Welcome to the Bradfield Curriculum Hub
At Bradfield Secondary School, we prepare pupils to thrive in a world that is technologically advanced, dynamic, and diverse. Success is not solely defined by academic results. We shape pupils into compassionate, resilient leaders who are organised, proactive, and ready to make a positive impact.
Bradfield has a rich history of offering a truly broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum for all. The values of our community underpin our approach to the holistic development of our students. Our approach incorporates opportunities for academic, creative and personal development and success. Staff are mindful of individual starting points, backgrounds and needs, supporting and stretching all students appropriately to allow them to flourish and prosper.
Our curriculum is planned in a logical order, building knowledge in clear steps over time, increasing in scale and complexity. Learning incorporates frequent revision and retrieval to enable students to know and remember more in the long term, supporting academic success.
Whilst most learning takes place in the classroom, we capitalise on all aspects of school life for the development of students. This focusses on the LORIC values of Leadership, Organisation, Resilience, Initiative and Communication. Our tutor programme, extra-curricular activities and variety of opportunities for leadership complement and support the work of the subject based curriculum, whilst developing students’ interpersonal skills. Assemblies are integrated into the tutor programme and are used as a vehicle for further learning, covering wider aspects of teaching and learning, pastoral themes, community values, wider current affairs and rewards. We believe that truly successful students develop their academic, creative and interpersonal skills.
Our Learning Approach
Everything we do is designed to ensure our students develop the knowledge, skills and values needed for personal success and to make a positive contribution to the wider world.
Reading is vital to academic success, pupil well-being and social inclusion. At Bradfield we want every student to read regularly, fluently and with confidence. Like any skill, the only way to develop reading skills is to read regularly.
Every pupil in Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8 and 9) has a dedicated two hours of reading a week in addition to reading as part of learning a subject. Pupils on intervention programmes will have at least 3 hours of dedicated reading time a week.
If you have any questions about reading at Bradfield, please contact us.
We approach reading through three main areas:
We measure the reading age of students twice a year. Where a student has a reading age significantly lower than their actual age, we offer different programmes to support the development of age-appropriate reading skills.
Students struggle with reading for different reasons. We offer four levels of extra support, depending on need.
Difficulties with de-coding.
Reading is a code. Some students need help in learning how the different sounds in English link to letters on the page. Students who struggle with decoding receive Fresh Start phonics provision.
Fresh Start phonics provision
Students study the Fresh Start phonics programme daily in Form Time. This provision is open to students in Years 7-11 and is taught in small groups or, occasionally, one-to-one. For more information, see:
Thinking Reading
Students who have reading ages two or more years lower than their actual age are eligible for the Thinking Reading programme.
Students study with a trained Thinking Reading tutor three times a week. Each session is around 30 minutes long and take place during lessons. This provision is open to students in Years 7-11 and is taught one-to-one. For more information:
Comprehension groups
Many students struggle with reading because of unknown words or more complicated sentences. Students who can read fairly fluently but score lower on understanding are invited to join a comprehension group.
Students study non-fiction texts twice a week in groups of up to eight students. We read non-fiction texts linked to current affairs and the curriculum, with a focus on vocabulary, reading accuracy and comprehension. The sessions take place in Form Time.
This provision is open to students in Years 7, 8 and 9. There is also small-group comprehension provision offered to students in Y11 to prepare for their English Language GCSE.
Paired Reading
Where students are just under nationally expected reading levels, they are invited onto the Paired Reading programme. The aim of Paired Reading is to encourage a habit of regular reading to increase fluency.
Students read a novel one-to-one or in small groups with a trained reading mentor (an older student or member of staff). Students are expected to also read their book at home each week. This provision is offered to students in Years 7 and 8. Students from Years 9, 10 and 11 can train to be Reading Mentors.
A range of research highlights the importance of children reading for pleasure. Our Reading Pledge is that Bradfield students will read at least 30 books by the end of Year 9.
Students at Bradfield are supported to read for pleasure during the school day through:
Form Time reading
Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 read twice a week in Form Time (30 minutes). We offer a range of books for classes to choose, including plays, fiction, novels in verse and autobiography or memoir. Form Teachers read the book to their class, while students follow along with the text.
The purpose of Form Time reading is to introduce students to a wider range of books, and to enjoy reading together.
Reading for Pleasure English lessons
Once a week as part of the ARK English KS3 curriculum, we have a Reading for Pleasure lesson. Classes enjoy a book together, taking turns reading out loud to the class. There are plenty of opportunities for discussion and debate, as well as the pleasure of being immersed in a great story, whether fiction or non-fiction.
Library
Our library has a wide range of books for students to read in school and borrow to take home.
We have a full-time Librarian and the library is open every break and lunchtime. Students like the relaxed and calming atmosphere, beautiful views from the large library windows and being part of a community of story-lovers. For students who are looking to study English beyond GCSE, we have many books on the A-Level syllabus available to borrow.
For further information about the importance of reading for pleasure, please see:
To support students’ reading development in all classrooms, every teacher knows the reading level of each student and uses this information when planning and delivering lessons. This year, we are prioritising the development of disciplinary literacy, which means teaching students how to read and write in the specific language of each subject.
For more information about disciplinary literacy, please see:
Reading Recommendations
For great reading ideas, visit National Literacy Trust recommended reads .
You could also visit The Reading Agency for even more suggestions.
To join Sheffield Libraries for free, including access to e-book, e-comics and e-magazines, visit Sheffield Libraries.
Teachers explicitly share the learning intention for each lesson and the success criteria used to judge progress. The guiding questions for students at home are:
- What did you learn today?
- How do you know if you were successful?
To maximise engagement, teachers use “no hands up” cold‑calling questioning strategies. This method ensures all pupils are included and actively thinking.
Lessons begin with a silent starter activity (“Do Now”) to promote calm, focus and engagement from the very beginning of each lesson.
To equip students to be successful in assessments at all levels of school, we deliberately teach the following revision techniques:
- Year 7 - Using knowledge organisers
- Year 8 - Flashcards
- Year 9 - Mindmaps
- Year 10/11 - Use of all of the above. Flashcard revision as part of the tutor programme using the Leitner method
Pupils are expected to take pride in all aspects of their work, uniform, behaviour, and conduct.
They audit their work each half term using expectations such as:
- Title and date on each piece
- Neat handwriting using blue/black pen
- Pencil for diagrams
- One-line crossings‑out
- Graffiti‑free work
Pupils should bring the following equipment daily:
Pen, pencil, ruler, rubber, calculator, pencil sharpener, glue stick, different coloured pen for improvements (preferably green).
We assess pupils continually to check understanding and then work to close gaps in learning.
This may be every lesson through small scale activities such as the use of questioning and mini whiteboards, through teacher marking or formal written assessments. Not all feedback to pupils is written, a lot will be given verbally to pupils.
In addition to departmental plans for formal assessments, there are calendared formal assessments twice per year for all year groups, as shown in the INOVA assessment calendar please see document below. We notify parents of topics students should revise for calendared assessments in advance via email. Staff will also set specific revision homework to support students to be successful.
Pupils will be issued with a data report shortly after each assessment week. The data report will give details of assessment attainment, along with grading for behaviour, effort and work rate, and homework.
Key Stage 3 (Y7-Y9, age 11-14)
Year groups are split into two bands in key stage 3. Pupils are mostly taught as a form group in Y7 and then in different mixed ability groups in Y8 and Y9. Design Technology is taught in smaller group sizes throughout key stage 3 to ensure health and safety regulations are met. PE is taught in gender groups. Mathematics is taught by ability from Y7 and Science is set by ability from Y8 onwards.
Pupils will be taught French through modern foreign languages lessons. This is then an optional subject at GCSE.
Design Technology lessons incorporate a range of DT elements (including Food) in key stage 3 on a rotation to enable pupils to experience each subject discipline. The different elements are then available as optional subjects at GCSE.
Key Stage 4 (Y10-11, age 14-16)
All students study the core subjects of English (literature and language), Mathematics, RE and Science at GCSE. All students are given the opportunity to study individual sciences. All students have core Personal Development and PE lessons each week.
Students choose three optional subjects, one compulsory choice from Geography, History or French, plus two others.
Curriculum Structure