Our curriculum intent, implementation and impact

Vega College provides Key Stage 4 students with the opportunity to experience an engaging and ambitious curriculum, alongside their mainstream education, to further develop their independence whilst meeting their individual needs.

We deliver a knowledge rich curriculum in the core subjects to ensure that students are skilled in numeracy and literacy by the end of Year 11. Alongside this, we run ASDAN and AQA accreditations to motivate students through experiencing success, building their confidence, self-esteem and happiness.

Our offer is highly personalised in that we establish a one day a week work placement or work related learning opportunities for students, to support them in building a sense of pride, purpose and fulfilment; ensuring they are able to form positive working relationships and be equipped with the skills for lifelong learning.

We firmly believe that students who attend Vega College will be successful, independent and valued members of their community.

GCSE English Language and Literature

Students read and analyse a variety of fiction texts in order to prepare them for English Language  Paper 1. They are aware of the types of question that will be asked and how to answer these skilfully. Students also use their imagination to produce creative writing using effective linguistic techniques. Students confidence in reading will increase, they will accumulate a wealth of new vocabulary and they will be able to identify effective language techniques. To prepare for paper 2 students will read non-fiction texts. They will compare texts for similarities and differences. In English Literature Students will have the opportunity to read some of the classics. We study A Christmas Carol, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, An Inspector Calls and Blood Brothers. Students will learn to summarise information on the plot, characters and themes. They will see how books and plays can have hidden messages and morals and how they link to major historical events. We hope that they will feel inspired to continue reading books for pleasure beyond college, in addition to being able to skilfully communicate their ideas both orally and in written form.

GCSE Mathematics

Our mathematics programme is rigorous and covers the entire content needed to be successful at GCSE level. Students are introduced to topics by the teacher, they then practise new skills and content in small teams followed by individual practise and assessment. We study Number, Algebra, Ratio, Probability, Statistics and Geometry and Measure. Once students feel confident with a concept they are expected to solve more difficult problems. Students also have the opportunity to study higher maths where this is identified as a possibility. Our curriculum is rich with opportunities to demonstrate how important maths is in everyday life by looking at personal finance, enterprise and life skills.

GCSE Science

We study Biology, Chemistry and Physics with the aim of developing students' curiosity about the world around them and fostering their appreciation of the value that scientific knowledge and skills hold in our everyday lives. We enjoy reading about and debating scientific information. Our aim, as well as examination success, is that some of our students will feel inspired to work in a STEM related industry and carry on their scientific studies beyond Vega College. We use the National STEM website and regularly incorporate STEM workshops into our learning.

Personal Development

We have chosen a variety of subjects to study from the ASDAN Short Course suite of qualifications. Our PSHE topics allow students to talk about their emotions, develop strategies to deal with strong emotions and talk about what healthy respectful relationships look like. By studying the ill effects of tobacco, alcohol and drugs we believe that we are safeguarding our students from harm. We look at sexual health and how and where to find support. Studying Citizenship opens our students eyes to how the country is run and how they can become an effective participant in our democracy. We look at who runs the country and how effective a system this is. We also look at law and order. This helps us to promote British Values. Beliefs and Values allows us to look at different religions and cultures and develop a respect for the multicultural society we live in. Life Skills allows us to develop skills in personal finance, cooking and household chores. Twice a year we will devote quality time for our students to develop skills in a sport they are interested in which will be supported by staff from Leger Education Sport.

Careers Programme

We have a careers programme which meets the governments GATSBY Benchmarks. We help students to identify courses and careers they are interested in, how to apply, how to be successful at interview, and we also accompany them on higher education visits and workshops. We invite employers into college to speak to and inspire our students, we visit careers fairs, offer work placements and also link with their mainstream schools careers advisors. As well as developing the student as a whole and helping them to be safe and appreciate the modern world we live in; they gain continual accreditation which boosts their esteem and confidence.

Employability Skills

We work on the 8 key skills that students need to be successful in future employment. They spend  5 weeks working on each skill. These are speaking, listening, creativity, problem-solving, teamwork, leadership, aiming high and staying positive. We present students with descriptors of what a good listener looks like, for example. They choose the level they think they are working at and what they would like to achieve and improve. Staff facilitate this with a range of fun, exciting activities which the students have chosen themselves. We take part in many visits in the local community to promote these skills as well as further afield.

AQA Credits

We use AQA Credits to provide students with certification for work experience, core subjects, enrichment activities and employability skills practise. It is another way of providing continual accreditation for their efforts. Students are extremely proud of the wealth of certification they achieve, including in Construction, Hair and Beauty, Farming, Animal Care, Health and Social Care, Psychology and Outdoor Education.