Science department

The Science department's work with the PTI has reinvigorated our commitment to raising standards within Science, both academically and outside of the classroom. This year we have undertaken a series of visits designed to ignite the passion and curiosity of our more and most able students within Science. We are also developing a number of clubs and programmes to supplement the curriculum including Olympiads for our Sixth Form students, CREST Award for our lower school pupils and even an astronomy club.

The Science department's project for the year is Creativity Within Science which we hope will allow students to see the huge role which imagination and creative thinking play for successful scientists. To that end, we are planning a number of cross-curricular projects with departments such as Art, English and Modern Languages to enable all students to appreciate this often overlooked element of science.

Geography department

Since becoming an affiliated member of the Prince’s Teaching Institute, the Geography department has worked really hard to raise the level of challenge provided to students across all key stages. We have now established ourselves as an extremely popular subject at both GCSE and A Level. The KS3 curriculum has been reviewed, developed and refined to provide students with the key analytical skills needed to succeed in KS4 and KS5. We have revamped the curriculum to include more topical issues such as climate change, migration and the changing economic world in which we live in. All of this generates debate, discussion and higher order thinking skills that enable students to question, challenge and consider the ever changing world in which we live in.

Students are now facing an ever challenging curriculum and therefore there has been a shift towards more open-ended tasks that incorporate independent learning skills. Ranging from Year 7 where students have to conduct investigations into the permeability of different surfaces around the school site, up to A Level where students research, present and debate different ways of mitigating climate change.

The level of challenge has also been extended to preparation for learning tasks: students are encouraged to consolidate and prepare for the next lesson, as well as receive appropriate extension activities to deepen their understanding of the topics. All students are encouraged to complete this work in the hope of providing challenge for every student.

Beyond the curriculum, the department has worked on increasing student awareness about careers using Geography. An interactive wall display now features in the department. We have also invited speakers from external organisations to discuss alternative routes using Geography, ranging from volunteering in Nicaragua to sustainable, and integrated urban transport management. 

Music department

We have been part of the PTI for several years now. We have enjoyed the reflection that being part of the PTI brings and have consequently expanded our provision for all students. We have successfully increased the numbers of students opting for Music at Key Stage 4 by offering a vocational option as well as traditional GCSE Music. This year we have started delivering the RockSchool Music Practitioners NVQ Certificate allowing students the opportunity to run their own concert in which they all take a substantial performance or composition role.

We have also been working on improving the use of Musical Futures pedagogy throughout Key Stage 4, working with OCR to help deliver training to teachers on this approach. We have continued to work closely with Musical Futures, hosting training opportunities and developing resources alongside work with the Trinity School of Music who are coming in to film our choir in a couple of weeks. 

History department

Monk's Walk School's membership to the PTI School’s Programme has given us the impetus to develop several projects across the department. We have in particular focussed on making history more accessible through the use of media. The Department has introduced several projects where the students are given the task of creating a film or documentary about an event they have been studying. An example of this is at A Level with the creation of the film, “February to October – The Rise of the Bolsheviks,” and the creation of documentaries about different battles in the Civil War in Year 8. This has been particularly successful in engaging students and utilising their skills from other subjects in the creation of the film.

The department has also developed its links across the curriculum with input into the Theme Days and Theme week that have been implemented across the school. The department has produced lessons that place the theme in context such as Slavery on Africa day, an overview of Indian history when looking at the impact of Indian culture on Britain. These have been successful in developing students' understanding of history and the relevance that it has for them in all they do.

Monk's Walk School is a specialist Science college for pupils aged 11-18 in Hertfordshire. It has around 1200 pupils in the secondary school and around 200 in the Sixth Form.