Heath Mount Libellum
In order to respond to the needs of a 21st century learner, we have designed an alternative Year 7 and 8 curriculum for languages and humanities subjects. Many schools no longer require the more content driven Common Entrance examinations that have been traditionally taken at the end of Year 8 to gain a place at Senior School in languages and humanities. This has therefore allowed us to design an equally rigorous curriculum, more relevant to GCSE content, and one that develops the necessary skills needed in each subject, such as field work and enquiry based learning. Examinations are spread over the two years, rather than as one final examination at the end of Year 8, which enables children to constantly revise their ‘performance’ mode of examinations and develop and learn over the two year course. Progress, attainment, attitude and participation in the non-academic subject areas of art, DT, music, sport, computing and drama will also be assessed throughout the course.
In addition to academic and non-academic subjects, the Libellum also looks at the whole child and encompasses the Learning Power Approach, which Heath Mount has adopted throughout the school with the support of Professor Guy Claxton. In a world where estimates suggest two-thirds of current pupils will end up working in roles that don’t yet exist, and most of today’s teenagers may have had between 10-15 different jobs by the time they are 40, the Learning Power Approach, encompassed in the Libellum, encourages teachers to place as much emphasis on dispositions (or habits) as content. These habits include but are not limited to – persistence, respect, collaboration and reflection.