Middle school-aged students are in the process of changing and developing into young adults. They begin to want more independence, test boundaries and develop rapidly. With the onset of adolescence, students aged 11-14 must learn to deal with the dynamic nature of their bodies, minds, and emotions. They may have worries about how their body is changing compared to others; physical changes are stressful, and emotional control is difficult. Middle schoolers are making the difficult but exciting transition to being teenagers and this unique stage of life requires a specific curriculum based upon the learning needs of the students.
Students at this age are innately curious about the world around them and their place within. For this reason, Uplands Middle School Curriculum strives to place learning into a real-world context, allowing students to see the authentic nature of the skills and content they are experiencing. Knowing that the adolescent brain is beginning to think abstractly about topics and issues means we can dive deep into subject-area content with the support of conceptual links across all subjects. When students are learning about systems in Science, this can be conceptually linked to the systems they are exploring in their Individual and Societies course to enrich learning.
We also look to the future, thinking about what our continued journey through secondary school might look like and how our deep connection with the International Baccalaureate Organisation can influence learning and teaching in the Middle Years. Throughout our curriculum, students are encouraged to be reflective, to consider what they know, and to ask questions. This builds the important skill of inquiry and helps our students to become future-ready for an ever-changing world. Our aim is to develop the skills our students will need in the future and help them become intellectually curious global citizens.
Uplands has developed a research-driven pastoral programme known as our “Respect Programme”. This aims to address the changes that come with adolescence with our students at the time that they are happening. In term 1 of Year 7, we explore things that will change in our lives, how to make new friends, how to be a good friend, and relationships with family. As we progress through the year, we then turn to looking inward at our own well-being, how we can maintain a healthy lifestyle, and puberty and body changes. The year ends looking towards our community as we explore the communities around us, our place within them, and what we can do to help them.
If you would like to know more about our dynamic and evolving curriculum in our Middle School, please come along to our Year 7 Open Afternoon on Thursday 30th March from 1.30pm to 3.30pm where you will have the opportunity to experience Uplands in real-time guided by our current Year 7 students. There will be hands-on activities to showcase learning and teaching at Uplands, giving parents and students a chance to explore how we bring our rigorous curriculum to life with 21st-century skills and real-world application.
Registration for new students/parents, please click here
Registration for existing students/parents, please click here
