Curriculum

In line with the requirements of the National Curriculum, Barking Abbey provides a broad and balanced programme of study. Our aim is to enable students to achieve of their best and to allow the widest range of career and further education opportunities to remain open to students up to and beyond the school leaving age.

The school has established both academic and pastoral links with its main primary partner schools. This is greatly enhanced as part of our Education Action Zone and our Specialist Sports College programme. We are also developing extensive links with our partner secondary schools in both Sporting and Performing Arts areas.

In the first three years students’ studies include Art, Drama, English, French or German, Geography, History, Information Technology, Mathematics, Music, Personal and Social Education, Physical Education, Religious Education, Science and Technology.

The school was recently awarded the Basic Skills Agency Charter Mark in recognition of the excellence of our work in basic literacy and numeracy.

In Years 10 and 11 all students study a compulsory core curriculum which consists of English, Mathematics, Science, ICT and Physical Education. In addition, there is a wide range of optional subjects from which students may choose including a Modern Foreign Language, (French and German), History, Geography, Music, Art, Business Studies, Social Science, RE, Drama, Media Studies and Technology. We have pioneered the introduction of vocational GCSEs and will be exploring this further over the next two years.

The Sixth Form provides a wide range of subjects at GCE Advanced Level (up to 25 subjects are offered), and opportunities to study further GCSE courses as well as vocational and pre-vocational courses, including GNVQ at both Intermediate and Advanced Level (Business, ICT, Health and Social Care and Sport Science).