Student hub
Welcome to Westminster City School Student Hub. This page has been designed for students, parents and staff, with the goal of providing a range of resources to promote effective study habits.
This is broken down by subject area and will consist of the following:
- Westminster City School revision guide
- Informational videos
- Bespoke KS4 and KS5 revision checklists for each subject
This area is under development, if you have specific feedback regarding the resources available, please do email Ms Armatage directly at g.armatage@wcsch.com.
End of Year Exams
Year 10
The experience of exams can be overwhelming for students and, to put it simply, the more practise that students have with exams, the better they will do at the end of Year 11. Please click the link here to read the advice we have provided for parents and carers during this period.
Subject Areas
Arts
Art
The aim of Art at Westminster City School is to inspire students with creativity and imagination. Students will learn to critique and appreciate work from a rich variety of cultures and periods. They will also investigate and experiment with a wide range of materials and techniques from traditional drawing and craft to digital technologies, developing fine motor skills and coordination and a deep understanding of the key elements of Art.
We continually aspire to provide a diverse extra-curricular program to encourage students to engage with the subject, dream bigger and express themselves. Art is a subject which has the ability to transcend language and geographical borders helping shape opinion and our environment. Our vision at Westminster City School is that every student will be offered not only a broad understanding of the curriculum, but confidence and understanding to participate in the great conversations of society, debating and shaping the future of the discipline.
Music
At Westminster City School we are proud to offer a wealth of musical opportunities both in and out of the classroom, which promote pride, success and achievement. We deliver a curriculum which stretches and challenges each student, motivating them to become critical thinkers and unlocking their potential to be lifelong learners. Additionally, we give special attention to provide many Music performance opportunities which has helped our students to develop character, determination, and self-confidence, empowering them with qualities they can take forward into their communities and careers.
Our vision is that every student leaves Westminster City School as a well-rounded musician with a deep, rich understanding of a wide range of music, allowing them to join and advance the great conversations of society. Music has been, and forever will be a key contributor to culture worldwide as well as financially important to many global economies. Therefore, we believe that attaining good knowledge of this diverse, creative and influential subject is powerful, promotes transferrable skills and more than ever is greatly relevant to many walks of life.
Humanities and Social Sciences
Business
The vision for our students at Westminster City School is to raise their aspirations by nurturing a passion for learning, enriching their learning experiences, providing the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in adult life, and enabling them to secure outcomes that exceed their expectations.
Our students are provided with a supportive but challenging environment that develops and deepens their understanding of the value of enterprise and employability to both businesses and their communities. This is achieved through the philosophy of active learning where we aim to develop enterprise and employability skills, knowledge, and attitudes in our students during their lessons.
We envisage that entrepreneurship teaching is to enrich our students with the ability to recognise commercial opportunities and the insight, self-esteem, knowledge, and skills to act on them. It includes instruction in opportunity recognition, commercializing a concept, marshaling resources in the face of risk, and initiating a business venture. The curriculum fosters an understanding of business disciplines such as management, marketing, information systems, and finance. Challenging students to be involved in interesting projects looking at how businesses develop and demonstrate imparting of knowledge of various themes is evolving.
Empowering the students to become independent thinkers; using inquiry, problem-based methods in lessons that are respectful of students’ varied abilities and interests, ensures a flow of young people into an industry or sector: making sure enough our young people are thinking of careers in particular companies or industries/sectors.
Design Technology
The DT curriculum aims to equip students with powerful knowledge of the core principles addressed within the subject. We encourage students to be creative thinkers and risk takers, as they learn about new technologies and methods of construction. This allows students to develop an understanding of the complexities within the design process, which helps build a positive ethos in which they can thrive.
Through projects covered in DT, students will engage with topics addressing the greater conversations on how DT can impact society, through in-depth analysis of social, moral and environmental issues, including the developing world and diversity. Each project will offer a different challenge which will develop student's independence, empowering them with confidence and building character.
Economics
The Economics department at Westminster City School aims to provide our students with not just a passion for the subject, but more importantly, to give students the skills to thrive in the job market in the future through a rich and contextual curriculum. This is achieved through focusing on the essential powerful knowledge needed to access the intricacies of the subject, as well as a consistent use of examples that our students can relate to, ranging from Economists from BAME backgrounds to a focus on development and inequality to develop our students' sense of compassion and understanding of different issues they won’t necessarily face firsthand. The overall aim is to allow our students to become critical thinkers and be able to successfully analyse and critique issues faced in the modern economy as well as issues they will personally face in their lives.
Economics students at Westminster City School will be prepared to answer the tougher questions our societies face, such as why the level of inequality is increasing, is it fair or appropriate for inequality to exist and what solutions can we as Economists find to fix these global and national problems. This will be achieved though the teaching of quantitative skills as well as the teaching of dissecting arguments and concepts to allow for enhanced critical thinking and problem solving.
English
The English department at Westminster City School are dedicated to creating independent, thoughtful and resilient learners. Our powerful knowledge curriculum is designed to make English meaningful to students’ lives, allow them to think beyond their own experience and enable them to gain a greater understanding of their place in the context of the wider world.
We celebrate hard-work, risk taking and encourage students to develop as critical thinkers. Fortified with these life skills and this knowledge, we want our students to assume the mantle of personal agency and seize the opportunities that allow them to follow their chosen path.
Geography
At Westminster City School, our intent when teaching Geography is to inspire in our learners a curiosity and fascination about the world and the people within it, leading to a life-long passion for learning about the spaces and places that exist on our diverse and dynamic planet.
Through our teaching of Geography at Westminster City School, we aim to foster "bigger" thinking about the interconnectedness of people, places and economies and seek opportunities for our learners to experience a sense of awe and wonder about the world’s diverse environments.
We also strive to develop their awareness and understanding of places beyond their own doorstep, through routinely using real-world geographical data and maps as the lens through which they are able to explore the complex nature of spaces and places and develop a deep understanding of the physical and human processes that shape them.
We seek to nurture students' understanding of the challenges we face when deciding how to manage our planet’s precious and finite resources, aiming to inspire in our learners a sense of duty and responsibility to the environment as custodians of our planet who care about the future of the world and champion social, economic and environmental sustainability.
We strive to empower our students to become active global citizens who understand the importance of working together to solve problems on a variety of scales - from local issues to the global – and as geographers who can communicate their ideas and opinions with clarity and confidence.
History
In History we are committed to developing an understanding of the nature of humanity. We aim to engender a powerful knowledge through a broad study of a range of people across the world, exploring their impact and evaluating the decisions that these people made. We foster this powerful knowledge through focusing on themes of History and comparing them to different cultures of humans living at different times in different places. This will enrich our students’ understanding of what humanity has achieved, what difficulties humanity has overcome and empower our students to understand what issues are likely to remain significant challenges for all people living in the current times and in the future. We believe that thorough this, the understanding of global history engages all of our diverse cohort and will help those born and raised locally to be better informed about the nuances of humanity, allowing them to be better prepared for and wise of the complexities of adult life.
It is our aim to engage students in the ‘great conversations’ of history through a broad study of humanity’s struggle alongside a depth of focus on specific themes. It is those themes that will draw the most nuanced debate and will allow students to understand who they are as individuals and to describe the collective nature of humankind. We believe that the great conversations will range from comparing different leadership styles to the relationship between religion and power, to comprehending the human fascination with the new; undiscovered; and alien life, land, objects and experiences.
It is in every way that History enriches the soul and mind. Through the subject’s very foundations we question the meaning of humanity through a study of communities, cultures and the leaders representing these people. Inevitably, this stimulates questions relating to the way we currently think and behave as well as the decisions we will make in the future. Through a study of individuals and communities in the past we encourage students to question the integrity and excellence of these characters, allowing them to apply this evaluation to themselves and their own personal footprint on the world.
Politics
The aim of Politics at Westminster City School is to help students to identify the underlying structures and systems which control the way things are; the people who occupy positions of power (and the people connected to them). Additionally, students will also have the opportunity to learn about how they can engage with the people and structures of power. They should be able to interpret today’s events, as well as place it into a context of the history of politics and political thought. By the end of the course they should be able to understand the roots of their own beliefs (after considering a range of diverse ideologies), policies that they want to fight for, and methods of how to change the world around them, so they can ensure that politics represents them, people like them, and the views that they hold.
Psychology
Psychology at Westminster City School aims to help students to understand people in ways that extends beyond their own experience. This will be informed by an appreciation of the role of research in forming theories as well the ability to interrogate research with a critical and responsible eye.
The study of psychology will help students to build successful personal and professional relationships with a range of people and develop understanding of themselves. Students will consider a range of approaches to psychology and engage in debates that abound in the subject such as the extent to which people are responsible for their actions. Students will consider the best ways of conducting robust and valid research which can be applied to the real world in a socially sensitive manner. It is hoped that our students will one day shape the future of this relatively new and evolving subject in a way that serves contemporary society.
Religious Studies
At Westminster City School, Religious Studies give students a deep knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and worldviews which allows them to both engage and investigate the different answers that they offer. Additionally, it allows them to critically develop their own answers to the 'big questions' of life and be able to express these reflections with increasing discernment, exploring key concepts through theological, philosophical, ethical, and sociological lenses. The aptitude for dialogue they develop during their learning helps them to engage better in the conversations in an increasingly growing multi-faith, multi-cultural and multi-worldview society, whilst developing in them a greater appreciation of different ways of life and beliefs.
Religious Studies welcomes everyone and is free of any discrimination and encompasses all four of the school's values. It remains robust, relevant, informative, challenging and reflective while providing a space which seeks from every students the ability to independently and logically think for themselves regardless of belief or experience.
Sociology
Sociology at Westminster City School gives students the knowledge to understand and question the inter-relationships between individuals, groups, institutions and societies, both within and beyond their own experience. Sociology will give students the skills and vocabulary to discuss the causes, implications and complexity of social phenomena.
Students will understand the role research plays in informing the answers to such questions as well as examine the limitations of sociological research. Students will consider the best ways of conducting robust, valid and sensitive research so they can shape the future of this new and evolving subject in a way that serves contemporary society. It is hoped that whatever paths our students pursue, Sociology students will be equipped to foster a lifelong engagement in issues of social justice and to see the world with empathy.
Modern Foreign Languages
Spanish
The Spanish department at Westminster City School aims to develop respectful, tolerant, thoughtful and linguistically aware learners who are able to express themselves in Spanish and fully embrace their ability to do so, at any stage of their learning.
We aim for our students to be curious about the extensive and varied Hispanic culture and the way Spanish language is used in both formal and informal contexts. Our robust curriculum enables our students to identify and understand the many lexical common references that Spanish and English languages have, as well as develop grammatical awareness of Spanish syntax.
Our students are trained to use their acquired grammatical skills to develop and analyse their own processing (listening & reading) and production (speaking & writing) of Spanish language. Learning Spanish will aid our students to be better equipped to understand today’s multicultural world and respond more effectively to social stimuli. Besides, it will provide them with an opportunity to consider Spanish language-related professions/occupations and even jobs in Hispanic countries, which would further expand their horizons.
STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)
Computing
We believe that through Computer Science our students will become well rounded, resilient, creative, technical thinkers and problem solvers. With powerful knowledge students will be confident to take risks, be able to develop their computational thinking skills and have the knowledge to use software to develop efficient code in solving problems. Students will have opportunities to explore the wider social, moral, cultural and ethical issues associated with computer science and to develop as responsible computing practitioners.
They will leave Westminster City equipped with the skills to prosper in the wide-ranging employment opportunities available for them.
Mathematics
The vision for the Mathematics department at Westminster City School Our is to develop aspirational young people to thrive in a challenging and changing world. Our students will have a deep understanding of Mathematics so they can be creative and confident in solving problems and applying these skills to the wider world.
Science
Our vision for Science at Westminster City School is to inspire our students to become skilled critical thinkers, problem solvers, innovators, and team players. We aim to develop the minds of our students by providing them with powerful knowledge that allows them to think beyond their own day to day experiences to become life-long learners, supporting creativity, curiosity, objectivity, and independence for all our students.
At the conclusion of their studies at Westminster City School, our students will be capable of applying their scientific knowledge to contemporary issues and making connections between scientific disciplines and the wider world in general. This will allow them to participate in the great conversations in Science such as climate change, artificial intelligence and conservation. Hopefully pursuing post-secondary education or careers in the fields of science.
Physical Education
Physical Education
At Westminster City School we aim to give students a lifelong love of sport. We aim to do this by covering a broad range of sports in both our school and extra curriculum programmes. Students will develop a fundamental appreciation of the value of a healthy active lifestyle and regular exercise on their physical, emotional and mental well-being.
Whilst we offer a wide range of sports, we want students to be the best they can in their chosen sport, as a result we will provide opportunities for students to excel at a particular sport. We want students to enjoy sport and will promote the values of sportsmanship, humility, being magnanimous in defeat and victory, respectful of team mates and opponents and proud to represent Westminster City School.
Parents Resources
TBC
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