Grammar Stream

A Grammar Stream is a group of 28-32 highly academically able students. They will be taught a more challenging and in-depth curriculum from Year 7 onwards, as well as having access to a programme of extracurricular opportunities that will put them on the path to the world’s best universities.

The Hurlingham Academy is, and always will be, a comprehensive school. However, we recognise that many of our students join us having performed at the highest level in primary school and require an additional level of challenge to reach their potential. The rationale for the Grammar Stream is to ensure that our most academically capable students have the opportunity to compete at the highest level at A-level, at university and in the job market, alongside their grammar school and privately educated peers. Whilst they are at The Hurlingham Academy, the focus for Grammar Stream students will be:

• To gain a set of GCSEs at grades 7-9
• To aspire to perform at the highest level in their chosen field
• To raise their aspirations to performance at the highest level in their chosen field
• To explore a range of extracurricular opportunities that will help them to develop their own passions and become responsible young citizens, who care for their communities and who are committed to bettering them.

A key aspect of the Grammar Stream curriculum is that students will study two languages from Year 7 onwards: Spanish, as well as either French or Mandarin. We believe that the ability to communicate with others around the world will be vital for success in a twenty-first century world. In addition, a focus on languages will help to build a greater cultural understanding and will maximise students’ opportunities to work and study abroad in the future. Except for languages, Grammar Stream students in Key Stage 3 will study the same subject mix as their peers. However, the Grammar Stream curriculum will be more in-depth, and teachers will push
students to read widely and critically, in order to broaden their understanding. There will be additional homework expectations over and above students in the mainstream school. In Key Stage 4, we aim for Grammar Stream students to continue to study both languages at GCSE. Grammar Stream students will also sit the Sciences as three separate GCSEs (‘triple science’), rather than the Combined qualification. In addition, students will have the opportunity to study for an additional Level 2 Statistics qualification and to complete the AQA Higher Project, in which students write up an extended piece of research on a topic of their choosing.

In order to be successful in their university applications and beyond, Grammar Stream students will need to have passions outside of their academic work. To help them develop such passions, we will provide students with bespoke extracurricular opportunities that will bring both new experiences and help to develop them into leaders within the Hurlingham community. All Grammar Stream students will be expected to learn a musical instrument, supported by 1-1 and small group tuition. An instrument loan/bursary scheme will be available to support with access to instruments. In addition, Grammar Stream students will have access to the following opportunities during their school career:

• Monday clubs – during their school career, students will have access to a huge range of clubs, including Sports (football, rugby, gymnastics, trampolining, fencing and more), Arts (choir, drama, songwriting, poetry and more) and Community (social justice, coding, school newspaper and more).
• University visits both in and out of London.
• Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award – in which students develop a skill, complete charity work and go on an overnight expedition.
• Speak Out Challenge and Debate Mate, in which students receive public speaking training and participate in debates.
• Training with LAMDA and opportunities to take a leading role in Shakespearean productions, as well as other theatrical experiences.
• The Brilliant Club, in which students work with PhD students to complete a dissertation on a subject of their choosing (this is aimed at students who are eligible for the Pupil Premium grant).
• Mentoring by older Hurlingham students, who can offer help and advice on homework and wider school life.

We believe that offering a Grammar Stream within a comprehensive school setting provides the best of both worlds, or ‘selectivity with flexibility’. Whilst the traditional grammar school system can lead to students being ‘pigeon-holed’ at the age of 11, our Grammar Stream will allow us to cater to changes in students’ circumstances. For example, students who are not ready for the Grammar Stream when they arrive at Hurlingham in Year 7, but who begin to flourish during their time with us will have the opportunity to join the Grammar Stream later on in their time here. In fact, we believe that the existence of the Grammar Stream will raise aspirations for all pupils. Other schools with a Grammar Stream report that students are highly motivated to join this prestigious pathway, and that they work hard to do so, raising attainment across the board. Of course, should a student struggle with the academic challenge of the Grammar Stream, they can easily move to another non-Grammar Stream class within the school, without being cut off from friends and familiar surroundings. Finally, unlike other local selective schools, our Grammar Stream provides an opportunity for highperforming boys and girls to be educated together, with students from a range of backgrounds. We believe that this will help students to become better communicators and happier citizens.

As part of the induction programme, students who have accepted a place at The Hurlingham Academy will complete a set of cognitive ability tests, known as MidYis. A Grammar Stream place will be offered to the highest-scoring 32 students. All students who accept a place will be asked to sign a contract that commits them to their place and to the after-school activities that we expect Grammar Stream students to take part in. The MidYis tests assess students’ abilities in verbal and non-verbal reasoning, numerical tasks, proofreading, and vocabulary. There is no need for students to prepare for the tests in any way. The tests are done at a computer and are marked automatically.

Grammar Stream places will be reviewed after the second school assessment point, which takes place in June each year. Grammar Stream students will be assessed alongside the rest of the year group and a rank order will be produced for the year group. Students’ position in the rank order will be used to decide whether they should retain their place, be offered a place, or be asked to leave the Grammar Stream. At all times, the maximum number of students in the Grammar Stream will be 32. We anticipate that movement into and out of the Grammar Stream will be more limited in Year 10 and 11, due to the GCSE options timetable.

The Grammar Stream will be overseen by Ben Ives, Assistant Principal at The Hurlingham Academy. Mr Ives will monitor students’ academic progress throughout the year and will liaise with teachers to ensure that the Grammar Stream curriculum is challenging and stimulating. The Head of Year 7 will continue to have responsibility for the welfare and safeguarding of all students in Year 7, including those in the Grammar Stream.