Townley Curriculum Vision Teaching & Learning Curriculum Curriculum Vision

English Literature and Language

Literature can be uncomfortable; sometimes heartbreaking; sometimes shocking, but it can also give us hope and inspiration. Without literature we cannot learn about ourselves or about each other; our stories are incomplete.
Our mission is a brave one: together we will study a wide range of challenging texts that provoke different emotions. Within these texts you will see yourselves and you will see those different from you. We will teach you how to recognise nuance and develop your own critical voice to discuss challenging issues. In turn you will write creatively and provocatively with balance and strength of voice. 
Above all, our mission is to help you grow a love and appreciation of English that you will never forget.

Townley Grammar School is an official ‘Lit in Colour Pioneer’ school (accredited by Pearson).

Film Studies

Our vision is to provide an inclusive curriculum that is rich in diversity, where every student can recognise themselves in the literature we teach and the films we explore. We study a wide variety of stories and recommend even more. We empower with knowledge. We develop critical voice and hone written style. But most importantly of all we provide a space where students feel confident enough to form their own ideas and safe enough to share them.

“The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.”
― Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Classical Civilisation

We aim to give students the opportunity to study, in depth, ancient societies that are radically different from modern life, and yet whose cultures and individual life stories have an enduring relevance to the way we live today. 

We encourage students to make judgements based on a critical engagement with evidence of all kinds – from archaeological finds such as votive offerings and ruined buildings, to epic literature and artworks.  This approach reflects the twin values of critical engagement with the world around us, and an appreciation for cultural productions for their own sake. 

We encourage students to develop empathy skills, focusing a large amount of our time on the experiences of diverse audiences (both ancient and modern) and considering how their value systems might impact their understanding of a particular ancient source. 

We tackle important, potentially difficult issues such as patriarchy, sexual violence, warfare, enslavement, consent, religious belief and ritual, politics, xenophobia, state coercion, family, relationships, propaganda, migration, colonisation, identity and belonging.  As we are able to study these issues from a “safe distance”, some 2,000 years removed from the societies in question, we are able to give students a safe environment to explore these complex ideas and develop their own viewpoints.  Similarly, we are able to build on this and make explicit links with our modern world, encouraging students to engage with these issues where they see them today. 

Economics

In Economics we aim to develop learners’ interest and understanding of the relevance of economics to the wider economic and social environment. Learners have the opportunity to develop an understanding of economic principles concepts and models and assess their use, analysing and evaluating their effectiveness and drawing sound conclusions regarding their use in various contexts.  

Geography

As part of the humanities vision, we wish to inspire curiosity and fascination of the world, we aim to equip our students with the ability to interpret our changing world and their relationship with the environment. We wish for them to have a good understanding of different cultures and compassion for development issues. We hope for them to be able to apply their geographical knowledge to try to make sense of the world around them.

Throughout their journey students learn about issues that affect people and the environment.  They build strong values and thinking skills to allow them to critically engage with real world issues and places. They learn over time that solutions are not simple and that there are often compromises that need to be made. They discover that while the world is not equal, through learning and putting into practice their values, they have the power to make and inspire change at a local, national and perhaps international level.

History

Our vision here at Townley Grammar School is to empower our pupils with the many stories of the past. To teach pupils that there are many narratives which make up the past and to empower pupils to understand that there is no one story of History. We wish to teach our pupils to become critical thinkers to see beyond the dominant single narrative and question the construction of that story itself. To question source material; what is the message, and what is the purpose? These skills are crucial in a fast-moving information-rich world where critical thought about where the information is coming from is vital. 

Pupils are exposed to interesting and diverse histories from within Britain and from around the world to develop their understanding of the history of the world they live in and of key themes such as power, democracy, revolution and empire. 

We wish to equip pupils with the tools to critically analyse and explain the past. We will encourage their skills of judgement and debate and teach them to explain their own views. 

Our vision for a history pupil at Townley is one of independent, critical  thought immersed in the many stories of a shared past.

Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, but stories can also be used to empower and to humanise. Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity…when we reject the single story, when we realise that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise.

Chimamanda Adichie

Latin

To enrich every student’s education by providing the opportunity and the challenge to read original Latin, written more than 2000 years ago. Alongside the development of linguistic skills and the etymology of modern vocabulary, learning about Latin and the culture it came from provides them with a ‘bigger picture’ perspective that they can apply to every/any other discipline they choose to pursue. The key links we wish them to develop is the linguistic link between MFL and English and the paralinguistic link between their own culture and historical culture. We aim to develop the students’ respect for other cultures unlike their own by asking them to investigate and respond creatively to ancient Roman society. We aim to develop communication and leadership skills, often asking them to work in groups on language and paralinguistic tasks. And we aim to develop resilience and a growth mindset in the students, as they are uniquely confronted by a new subject at the beginning of year 7 and they must aim to overcome the challenges of the language with participation and responsibility in their own learning and questioning.

‘per aspera ad astra’ -
‘through adversity to the stars’

Politics

Politics is central to all aspects of human life. From international to personal relations,  political institutions  and their decisions profoundly affect the distribution of resources and the potential protection and advancement of human rights. Through the study of politics we foster curiosity, objectivity via the ability to write and speak authoritatively by turning information into wisdom based on critical thinking; thus enabling students to be active and engaged global citizens equipped for the challenges of the 21st century .

Our vision is enable students to understand the acquisition and expression of political power, the processes which underpin this and the impact it has on different communities.

Psychology

In Psychology, we strive to nurture a profound awareness of ‘self’ and ‘others’. We seek to utilise psychological perspectives and theories as lenses for authentic reflection on our own being in the world and what it means to be human. Students are encouraged to cultivate an empirical capacity -through the scientific process- for examining a wide range of phenomena within the human experience, whilst also cultivating a deep empathy for the interlaced complexity of the human condition.   

The RS department aims to lead the students into a discovery of the values and beliefs of those who profess a faith and those who do not, so students can better understand the spiritual, moral, social and cultural beliefs, values and motivation of others. We aim to give them time to contemplate these in a safe environment and ultimately come to a realisation of their own spiritual, moral, social and cultural beliefs, values and motivations . They can then articulate these clearly and coherently while respecting the rights of others to differ.  Students learn about and from varying religious and world views in local, national and global contexts. They gain and deploy skills needed to understand and evaluate a range of sources and form their own reasoned conclusions with no one answer being the “ correct” one .

We hope to develop the student’s aptitude for dialogue so they can participate positively within society with its diverse cultural, religious and worldviews. Students consider challenging questions about meaning and purpose in life, varying beliefs about God, ultimate reality, existential questions, ethical issues and what it means to be a human .

At whatever stage they leave this subject - after GCSE or A level -we hope that they continue to love thinking , analysing, seeking new ideas and learning from others ; showing tolerance and empathy for others’ beliefs and finding their own sense of identity and meaning in a multicultural and multifaith world. 

Sociology

In Sociology, we aim to cultivate critical, world-aware thinkers who are able to engage deeply with complex social phenomena, patterns and issues and derive their own conclusions about the world they inhabit. Students are exposed to a wider range of perspectives on (in Foucault's words) “the order of things” and encouraged to analyse and synthesise the theoretical into models that reflect the social reality they see before them. We encourage plurality of thinking and seek to generate disciplined dialogue in our lessons as a vehicle for exchanging ideas and refining our thinking and positions on important social issues.

Modern Foreign Languages (French)

Our vision in the Languages department at Townley is to encourage students to develop a positive attitude to language learning and a sympathetic approach to other cultures and civilisations so that they consider themselves as world citizens in a multicultural world.

We strive to provide a space where students develop the confidence to use languages effectively for practical communication and to form a sound base of the skills and attitude required for further study, work and leisure. As such, we offer an immersed and enriched curriculum that stretches beyond the national curriculum's scope, with a focus on intercultural trips and events.

‘To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world’

– William Yen

Modern Foreign Languages (German)

Our vision in the Languages department at Townley is to encourage students to develop a positive attitude to language learning and a sympathetic approach to other cultures and civilisations so that they consider themselves as world citizens in a multicultural world.

We strive to provide a space where students develop the confidence to use languages effectively for practical communication and to form a sound base of the skills and attitude required for further study, work and leisure. As such, we offer an immersed and enriched curriculum that stretches beyond the national curriculum's scope, with a focus on intercultural trips and events.

‘To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world’

– William Yen

Modern Foreign Languages (Spanish)

Our vision in the Languages department at Townley is to encourage students to develop a positive attitude to language learning and a sympathetic approach to other cultures and civilisations so that they consider themselves as world citizens in a multicultural world.

We strive to provide a space where students develop the confidence to use languages effectively for practical communication and to form a sound base of the skills and attitude required for further study, work and leisure. As such, we offer an immersed and enriched curriculum that stretches beyond the national curriculum's scope, with a focus on intercultural trips and events.

‘To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world’

– William Yen

Mathematics

Mathematics is a universal language, providing a way of communicating thoughts, ideas and concepts across a variety of subjects. We aim to promote and sustain an environment that fosters creativity, critical thought, inquiry, problem-solving, and active learning, promoting real-world links whenever possible. 

Our vision is to create a community of mathematical learning in which we promote outstanding teaching, enrich and deepen understanding, and independent scholarship in mathematics for all.

“Mathematics expresses values that reflect the cosmos, including orderliness, balance, harmony, logic, and abstract beauty.”

― Deepak Chopra

Mathematics, Technology and Computing

Our vision is to provide students with a curriculum that prepares them for the future. We strive to provide a space where students can learn and develop the fluency of the technology from the world around them, recognising how they can actively influence this for the better.

“The advance of technology is based on making it fit in so that you don't really even notice it, so it's part of everyday life.”

- Bill Gates, Co-founder of Microsoft

Computer Science

Modern computer science is a powerful tool and an evolving discipline that affects science, technology, engineering, arts, and more. The computer science department strives to equip students with the resources necessary to study and use the field of computer science to address a wide range of complex scientific, technological, and social problems. Our department actively engages our students by providing broad educational and extra-curricular activities both in and out of the classroom. 

Design Technology

“To be a Centre of Creative and Innovative Design”​

As a department we allow our students to be creative, support their inventiveness and give them all the best possible opportunities within Design.

Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils will be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. They will also work in a range of domestic and local contexts.

Engineering

‘Studying the world that is, to inspire a world that can be’

The sky is not the limit. Engineering is an increasingly innovative, exciting and expanding area to work in. It affects every aspect of modern life – from skyscrapers to smart phones, cars to carrier bags.

Our new GCSE opens up a rich variety of future pathways for our students, leaving their options for further education strong and diverse. These values are instilled both in theory and through practical projects, incorporating CAD/CAM, electronics, programming as well as many more traditional technologies. It will particularly appeal to those with an affinity for creativity, problem solving and logical thinking.

Food Preparation & Nutrition

‘To lay the foundations for a Healthy and Nutritious lifestyle through a love of Food and Food Preparation’

As part of their work with food at Townley, pupils will be taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Instilling a love of cooking in our students will also open a door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill that enables pupils to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life.

Art

Our Art curriculum is designed to equip students with the necessary tools to question the world around them and to be active participants of society. Promoting critical thinking help learners to exercise their freedom and empowers them to make their own decisions

Our Art department is an environment where students are provided with opportunities to explore the possibilities of art and the impact it has in their lives. An open-door policy enables students to establish connections with others through art and promotes positive and trusting relationships between teachers and students in an inclusive and diverse space. They learn to trust the artistic process and as a result their resilience and confidence grow. Only by walking this path, students can understand others and support them when they struggle: empathy is the aim of a curriculum created to inspire future courageous and socially conscious leaders.

“One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest”.

- Maya Angelou

Dance

Dance is a unique and integral aspect of life at Townley Grammar School.  All students are provided with an inclusive, ambitious and inspiring programme of study that not only develops skills in dance performance and choreography but also nurtures confident, reflective and imaginative individuals.

From the intriguingly abstract to the accessible and theatrically entertaining, students explore dance across a broad spectrum of contexts, choreographers and styles. Responding to themes that stem from history, culture, literature and much more. Dance has the unique ability to teach us about people and places from around the world.

With unrivaled extra-curricular opportunities and professional industry links, students can reach their full artistic potential both in and outside of the classroom.

We want students to look back on their dance journey with happiness and a sense of pride; taking with them a lifelong passion for dance and becoming the future advocates for the arts. 

Music

Music is a huge part of all our lives, whether we are always aware of it or not. It is something we use in moments of joy and sadness, in times of reflection and relaxation, to energise and motivate us, and as a backdrop for a vast array of other everyday events and experiences. Music identifies us as individuals through our differing tastes and cultural heritage, and yet it also brings us together as families and communities, and in times of national celebration, mourning or remembrance. Music is a vehicle for individual expression, can help students feel part of a community, and can play an important role in personal development and wellbeing.

Our Music curriculum aims to provide all students with a high-quality music education which engages and inspires them to develop a life-long love of music, increases their self-confidence, creativity and imagination, and provides opportunities for self-expression and a sense of personal achievement. We aim to provide opportunities for students to develop their talents in all aspects of music including singing, playing instruments, improvising, composing and listening; to develop the skills to appreciate a wide variety of musical forms, and to develop the confidence to make informed judgements about music.

Our Vision:

• To enable all students to develop skills in singing and playing a range of musical instruments
• To allow all students access to a fulfilling and inspiring musical experience in school, regardless of their ability level and prior experience
• To help students to develop self-discipline and creativity, aesthetic sensitivity and personal fulfilment through a range of activities including individual, whole class and small group work
• To develop students’ awareness and understanding of music from a variety of styles, periods and cultures
• To give students the chance to explore and express their ideas and feelings about music 
• To provide opportunities for all students to take part in a choir and/or instrumental group appropriate to their ability level
• To encourage student leaders and student voice in the design and implementation of our extra-curricular programme
• To ensure that students have the opportunity to take individual lessons on an instrument or in singing if they wish to
• To nurture a sense of group identity and togetherness through rehearsing, performing and composing music with others and in putting together concerts and events for an audience
• To enable all students to access and develop an enjoyment of music which they can sustain and build on after they leave school

“Musical training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul”

- Plato

Physical Education

We aim to provide opportunities for pupils to become physically confident in a way that supports their health and fitness, whilst boosting self-confidence, self-esteem and supporting the development of social skills; encouraging all children to become successful, lifelong learners.

Physics

The Physics Department provides students with a deep understanding of the fundamental principles of physics and how they apply to the natural world. We aim to inspire students to think critically and creatively about the physical world, and to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in higher education and careers in physics or related fields. Through a variety of hands-on experiences, interactive lessons, and problem-based learning, we aim to engage students in the excitement of discovering the mysteries of the Universe and to help them develop the skills and knowledge needed to be the scientific leaders of tomorrow.

"Physics is the foundation of all the natural sciences, and the study of physics is a thrilling and intellectually challenging pursuit in its own right."
Stephen Hawking

"The important thing is not to stop questioning. 
Curiosity has its own reason for existing."
Albert Einstein

Biology

It is our vision to use the curriculum as a vehicle to develop global citizens who are aware of and sensitive to the changing world around them, as well the structure and function of living things. They should be able to critically interpret information from a range of sources to enable them to become knowledgeable and empowered decision makers and therefore make a positive impact on society and the planet.

“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living”

- David Attenborough

Chemistry

Our vision for Chemistry is to inspire and empower students to think critically, creatively, and independently about the world around them.

We provide students with a strong foundation in the principles of chemistry and give them the opportunity to engage in hands-on, inquiry-based learning. We will encourage them to ask questions, conduct experiments, and apply their knowledge to solve complex chemical problems.

Our goal is to nurture a love of chemistry that will last them for a lifetime, and help them to develop skills and knowledge to succeed in whatever career path they choose.

“Chemistry is the study of change, and there is nothing more exciting than to a witness a transformation.”
- Carl Sagan