Curriculum Overview

 At City of Rochester School we offer our pupils a bespoke education package that is matched as closely as possible to the National Curriculum. In addition, there is an experiential learning element which ensures our children are immersed in their learning programmes and the subject matter – this includes links to the outside world where pupils can connect with nature.  

Each student is an individual and will learn at different rates and to different standards. While at City of Rochester School, our aim is for all KS4 students to achieve a pass grade in Maths and English GCSE (or equivalent) as a minimum. Some students will be better suited to other courses which have a more practical element to them – this could include BTECs or OCR awards.

 All 16-18 learning programmes are individually tailored to the student’s abilities and goals. The 16-18 programme provides more focused goals and activities that students will be able to use  in adulthood.

 Farm School will run for a 6-week block where pupils from KS1 to KS3 (optional at KS4) will have the opportunity to attend Kent Life farm. The aim is for pupils to engage with the natural world and to understand farming and its importance to international, national and rural economies. All pupils will gain an understanding of food safety and security,  animal husbandry, crops and climate change, caring for and protecting the countryside as well as working with animals. The emphasis is on practical skills and knowledge acquisition in relation to how farming affects all our lives. 

  This curriculum offer works to develop six key life skills through equestrian activity: Communication, Confidence, Relationships, Teamwork, Responsibility and Personal achievement. The framework of activity is called the British Horse Society Achieve Award and includes 10 stable management awards and six riding awards. Students will learn to use and build upon the skills they learn during their PE lessons. 

 This curriculum offer engages pupils in ecosystems through visits to nature reserves, wetlands and coastal sanctuaries. Children who are connected to nature are happier, healthier and more creative. Pupils will take advantage of the many nature and wildlife opportunities available across Medway and Kent, learning about bird and animal life, plants and trees, rivers and oceans through photography.

   Marty the Robot will form part of our STEM curriculum alongside K'nex and Lego. . By empowering pupils, these tools allow for inventive learning, engaging pupils’ creativity and learning key STEM skills. Programming and coding are covered within the computing  curriculum but these skills will be used within the robotics programme. 

Forest School will run for a 6-week block  where pupils from KS1 –KS3 engage in learning opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland and other natural environment with trees.   

Forest school offers our students an opportunity to develop their team work and communication skills within a natural environment.  

Using Reculver Country Park, Oare Gunpowder Works and Westgate Gardens as their base, the children will take part in rock pooling, river studies, pond dipping, coastal geography and wayfinding with a range of hands on outdoor experiences.

Forest School will run for a 6-week block  where pupils from KS1 –KS3 engage in learning opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland and other natural environment with trees.   Forest school offers our students an opportunity to develop their team work and communication skills within a natural environment.   

Due to COVID experiential education was put on hold.

 At Tiger Troop pupils are given opportunities to participate in bushcraft, fieldcraft and sports and outdoor adventure activities, together with teambuilding and popular games with a twist, designed to challenge them physically and mentally.    The programme not only compliments the national curriculum but also offers the opportunity for pupils to develop self-confidence and self-esteem whilst gaining valuable life skills.

 Curly's Farm is in Leysdown. Our younger pupils attend there one day a week for experiential. Whilst there students get to help to muck out and feed the animals as well as exercising them and cuddling them.

In Term 6 our older primary students attended Cyclopark as part of their experiential curriculum.   They were able to access a variety of different biked on different courses, with many of the them learning to ride a bike as part of this experience.

Lower Grange Farm will run for a 4-week block where upper primary pupils will take part in a range of different adventurous activities. Pupils will attend an offsite placement located at Lower Grange Farm, Maidstone. The aim for pupils is to engage with a variety of adventurous activities that they may not have experienced before. As well as focusing on Geography, PSHE and PE curriculum objectives, the experiential visits will help to strengthen the pupil’s confidence and resilience when faced with tasks. Lower Grange Farm is an adventurous outdoor and event centre 

Anna Outdoors will run for a 4-week block for pupils from lower primary. Pupils will have the opportunity to attend Ranscombe Farm Reserve in Cuxton. The aim is for pupils to engage with the natural world and to link as many real-life learning experiences as possible in with our new school curriculum – Learning Meets The World. Anna Outdoors inspires and engages children to enjoy outdoor learning through the creation of innovative and inspiring workshops and activities. For Term 1 Anna has created a bespoke programme of Lottery Funded visits for the City of Rochester School.

Students will have a four-week block of sessions at swimming. Swimming lessons will be held on separate days for both Primary and Secondary groups of students. Sessions will focus on building confidence in the pool, alongside the development of swimming skills. An instructor will work alongside support staff to identify current competence levels and tailor a programme to target swimming skills for each specific student. Where students are already confident and competent swimmers, they will have the opportunity to develop techniques in different swimming strokes alongside the correct breathing required to become a proficient swimmer. For students who are beginners the programme will allow for the use of flotation devices and aim to build up their confidence in the water as they progress to being able to swim unaided. Students will also have the opportunity to develop social and teamwork skills as they interact with their peers.  

Bricks 4 Kidz is an enrichment programme designed to help children and young people develop a range of STEM, social, and interpersonal skills through the use of LEGO. Sessions will take place on the school site and have four main aims. These are to: • awaken curiosity and inquiry • stimulate observation and exploration skills • enrich and enhance school curriculum • link the science concepts learned in school to the larger world  The goal of Bricks 4 Kidz is to provide a learning experience for students that encourages critical thinking, creativity, organizational skills, problem-solving, and teamwork. Through the building of different models, students will come to understand various elements of STEM.

 A 4-week programme of workshops at Maidstone Museum will cover a range of science and history topics that link explicitly to the Learning Means the World curriculum. Students will engage in the following workshops during this experiential unit:  Roman Britain – students will learn about the Roman invasion of Britain, contrasting Roman arms and armour and finding out what benefits the Romans brought to Britain. (Links to LMTW ‘You’re not invited’)  Dinosaurs and Fossils - students will have the opportunity to handle real dinosaur bones and use role play to learn about how fossils are formed. (Links to LMTW ‘Jurassic Hunter’)  Animal Encounters - based in the gallery, this workshop will give students the opportunity to become a scientist investigating the varied habitats of Kent and animal food chains. (Links to LMTW ‘Going Wild’ and ‘Under the Canopy’)  Rocks and Minerals - students will explore and identify the different formation of rocks and minerals. (Links to LMTW ‘In your element’) 

Rich from Rich Rhythms will be teaching Djembe drumming.  West African Drumming workshops can do the world of good for body and soul. It is uplifting, fun and at the same time stress relieving. Richard’s African drumming workshops have been highly recommended. We will be focusining on following instructions, listening to rhythm and engaging in a group task.