Curriculum

In St. Mary’s, we are committed to providing pupils with rich and diverse learning experiences and opportunities, both inside and outside the classroom.

At each Key Stage, we offer a broad and balanced curriculum.

KEY STAGE 3 OVERVIEW

The curriculum at KS3 reflects the Revised Curriculum and it designed to help pupils prepare fully for future. This is complemented by Careers Education in Year 9 and Year 10.

At Key Stage 3, the following subjects are delivered:

• Art and Design
• Drama
• English (including Library Skills)
• French
• Geography
• History
• Home Economics
• iMedia
• Information Technology
• Irish
• Learning for Life and Work
• Mathematics
• Music
• Physical Education
• Religious Studies
• Science (Biology, Chemistry and Physics)
• Spanish
• Technology and Design

KEY STAGE 4 OVERVIEW

At Key Stage 4 all pupils study GCSE English Language, English Literature and Mathematics.

The following options are available to pupils for GCSE study:

• Art and Design
• Business Studies
• Digital Technology (Multimedia and Programming)
• Double Award Science
• Drama
• French
• Further Mathematics
• Geography
• History
• Home Economics (Food and Nutrition)
• Home Economics (Child Development)
• Irish
• Moving Image Arts
• Music
• Physical Education
• Religious Studies
• Spanish
• Technology and Design (Product Design and Systems)

At St. Mary’s all GCSE subjects follow the CCEA Specification.

SIXTH FORM OVERVIEW 

At Sixth Form, the following subjects are available for GCE study:

• Art and Design
• Biology
• Business Studies
• Chemistry
• Digital Technology
• Economics
• English Literature
• French
• Geography
• History
• Health and Social Care
• Irish
• Mathematics
• Moving Image Arts
• Music
• Nutrition and Food Science
• Physical Education (WJEC)
• Physics
• Product Design
• Religious Studies
• Software Systems Development
• Spanish
• Theatre Studies (WJEC)
• BTEC Engineering (Pearson)
• BTEC Sport (Pearson)

At St. Mary’s all GCE subjects follow the CCEA Specification except from those italicised above.

Through collaboration with post-primary partner schools within the Magherafelt Learning Partnership, AS and A2 students may opt to study one subject in a partner school if that subject is not available in St. Mary’s. Currently pupils from St. Mary’s study Politics and Psychology  at other MRLP institutions and St. Mary’s welcomes pupils to study French and Irish.

THINKING SKILLS AND PERSONAL CAPABILITIES

In St. Mary’s, we aim to equip pupils with the skills and capabilities that will enable them to become independent, reflective, lifelong learners. As a school, we are committed to engaging pupils in active learning contexts across all areas of the curriculum so that they may develop:

• personal and interpersonal skills;
• apabilities and dispositions; and
• the ability to think both creatively and critically.

IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SKILLS AND CAPABILITIES, WE AIM TO:

• develop pupils’ appreciation of the learning process rather than focusing only on the products of learning;
• develop pupils as active, independent learners rather than passive absorbers of information;
• enable pupils to go beyond the mere recall of information to develop deeper understanding of topics;
• create positive dispositions and habits for learning;
• provide pupils with a new range of criteria against which they can evaluate their progress in learning;
• develop pupils’ understanding of the transferability of their skills and capabilities; and
• encourage pupils to take ownership of their learning and to recognise the role of the teacher as a facilitator in the learning process.

In summary, we want our pupils to learn how to learn.

In the Northern Ireland Curriculum, Thinking Skills and Personal Capabilities have been divided into five strands:

• Managing Information;
• Thinking, Problem-Solving and Decision-Making;
• Being Creative;
• Working with Others; and
• Self-Management.

In St. Mary’s, opportunities for pupils to develop Thinking Skills and Personal Capabilities are incorporated into programmes of study in each subject area. Throughout Key Stage 3, each subject area will assess and report once on pupils’ progress in at least one of the five strands of the Thinking Skills and Personal Capabilities Framework. The information will be included in the End of Year Report for Year 8, Year 9 and Year 10.

REPORTING ON THINKING SKILLS AND PERSONAL CAPABILITIES

YEAR 8

YEAR 9

 YEAR 10