Subjects

All students follow a broad, balanced curriculum throughout their education at Ysgol y Grango.

Key Stage 3

Core subjects

Non-core subjects

Key Stage 4

In Year 10 and 11 a large part of the curriculum is compulsory. All students must study:

Students also choose further subjects to study. The following Level 2/GCSE courses are currently running:

Other courses are also offered in collaboration with other providers across the Wrexham area.

We constantly review our curriculum and are always looking to introduce new courses in partnership with local providers to meet the needs, abilities and aspirations of our students.

Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification

All students at Grango complete the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification. This is a very highly regarded qualification which combines experiences and projects that help students to develop as individuals and equips them for their next steps - work, university and for life. The Welsh Baccalaureate has a strong focus on building the strengths of students and encourages independent thinking and study.

All students’ achievements are validated by a certificate that is included in the Progress File document which they receive at the end of year 11. The school is committed to offering a wide range of qualifications which they may each include in their portfolio.

Welsh Curriculum

All students study Welsh throughout the school. The National Curriculum Programmes of Study are being followed with additional staffing to support the needs of students whose first language is Welsh.

Homework

The teaching programme includes a firm commitment to Homework and a timetable is issued to both students and parents. The approximate time allocation is one hour per evening for Year 7 and 8, one-and-a-half hours per evening for Year 9 and a minimum of two hours per evening in the Upper School (Years 10 and 11). All students are set and required to complete Homework in every subject on the timetable. Work set is recorded in a Homework Planner which must be signed each week by parents/guardians before presentation to form tutors.

Assessment and Reports

Every student is continuously assessed in every subject. In addition to Parents’ Evenings, appointments may be made to see individual staff at other times. Similarly, teachers will contact parents if they have serious concerns about a child’s progress. In some cases, this may involve a child having a weekly "mentoring" session with a teacher until the problem is rectified. Parents also receive a minimum of one detailed and personalised report as well as ‘Progress Check’ reports during the academic year.

Teaching Organisation

In Key Stage 3 students are grouped according to prior academic attainment and their overall potential. In addition, their individual learning preferences are taken into consideration so that teaching styles will cater for every child’s learning needs. The school is committed to ensuring that every child realises his or her potential, and that potential is not limited by academic labelling.

Students are encouraged to work to the maximum of their potential within the teaching situation and attainment targets related to appropriate levels are part of the organisational philosophy. Students with additional learning needs are sometimes withdrawn for additional help in basic literacy and numeracy but are normally given additional support within classes so that they are a part of the whole school curriculum and organisation. Grango co-operates with other schools in the region to provide enrichment courses for students who have specific talents in particular subjects. The school particularly specialises in the education of physically disabled students who are fully integrated with their able-bodied peers.