Curriculum

Art at Knightsbridge School nurtures the creative abilities of each student to fulfill their personal creative potential. Our Art curriculum places a large value on diversity and students learn about artists and craftspeople from a broad range of cultures and backgrounds. Art is considered both a tool for individual self-expression and a way of further developing school and community based values. There is a focus on cross-curricular learning, with pupils learning how art, science, history, maths, and technology intersect. Students are encouraged to observe the world around them, to identify the connections and patterns that surround them, and to be active agents in the development of their ideas. Students learn drawing, painting, printmaking, textiles, collage and sculpture. As well as developing skills in graphic design, lens based image making, fashion design, and illustration. Through the Key Stages 2-4, students are taught in a professional style studio by one of our experienced and dedicated art teachers.

The location of both our sites means students regularly visit London galleries such as The Royal Academy of Arts, The V&A and Tate Britain, as well as having access to The National History Museum and The Science Museum within 5 minutes from Pont Street.

Art and Design at GCSE is a two year course that develops students’ ability to work independently and to create personal responses to the world around them in a creative way. The course develops their skills in drawing and painting and encourages students to explore new ways of working in a medium of their choice. Students are required to analyse sources and develop both their knowledge and understanding of materials and skills, as well as their critical thinking and communication skills.

Our enrichment programme includes our annual Arts Week, when we host local artists and guest speakers from different art and design based vocations in order to inspire our students to take up future careers in the arts. As well as community based artist studio visits and our annual KS Summer Art competition and exhibition, where students across the whole school are supported to create and exhibit a personal, creative response to a theme in a medium of their choice.

By equipping students with a greater understanding of how the world of business works and what a prosperous economy means for the UK and the rest of the world, Business Studies aims to nurture innovators and future leaders of business.

Focusing on how the business world can act sustainably yet growing through innovation the subject builds on the success of the biannual Knightsbridge Entrepreneurship awards available to children throughout both the Junior and Senior school. By understanding the core principles of the global economy, students will enter Business Studies GCSE with a stronger personal interest in the topics taught.

As well as providing students with an opportunity to engage and discuss real-world events, the course focuses heavily on financial literacy by educating students on the risks of debt and strategies that can be used to minimise this risk.

By the end of the course, students will have a greater understanding of the consequences of their financial decisions and play a more active role in supporting a sustainable economy in the future.

During Y9 pupils are provided with an opportunity to explore Business Studies GCSE through topics such as the UK and Global Economy and Competition in the Marketplace as well as developing their own innovative business ideas through a group project.

Up to date case studies of the economy (outcomes from the Coronavirus pandemic, the collapse of the global economy in 2008, Brexit and the growing presence of sustainable business) enable our KS students to apply their knowledge to ever-changing contexts. With further opportunities for discussion with guest speakers from local businesses and commerce, Business Studies at Knightsbridge School reaches beyond the confines of the syllabus and the classroom.

Within Computing at Knightsbridge School, students are encouraged to develop and sustain their computational thinking skills to become learners that are: resilient, problem solvers, independently able to complete tasks and evaluate their learning to achieve success.

The ICT suite comprises iMac computers, iPads and the students are assigned a Chromebook each to use in their lessons. Additionally, a plethora of physical devices is available for the students to apply skills including Micro Bits, Raspberry Pi’s, Wonder Robots, Makey Makey kits and various educational technology resources to enhance programming and collaboration skills.

Through their time within the Junior School, students learn block-based coding using Scratch. At KS3 this progresses to the text-base coding of Python and Java, enabling our students to create anything from websites to animation and games. At GCSE, students learn data representation, cybersecurity, logic gates, networking, software development and programming projects.

Making use of the range of applications across G-Suite to gain skills in word processing, graphic design and communication. Our Computing department works closely with subjects across the curriculum, allowing our students the opportunity to further develop their computing skills through application.

Every year in November, students participate in the UK Bebras Computational thinking competition. In addition, students are invited to attend: scholar workshops with a University Professor of Computer Science, workshops with STEM engineers and coding clubs. A small selection of students are also invited to visit The National Museum of Computing in Blecthley Park for the STEM Girls’ Day event’.

The English Department at Knightsbridge School is devoted to nurturing a love of reading and inspiring curious minds able to express themselves through all media.

In the Junior school, our aim is to ensure the best possible foundation in English. The building blocks of language are exposed, explored and consolidated from one year to the next. Cross-curricular links are embedded within the 2-4 week units to enrich the learning experience. At all times, the emphasis is on effective and eloquent communication through both the spoken and the written word.

As students move into the Senior School, the Common Entrance syllabus influences, although it does not wholly dictate the curriculum. Students read and explore literature in all its forms – fiction, non-fiction and poetry, and share their experiences through drama, discussion, essays and debate. A typical yearly overview in the Senior school will include Sachar to Shakespeare and Angelou to Owen exposing students to the rich tapestry of literature and language. Our students enjoy weekly visits to the library and private reading is tracked and reviewed in order to widen their reading horizons.

From KS4, we strive to help our students flourish and mature as critical readers and articulate writers. The firm foundations established in the Senior school are all designed to enrich students’ understanding and enjoyment of both English Language and Literature. At GCSE, students explore a vast array of texts to encounter different cultures and eras. We gradually integrate analytical skills as solid foundations on which to build for the very best performance in the examinations they face in the future.

Every half term, assessments are used to inform teaching and to help set bespoke targets for our students empowering them to take ownership of their learning journey.

We endeavour to deliver an academic year filled with enrichment opportunities to stimulate our students and provide them with opportunities to challenge their ideas and appreciate different viewpoints. Annual events such as Book Week and Poetry Together, combined with termly trips, competitions and author talks, support the curriculum and make learning even more interactive. In addition, our students are strongly encouraged to enroll in after school clubs and enter external creative writing, debating and poetry competitions.

The study of Geography at Knightsbridge School aims, quite simply, to foster a sense of awe and wonder at the world in which we live. We encourage students to consider the complex interplay of physical and human geography and recognise that when we broaden our understanding of the planet our interest and appreciation for it only deepens. Furthermore, geography students at Knightsbridge School develop the knowledge and the skills required to make them outstanding learners who understand the importance of being a truly global citizen.

This overarching aim is achieved through the study of a wide range of topics including, to name but a few, our own local environment; the coastal and river environments; rainforests; tectonic events; the issues surrounding population growth; industry; glaciation and the world climate system. Furthermore, we do not shy away from the importance of knowledge in the geography department. We recognise that an intimate understanding of local and global locations is a positive thing and, when carried out in a fun and challenging manner, can be a great source of empowerment for a young geographer. All topics studied seek to inform, build upon and enhance our students’ understanding of the world around them so that by the time they reach 13+ level and then GCSEs they are confident with data analysis, problem solving and geographical vocabulary.

Geography also provides ample opportunity for students to get out from behind their desks and explore the world around them. Whether conducting a ‘local community study’, campaigning for ‘safer streets’, looking at coastal processes in Dorset or even experiencing the marvel of geysers and glaciers in Iceland, we ensure that students put into practice the skills and theory that they acquire in the classroom.

The simple truth is that the world is a complex, delicate, magnificent and majestic place and, through the study of Geography, we hope to show students that they have a very real place in it. Furthermore, we hope to foster an understanding that the future of the world is in their hands and, the deeper they understand it, the better equipped they will be to meet the many challenges that the coming years undoubtedly hold.

The study of History is an exciting, wondrous and deeply rewarding experience. It can provide participants of all ages with a sense of awe at where we have come from and where we are heading. At Knightsbridge School, we seek to make this journey as engaging and fun as possible. Our overarching aim in the History department is to foster a deep-seated and lifelong love of learning about the past, whilst also developing and honing the skills required to make a good historian.

Within KS3, students study a wide range of topics, both ancient and modern, with a view to understanding that the past is a ‘foreign place’. The students begin to explore historical evidence and attempt to ask and formulate questions about history. As they move up the school, students begin to study events in more depth and, whether looking at subjects such as the murder of Thomas Becket, the Battle of Hastings, the Reformation, the French Revolution, Woman’s Suffrage or the First World War, all students explore a range of topics which prepare them brilliantly for the study of the 20th Century at GCSE. Within each topic, students are asked to critically analyse both primary and secondary sources of evidence, write extended pieces which challenge a statement or question, complete detailed projects on people and events and, in essence, to fully immerse themselves in the rich tapestry that is history.

We are also profoundly fortunate to be studying history in the heart of one of the most historically significant cities in the world. This good fortune lends itself beautifully to trips and, from the first opportunity, we make the most of what is on our doorstep. From exploring the Tower of London to touring the Houses of Parliament, students at Knightsbridge School experience a wide range of our capitals offerings and learn to treat them as the incredible and valuable sources that they are.

The common belief that history is simply a series of names and dates is passionately challenged at Knightsbridge School. Whilst students are provided with in-depth knowledge of our local, national and global pasts; we also spend a great deal of our time debating, questioning and challenging popular beliefs so that our young historians have the tools with which to argue against ‘old truths’ and, eventually, to form their own interpretation of the events that they study. History is a complex and often contentious subject which requires a broad skill set and a genuine thirst to discover more. Despite its sometimes dusty reputation, we show students that history has never been more important and more relevant than it is in the twenty-first century.

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” Nelson Mandela

The Language offering at Knightsbridge School aims to inspire and foster the love for lifelong language learning, develop our students’ communication skills, increase their intercultural understanding, and prepare them to be the future citizens of the world.

Students gain experience in listening, speaking, reading and writing. With a flexible offering that includes a choice of French, Spanish, Mandarin, or Italian for our different age groups, from EYFS up to GCSE, we are able to provide support based on students’ individual needs.

Within the Senior School, students prepare for the Common Entrance 13+ examinations and GCSE examinations. Studying a range of themes such as identity and culture to aspirations, study and work. We use a range of stimulating materials for all pupils to fulfil their potential for language learning. We encourage all students to work methodically and responsibly and to develop pride in their achievements.

The Languages Department gives first-hand experience through workshops, trips to the French Institute, and residential trips to France and Spain. The students are given the opportunity to practise their linguistic skills, learn about the culture and history of the country and develop a positive and tolerant attitude to other cultures and civilisations

Latin is a unique and engaging subject that leads to the development of a wide range of transferable skills, from clarity of thought and attention to detail, to problem-solving and analytical thinking. It is through Latin, which gave rise to modern languages such as French, Spanish and Italian, that we are able to explore societies that have shaped the world in which we live today. Literature, History, Science, Law, Art, Architecture and Philosophy are just some of the subjects which could not have existed without the foundations provided by the Classical World.

At Knightsbridge School, students begin their study of Latin in year 7 with the Common Entrance (CE) syllabus which leads to either level 1 or 2 depending on aptitude and future school requirements. At 13+ students take the Common Entrance examination at the end of the academic year. Student’s continue their studies of Latin throughout year 9, following the Cambridge Latin Course which combines a firm grounding in the language with discovering about the ancient world through topics such as daily life, entertainment, politics and history.

At KS4, students who have reached level 2 CE at 13+ have the opportunity to pursue the WJEC syllabus leading to the externally assessed Certificate. Wider learning ensures that students also have the chance to refine their linguistic skills and access some of the world’s finest literature in its original form whether it be the poetry of Ovid and Virgil, the history of Tacitus or the letters of Pliny.

Knightsbridge school students participate in major bi-annual competitions in which the Latin department has an outstanding history of success. Knightsbridge School is regularly at the top of both the Northern Hemisphere Competition and the Global Championships and significantly outperforms high-ranking schools around the world.

Our Learning Support Department at Knightsbridge School offers a warm, nurturing environment that supports students to become independent active learners. We provide a caring environment enabling pupils with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) or those with English as an Additional Language (EAL) to achieve their full potential. All of our teachers are aware of the different needs and learning styles of the pupils and are able to differentiate within the classroom more easily due to small numbers. As we are a small school, we are more easily able to focus on the individual. We also have specialist teachers who provide extra support to those who benefit from a different approach to help their literacy and numeracy as well as study, organisational and social skills.

We work closely with members of the school community to identify possible learning difficulties, health problems and/or emotional or behavioural difficulties. The SENDCO may identify other needs or differences through screening tests, educational psychologist (EP) reports or via regular liaison with Heads of Section, Form Teachers, subject teachers, pupils, parents. Any additional support required is then coordinated by the SENDCO.

If a learning difference has been identified, the student will benefit from bespoke lessons delivered in one-to-one or small group lessons. This may involve some targeted support provided by our team of specialists, or advice given to the subject teachers about specific strategies to help students in lessons. These 1:1 or small group sessions enable some students to ‘catch up’; they provide additional explanation and help the students develop strategies and skills in reading, writing, understanding and sequencing Maths processes and in developing memory and problem-solving skills.

The SENDCO also oversees the exam access arrangements. The process for arranging exam concessions in national exams is led and determined by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ). Using the JCQ guidelines and specialist assessments it is determined whether students qualify for extra time, word processor, rest breaks, scribe, bilingual dictionaries or other exam arrangements. These provisions are put in place as early as possible to ensure any adjustments are the student’s normal way of working.

Life Skills (PSHEE) at Knightsbridge School is taught in a spiral curriculum across KS1 and KS4 by specialist trained teachers. The curriculum is divided into three main areas of exploration: Living in the Wider World, Health and Well-being and Relationships. Our RSE provision is provided through Life Skills lessons and in collaboration with other key areas of the curriculum. Our careers programme is further supported in Life Skills, with students at KS3 encouraged to identify their personal strengths and values, supporting them in setting educational and career based targets. Students are also encouraged to identify entrepreneurial role models from a diverse range of backgrounds. This is in preparation for work experience placements, which students undertake in Year 10. Mental Health Education is prioritised throughout our Life Skills curriculum as students are taught emotional intelligence and emotional regulation through the use of RULER. Mindfulness and meditation are encouraged through weekly yoga and well-being sessions.

What do flying a helicopter, baking a cake, preparing for a lunar landing and planning an overseas holiday all have in common? Yes, you guessed it … Maths.

Maths … Numeracy … Arithmetic … Mathematics …. call it what you will, it is so fundamental to our lives we literally would not be able to function in our modern world without it. Whether your interest is in nutrition, engineering, coding, construction, medicine, software development, stocks & shares or even finding a vaccine for Covid-19, you will be using the maths you learnt at school.

So, when a student asks, “Why do I have to learn this? I’ll never use it!”, there is every reason that, although they don’t know it yet, it will prove to help them later in life.

Knightsbridge commits itself to prepare students for the next phase in their education and for life in general. It stands to reason that learning maths fits very snugly into that ambition. Furthermore, learning maths complements studying other subjects like Geography and Science and Economics. Not only that but maths also helps us make sense of the world around us, it connects us to the past and helps us plan for the future. It also promotes curiosity and helps the brain develop the ability to recognise patterns and connections.

Software and online resources are used to supplement classroom practice. This is not to detract from the importance of teacher-student interaction, but as a way of engaging students through a different medium.

As a core subject, Maths occupies a dominant position in the school curriculum. ‘Practice makes perfect’ and ‘little, but often’; both expressions are relevant to maths. As an Independent school, Knightsbridge goes beyond the National Curriculum by following ISEB standards. This rigorous curriculum ensures the highest standards while giving access to the 11+ and 13+ Examinations.  At KS4, the Edexcel curriculum is then followed, securing students’ success at GCSE.

Beyond the formal curriculum, students are offered further opportunities to extend their interest in maths. The annual UK Maths Challenge and Bebras feature on the calendar each year. Additional Maths Clubs are run weekly for children who wish to be extended or supported in their learning, further enriching and broadening the students’ appreciation of all things mathematical.

The Performing Arts is a vibrant and active department at Knightsbridge School. The core strands of Music, Drama and Dance collaborate frequently with the fundamental goal of providing high quality, engaging and exciting performance opportunities for our students. Through our curriculum, we are committed to developing skills that enable our students to become well rounded, confident and expressive young people on and off the stage.

The Music curriculum aims to instil a love of singing and musical performance, whilst ensuring pupils have a good understanding of the foundations of music including means of composing and appraising. In Drama, the curriculum provides rich opportunities for fundamental progression in confidence, communication, creativity and cooperation skills whilst Dance lessons enable students to build on their fitness, timing, control and expression.

In Senior School music lessons students explore a broad and diverse range of topics that provide opportunities to develop their performance, composition and appraising skills. Topics include World Music, Popular Music, Orchestral Music as well as styles of Jazz and Film. Music lessons are created to ensure that all students can succeed in the subject in their own way regardless of their prior experience. Music Technology is used for composing and a broad range of instruments are available in the department for students to use creatively in lessons. ‘Check in’ assessments are built into the term to show progression and prepare students for study at GCSE.

The Drama curriculum offers a diverse range of units and assessments based on key Drama skills, plays, poems and fiction which also re-enforces the rest of the school curriculum and equips students for study at KS4, through Trinity Examinations. Senior students learn how to use their bodies, voices and objects to explore, investigate and perform. Topics include Greek Mythology, British pantomime, Shakespeare and Elizabethan theatre, mask-skills and many others. At KS4 a range of practitioners and styles of theatre are investigated including Stanislavski and Brecht.

Students also have the opportunity to progress through the ISTD Dance Syllabus and many are invited to take an examination at the end of the year. Within KS3 and 4, students engage in a range of different types of dance inclusive of a broad range of cultures. This, alongside preparing choreography for school productions, training enables students to develop strength and flexibility, timing and musical awareness, spatial awareness and body control, posture, and promote self-confidence. Regardless of their skill there is a fundamental aim for students to express themselves through the medium of dance.

The collaboration of the Performing Arts department leads to the exciting Christmas Pantomimes, Spring and Summer Term productions performed in the St Saviour’s Theatre. Past productions include: Fiddler on the Roof, Jungle Book, Annie, The Wind in the Willows, Peter Pan Jr with the Aristocat’s and Oliver Jr on the way!

All students are encouraged to enrich their performing skills by taking part in the annual KS Interhouse Performing Arts Competition, KS’s Got Talent, ISA Music, Dance and Drama competitions as well as the broad range of extra-curricular activities on offer each week. Our teaching staff who have experience in the industry also seek to connect students with casting agents and performance opportunities outside of the KS community. Centered in the heart of London, the Performing Arts team is always looking for exciting performances and workshops to share with our students.

A large proportion of our Senior students have 1-1 Music lessons in piano, drums, singing, strings, woodwind and brass. Musicians are always encouraged to perform live in Senior Recitals and termly music showcases. This means that all those learning, from a very early stage, have a chance to display their talent regardless of attainment. Many children also opt into ABRSM examinations which are offered on a termly basis. Seniors are supported in their application for Music Scholarships and are encouraged to join clubs after school to boost their awareness of music theory and aural training. The Senior Choir takes an active role in school services and is always particularly busy at Christmas, performing at the annual St Paul’s Foundation Carol Service, at the Royal Hospital and all around the community spreading the Christmas cheer! Our instrumentalists are invited to join the school orchestra and other ensembles in our extracurricular program.

Senior students with a flair and passion for Drama are invited to a specialist Drama club where they will further their practice. In doing so they prepare for their annual performance and individuals are nurtured towards applying for Drama Scholarships if they wish. Past performances include A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night. Recently, our aspiring actors and actresses have produced fantastic performances for the annual ‘Poetry Together Event’. In 2019 they performed with the Duchess of Cornwall and in 2020 prepared an amazing video of Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat by T.S. Elliot.

Opportunities to further enrich our students’ love of dance include Musical Theatre performances in assemblies. We recently enjoyed a performance of a dance from ‘Hairspray’ in celebration of Black History month. Street Dance and Tap Dance clubs continue to be popular additions to our Senior offering, alongside a Musical Theatre club with focus on dance for production. Truly something for everyone!

Young People are natural philosophers. They love to question everything and their thoughts and ideas have no boundaries.

In Perspectives, three areas are developed: Philosophy, Sociology and Religious Studies. The philosophical approach (open questions related to the world we live in) allows students to naturally develop their thinking skills (critical, collaborative, creative and caring thinking.) It is a chance for them to wonder about the world and learn to articulate their thoughts, developing their cognitive and social awareness. They really enjoy discussions, practising their communication skills, thinking of good and relevant reasons to support their speech and challenging each other’s ideas.

Perspectives asks students to address some of the fundamental questions about life: Who am I? Does God exist? How can the world be a fairer place? What is beauty? It is a philosophy programme that encompasses traditional subjects of Religious Education (RE) and Sociology. It makes excellent preparation for Senior school courses on Theology, Philosophy and Ethics and for the 13+ examination. It uses the methodology of Professor Matthew Lipman’s Philosophy for Children (P4C) and develops the essential learning and communication skills of logic, curiosity, scepticism, negotiation and storytelling.

Knightsbridge School has a commitment to developing the all-round learner and Perspectives supports this by nurturing the socio-emotional and thinking skills required for students to reach their full potential. Individuals are given the opportunity to reflect on their own values and beliefs and encouraged to challenge and extend their thinking by listening and learning from each other to develop an open mind. Perspectives shares many links to the rest of the curriculum and the students benefit from its cognitive impact for other subjects such as History, English, Science, Art or Maths; as well as the official examinations for ISEB at 11+ and 13+. For 13+ the students sit an exam in Theology, Philosophy and Religion. The curriculum is complemented with an extensive program of trips to museums (RA, Tate Modern), galleries (Saatchi), religious buildings (Central London Mosque, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Wimbledon Synagogue ) and Parliament.

The department offers the Socrates Club for students with curious minds and a passion for philosophical discussions. An annual event that the students always look forward to is the Perspectives competition, for which the students write and practice a speech answering a philosophical question. The work produced is outstanding.

The philosophical topics studied include metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, aesthetics and politics. The religious studied are Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Hinduism. The studies on Sociology start from year 9 and the subject matures to Life Perspectives, which will lead naturally to GCSE subject choices in Sociology.

Science at Knightsbridge School teaches an understanding of natural phenomena, aiming to stimulate students’ curiosity and fascination, finding out why things happen in the way they do. We teach students methods of enquiry and investigation to stimulate creative thought. Students leave Knightsbridge School equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of Science, today and for the future.

On joining the Senior School, students have access to our fully equipped up-to-date science labs, giving them the opportunity to conduct technical and skilled investigations, with support from our experienced lab technician Miss Dawn. A strong emphasis is placed on group work, facilitating the development of cooperation and communication skills.

Students follow the 11+ curriculum where they explore living things and their habitats, the properties and changes of materials, the earth and space and physical processes like forces. In preparation for 13+ students then delve deeper into these concepts, studying science through the disciplines of Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

As students move into GCSE, be it through Combined or Single Science GCSE, there is a greater focus on the applications and implications of science and technology, developing a more complex understanding of how data can be collected and manipulated to support scientific hypotheses. Within their GCSE Biology studies, students are equipped with an in-depth knowledge of cellular structures and processes, including Genetics and well as the range factors affecting our health from pandemics to life-style choices. Often seen as a conceptual subject, Chemistry is brought to life encouraging students to apply their knowledge across a range of contexts such as pharmaceutical and petro-chemical industries, and the environment around us. Physics continues to be a popular subject at GCSE, as students study everything from quantum and particle physics to astronomy.

Being in the heart of London we make use of nearby institutions such as The Science Museum, Natural History Museums and The Royal Institution as well as looking for opportunities further afield to give students the chance to see Science in action.