and community. There are four Houses – named after legends from the fields of Dance, Drama, Music and Film: Lennon, Hepburn, Gieldud, Fonteyn. Each House has its own motto and ethos that all students and staff contribute to, and support the values of the school. The House system also supports students as they develop the ‘Foundations for Learning’ and work on raising aspirations.