Kindergarden to Year 4
Fully co-educational
The diamond refers to the ‘shape’ of the educational journey - boys and girls start and end their learning together, but are taught separately in certain areas of the Learning Wheel when appropriate. These single gender classes work alongside co-educational classes and ability sets.
It has been shown that boys and girls mature at a different pace in their pre-teens. They can benefit from different teaching styles and classroom environments during these formative years, so we teach them separately for core subjects in the years leading up to GCSE choices.
Students can also face cultural legacies in certain subject areas. Boys often dominate the classroom in the Sciences because of the way these subjects are traditionally taught; girls tend to lead in English for similar reasons. Teaching these core subjects separately allows our teachers to adapt their teaching style accordingly.
Boys and girls are taught the same content, by the same teachers, and given the same opportunities - it is the pedagogy that differs. The result:
Form groups, clubs and enrichment, social activities and trips are all co-educational, with boys and girls mixing naturally throughout the school day.
The educational experience of our learners is at the heart of all planning and decision making. This evolves over time and every year we will consider what is best for each cohort, in terms of the structure of the classes. Therefore, the diamond model will evolve with us over time, and is not set in stone.
Fully co-educational
Up until Year 4 we are fully co-educational, with boys and girls taking all their lessons together.
Co-ed
Most teaching classes
Clubs and enrichment
Single sex
All teaching classes*
Co-ed
Languages
Clubs and enrichment
In Years 7 and 8, girls and boys take single-sex lessons for all subjects, whilst continuing to mix in both clubs and enrichment activities.
*From Sept 2019 Year 7 Language will be taught co-ed
Single sex
Maths*
English
Science
Sports
Some humanities subjects (to be determined as our year groups progress)
Co-ed
Clubs and enrichment
All other subjects
In Year 9 students learn in single-sex lessons for English, maths, science, sports and some humanities subjects, but join together for other subjects, clubs and enrichment activities.
Single sex
Maths*
English
Science
Sports
Co-ed
Clubs and enrichment
All other subjects
English, maths and science remain single-sex lessons in Year 10 and 11, whilst students join together for other subjects, clubs and enrichment activities.
Fully co-educational
Our Sixth Form is fully co-educational, with boys and girls learning together in all subjects.
Take a break and join our neighbours at @CUBotanicGarden on a virtual winter Wellness Wander of the beautiful Gardens. https://t.co/cBSCKh1C0t #Cambridge
“...the excellence of the curriculum is a significant feature in the exceptional achievements of the pupils.”
ISI Report 2014