Hextable School - A performing arts college

Our Learning

Learning is our core purpose at Hextable School. Our Learning and Teaching policy emphasises the importance of exciting, relevant and challenging lessons to prepare our learners for life. Excellent teaching is the basis for personalised support so that each student can achieve their best.

The Investors in People quality mark recognises our effective staff training to enable us to get the best out of our students.

Providing the best possible facilities for learning has led to our state of the art Performing Arts facilities in Hextable Dance, our refurbished science laboratories, modern ICT facilities and a brand new library.

How Learning is Organised

  • In Years 7, 8 and 9, students are organised into sets for Opening Minds (in Year 7), English, Mathematics and Science so that they can be taught in a way best suited to their individual needs. They are taught in mixed ability groups for most subjects. We use information from Primary schools, national test results and our own assessments to make sure students are placed in the right sets and classes.

  • In Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8 and 9) all students learn through a common course of study that is differentiated to meet their needs and interests.

  • English, Mathematics and Science are given a high priority. Performing Arts subjects, Creative Art, Design Technology and ICT, Modern Foreign Languages and Humanities subjects as well as PE and Games provide a well rounded and active learning curriculum.

  • Year 7 students follow an ‘Opening Minds’ curriculum. The emphasis is on developing students’ learning skills through the subjects of English, Religious Studies, History, Geography and PSHCE.  A specialist teacher focuses on developing excellent skills for success in lifelong learning.

 

In Years 10 and 11, students are taught in different groups for all subjects, depending on their particular learning needs and their choice of subjects for Key Stage 4.  Students are set in English, Mathematics and Science.

  • In Key Stage Four (Years 10 and 11) we provide different routes for learning that build on students' successes at Key Stage Three. We also provide opportunities for different kinds of learning to suit the interests and abilities of individual students.

  • Students can achieve between 7 - 12 GCSE or equivalent passes, depending on their chosen subjects and extra opportunities presented to them.

  • English, Mathematics and Science, PE, ICT and PSHCE provide the core curriculum for all. Single Sciences in Biology, Chemistry and Physics are proving popular.

  • All students choose from a wide selection of innovative Diploma Courses, Vocational qualifications and GCSE programmes.

  • Our widely recognised WHS (Wilmington, Hextable, Swanley) Partnership and TVOC enable students to follow Diploma courses in Creative and Media, Engineering, Construction and ICT; vocational courses in Music Technology, Theatre Production, Performing Arts, Media, Hair and Beauty, Decorating Trades, Trowel Trades, Motor Vehicle Maintenance, Child Development, DIDA; GCSEs in Music, Dance, Drama, PE, Sociology, Languages, Food, Fine Art, Resistant Materials, Sociology and Humanities subjects.

In the Sixth Form students are able to follow a rich variety of subjects chosen from 4 option blocks and include subjects offered in partnership schools.

We offer a range of AS/A2/ BTec courses including Art, English Literature, Drama, Performing Arts, Media Studies, Applied Science, Medical Science, Sociology, Philosophy, Product Design, French and German, Vocational subjects include Football Coaching, IPro/ CISCO ICT, IMedia, Sports, Fashion and Health & Social Care, Accounting.

Homework

Homework is set regularly and in all subjects, with the amount of dedicated time increasing as students get older. We monitor the amount and type of homework being set to maintain high standards. We also insist on students recording their homework in their personal planners and ask parents to check these every day. We encourage parents to support their child by providing a quiet space and time for homework, taking an interest in the set tasks and providing praise and encouragement.

Enrichment and extra curricular activities

The quality of our enrichment and extra-curricular activities have been recognised by our achievement of the national Artsmark Gold award and Sportsmark. There is a lively programme of sporting and creative activities as well as adventurous activities such as camping, an annual ski trip and tall ships racing.