Reimagined Curriculum for Y10-11 - Kellett Assessed Programmes
As part of Kellett Vision 2035 we are committed to preparing students not just for university, but also for the world of work and a successful life beyond. In the context of a rapidly changing world it's important to develop and exhibit a range of different attributes and skills, not just subject knowledge. The UK education system is rooted in traditional structures and assessment models, that can lag behind the skills and mindsets young people now need - adaptability, creativity, and digital fluency.
In response to this, in 2023 Kellett introduced its first Kellett Assessed Programme, an alternative to a traditional GCSE - Oceanography and Innovation (see more information below). It was developed with the aim of taking a step back from traditional teaching methods to focus more on student agency and skill development. Certain skills are fundamental to the course, such as communication, project management, time management and research, and assessment is in the form of 100% coursework.
Kellett is actively looking to expand its range of Kellett Assessed Programmes in place of some of the GCSE subjects we currently offer. Academic excellence underpins all Kellett Assessed Programmes, with a commitment to ensure depth, rigour and disciplinary integrity within every subject we develop, and preparation for A-levels.
We plan to introduce four additional Kellett Assessed Programmes in the coming years, and adapt Innovation and Oceanography to include elements of system thinking and land sustainability.
The new courses in development include;
Industrial Design and Technology and Creative Textiles will take the place of GCSE Design Technology
Performance Science replaces Academic PE
Media Studies: Cultures, Industries and Practise will take the place of the traditional Media Studies GCSE course.
Our core GCSEs of English, Maths and Science will remain compulsory, meaning students will always have a minimum of five GCSEs, six if they do triple science, seven with further maths. We will then have a range of optional GCSE subjects, including languages, humanities and the creative/expressive arts, alongside the KAPs.
Assessment
Current end of course written examinations don’t always allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding fully, or capture all that has been learnt. Many students may be able to better able to demonstrate and express their understanding in different formats. We are considering a range of assessment methods to capture the learning across the courses that we will be offering.
Oceanography and Innovation (Y10-11)
In Innovation students explore a challenge of their choosing, learning critical skills like collaboration, problem-solving, failing and refining, as we collectively seek to become more sustainable.
Innovation lessons centre around exciting but challenging project-based learning, allowing students to self-motivate, be reflective and resilient to challenge. We aim to provide students with less structure than other subjects and allow them the opportunity to fail without consequences, so that they can learn to overcome challenges. Innovation at Kellett is about the journey and not the outcome.
Our sustainability approach is solution-focused. We teach the issues, in a way that helps students feel empowered to be part of the solution. Unable to find a Sustainability GCSE appropriate to our context we created our own. Our two-year course, launched in 2023 is part Oceanography (Hong Kong has 263 islands) and part Innovation.
Oceanography delves into the wider challenges facing our oceans and explores coral, once a major feature of Hong Kong. Pairs of students take responsibility for creating an eco-system in tanks, replicating our shorelines to determine how coral thrives, with the aim of returning coral to our shores (students undertake a PADI course as part of their qualification).
Watch our Innovation and Oceanography Course in action!
It's Innovative! - Our First Projects
Sixth Formers Paul and Audrey shares their respective projects