Curriculum Policy

iBOS Curriculum Policy The aims of our school are:

• A school where teachers, staff, and students are expected to support and extend the atmosphere of respect, courtesy, the love of learning and the value of friendship that is held dear at iBOS.
• iBOS aims to develop students to become well-rounded individuals. We aim to empower our students with the best tools and resources, making them capable of following and achieving their dreams, becoming valued members of our global societies, and allowing them to make a positive difference to the world, wherever they choose to progress to.
• Students leave iBOS prepared for university. They are confident, contributing and caring members of the global community and they have embraced the challenge of our specialized education. They will have gained the values that equip them to make a positive contribution.

Responsibility of: The Principal

Date Ratified: 02 July 2025

Review Date: 02 July 2026

iBOS Background iBOS is an online school that prides itself on its pioneering approach to learning and encouraging students from all backgrounds to achieve their very best in school. iBOS aims to inspire and encourage all students to complete work to the best of their abilities and become valued and important members of society. This policy aims to keep our school a safe and high-quality place for learning. The principles of this policy are:

• All students at iBOS will have access to a full range of subjects and educational experiences. Our aspiration is a barrier-free curriculum allowing all students, irrespective of background, ability and previous learning to experience all that is on offer at our school.
• All courses will be appropriately challenging in their content, delivery and assessment, stretching and supporting at all levels.
• All subjects at iBOS are of equal value, irrespective of the timetable allocation.
• We believe that learning outside of the classroom is an integral part of the educational experience of all students and will continue to be a major development focus for the school.
• The delivery models we use at iBOS will be based on and developed through our knowledge of students’ needs and pathways, with appropriate personalisation pursued in the best interests of each of our students. The Intention of the Curriculum We intend that our curriculum will ensure the following:
• All our students must develop skills that are essential for adult life, these include literacy and numeracy. All students must be able to read for meaning and inference, have effective writing skills, accessing these literacy skills through English Mastery. All students must be able to make basic calculations, including in situations where numbers are embedded within ‘real-life’ situations and problems, interpret, and apply the mathematics they learn, developing Mathematics Mastery.
• All our students must develop the skills to be lifelong learners. All students must develop strong values, reinforcing and being reinforced by British values, spiritual, moral, social, and cultural (SMSC) and citizenship; students will develop skills in teamwork, resilience, and a growth mindset.
• All students will experience, build, and deepen their knowledge of the world around them, and the capacity to use that knowledge creatively and critically in all aspects of their learning at school and beyond.

• All students will develop their ability and skills to connect ideas, both within and outside of school subject disciplines. They will be able to understand schematics, make predictions and create hypotheses, finding solutions and answers to challenging problems and questions at the level for their ability and point of learning.
• All students will be allowed to develop their capacity to build positive relationships with a range of people, including those that do not share their interests or worldview.
• All students will be allowed to participate in a full range of ‘extraordinary’ opportunities offered by the curriculum, regardless of ability and background, with the result that every student will be involved with at least one significant school activity outside of the classroom every year of their school life and every student will attend or participate in at least one cultural event every year of their school life. The curriculum is designed to promote British values (democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance), prepare students for life in modern Britain and support their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development (SMSC). RSHE is delivered in line with DfE statutory requirements, through PSHE and across subject areas where appropriate. The Implementation of the Curriculum A relentless focus on quality first Teaching and Learning drives the implementation of the curriculum at iBOS. Core subjects and core skills are taught through all year groups, with a ‘knowledge-engaged; approach, with the curriculum leaders ensuring that “knowledge underpins and enables the application of skills.” These core skills learnt through English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities subjects, Modern Foreign Languages, and other subject areas allow the establishment and development of the key skills. The following all play a crucial part in ensuring students understand their place in the school, family, and wider society (including as Global Citizens): Physical Education (PE); Global Citizenship;

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE); SMSC; and British Values

(taught explicitly and implicitly across the school). The school ensures that the curriculum is sequenced logically and builds on prior knowledge, ensuring challenge and progression for all students. Remote learning is underpinned by the same expectations for planning, delivery, assessment, and feedback as in traditional settings, in line with best practice for online education. The Teaching and Learning Framework allows for an ‘intelligent repetition’ of knowledge, with skills and a deep body of knowledge being established within a learning cycle, layering on previously taught, understood, and mastered skills. Reflection and student feedback are based on the prerequisite that it will allow students to further enhance their skills (feedback leads to further work for the learner). The Schemes of Learning across all subject areas must be co-constructed allowing skills learnt in mathematics (graphical work) to be applied in science (interpretation and analysis) and must be collaborative (reading is key to accessing all areas of the curriculum and is fundamental in all that we do at IBOS) with communication with all stakeholders (including the parent body) critical.

The Impact of the Curriculum We work to ensure that the attainment and progress of all our students are in line with or exceed their potential based on previously attained individual student scores. We strive to enable and ensure that all students at iBOS achieve their full potential in all that they do, preparing them to be life-long learners, ready for the world of work and whatever the future holds. The impact of the curriculum must embed the majesty, mastery and mystery of education and learning so that the curriculum has encompassed “what matters most is what is right for the child.” What makes the curriculum at iBOS different? At iBOS, we believe that the curriculum is what gives a school its purpose; it is what drives the learning experience of all the young people in our care, what Dylan William called “the lived experience” of our students. We combine our aspiration for students to achieve outstanding academic progress with a focus on developing the skills for our pupils to be lifelong learners. We are focused on the ‘whole experience of our students and how we can maximise this for all the young people at iBOS. With this, we have created a curriculum that is broad, deep and rich, that ensures the maximum breadth of subjects and disciplines are experienced by our students in Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 5. Our online school has a broad, rich and deep curriculum that stretches and challenges every one of our students. The curriculum we offer inspires students to have a love of learning that will follow them throughout their life, within a range of subjects and courses, helping students gain invaluable knowledge, understanding and skills in all aspects of their education. This includes how we prepare students for life in modern-day Britain (and worldwide) with British values, alongside linguistic, mathematical, scientific, technical, human, social, physical and artistic learning.

Curriculum Offered at Key Stage 1

In Years 1 - 2 the students study a broad curriculum currently comprising:

Literacy Numeracy Science

Geography Art and Design PSHE

History Religious Education Computer Science

All subjects bar Literacy and Numeracy are taught implicitly throughout the curriculum to ensure our students have a strong base from which to start Key Stage 2. Curriculum offered at Key Stage 2 In Years 3 - 6 the students study a broad curriculum currently comprising:

English Mathematics Science

Geography Art and Design PSHE/Global Citizenship

History Religious Education Computer Science

Curriculum offered at Key Stage 3 In Years 7- 9 the students study a broad curriculum currently comprising:

English Mathematics Science

Geography Art and Design PSHE/Global Citizenship

History Religious Education Computer Science

French Spanish

Curriculum offered at Key Stage 4 In Years 10 and 11 students study a broad curriculum currently compromising:

Mathematics, English Literature, English Language, Science (Biology, Chemistry and

Physics are compulsory) alongside PSHCE (non-examined). Students must then choose a further 4 subjects from the list below:

English Mathematics Biology

Chemistry Physics Geography

History Religious Studies Computer Science

French Spanish Business Studies

Global Citizenship

Curriculum offered at Key Stage 5 In Years 12 and 13 students study a broad curriculum following either an engineering, humanities, or medical pathway, with their options compromising 4 subjects including:

English Mathematics Biology

Chemistry Physics Further Mathematics

History Economics Law

Business Studies Psychology

Assessment, Feedback and Progress

Assessment at iBOS is continuous and purposeful. Formative and summative assessments are integrated into the curriculum to check understanding and inform next steps in teaching. Feedback is given regularly through live lessons, written reports, and 1:1 tutorials. Students are benchmarked against national standards (e.g., Key Stage tests, GCSEs, A- levels) to ensure comparability. Data from assessments informs curriculum adjustments and targeted support for individuals or groups. Inclusion for all students

• Varying the learning activities within each subject, according to the needs and abilities of students, is viewed as an essential component of teaching and learning.
• It is recognized that students will have different preferred styles of learning, and a variety of teaching approaches and stimuli are required to meet individual needs more effectively.
• The Inclusion Policy outlines a specific provision for students with particular learning needs. The curriculum complies with the Equality Act 2010 by ensuring access for students with SEND or other protected characteristics. Personalised interventions and adapted resources are provided where required, in collaboration with families and external specialists.

Others in the online classroom At iBOS, each class has analysts which monitor both the student and teachers’ developments. Students receive weekly reports based on their progress, attainment and attitude towards learning.

Pedagogy

iBOS benefits from having qualified UK trained teachers, the majority of whom are examiners. We constantly run Continued Professional Development (CPD) sessions to further develop our staff with their curriculum, teaching strategies and pedagogy. The Senior Leadership Team and Heads of Department monitor the quality and impact of curriculum delivery through lesson observations, student feedback, assessment data and regular reviews. The curriculum is reviewed annually and adjusted in line with pupil needs, developments in education, and changes to exam specifications or national guidance. Governors receive reports on curriculum development and effectiveness.