The curriculum
INTENT
Aims
- For every student to maximise their potential while at our school.
- To provide an enhanced learning environment, enriched with extra-curricular activities.
- For each student to enjoy their time with us and forge positive relations within the school.
- To foster a desire for lifelong learning and enable students to develop into active and responsible citizens.
The school should:
- Provide personalised learning programmes of a high standard that give all students equal opportunity to progress and succeed.
- Maximise student choices and routes of progression by providing a stimulating, inspiring and challenging learning environment.
- Foster an atmosphere of tolerance and respect, to which everyone contributes by being active and responsible citizens.
- Promote students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This includes fostering British Values through all areas of school life.
We drive effective learning though ENGAGEMENT, CHALLENGE, AUTONOMY AND FEEDBACK.
The children should:
Learn how to work independently and as members of a team
- Be eager to try their best in all activities
- Be expected to behave in and an acceptable way and be responsible for their actions
- Be able to listen and read for a variety of purposes
- Be able to convey meaning through speech and writing
- Know how to think and solve problems mathematically
- Know how to apply the basic principles of health, safety and hygiene
- Be capable of communicating their knowledge and feelings through various art forms.
IMPLEMENTATION
Records of work completed
Each student has a folder or workbook for every subject and this has a record of learning intentions/objectives. All teachers follow departmental schemes of work. Students and teachers share responsibility for recording what work has been completed and how successful the students have been in meeting the learning intentions/objectives.
Assessment
The students are given a baseline assessment in English and Maths when they start with us. Following on from this they will be assessed at least on a termly basis in all other subjects. These assessments inform our termly reporting cycle to parents and next steps for the students.
Curriculum Pathways
Our baseline assessments, teacher judgements and the amount of time a student is likely to be with us will inform which Curriculum Path a student will take. Subject Leads will decide whether initially; Entry, Intermediate or Higher will best meet the student’s educational needs. Students will subsequently be able to move from one Curriculum Path to the next as they progress.
Entry is designed to help students who may have fallen behind or are with us for a short period. Intermediate is for those working at a Level 1/2 and hoping to progress to GCSE. Higher is designed to allow students to follow a course mainly comprised of GCSEs.
Students who are with us very briefly may be provided with work from their permanent school.
Curriculum Path 1: Entry
This path is designed to help students who have missed, or have difficulty with specific skills in literacy and numeracy. Students will be delivered literacy catch-up lessons and work towards Entry Level Qualifications in English, Maths, Science and Humanities.
Curriculum Path 2: Intermediate
This path is a combination of Entry Level Qualifications; Functional Skills and Level 1/2 Qualifications.
Curriculum Path 3: Higher
This plan is designed for students aiming to gain 4 or more GCSEs or equivalent Level 1/2 Qualifications.
Grouping
Once a student has been assigned to a particular Curriculum Path they will be placed in a group of a similar age/ability. Full support will be given to students to settle them into their group and to help them feel confident in terms of work covered and assessment ahead.
The Curriculum Paths are not prescriptive and are continually being reviewed and updated. Each student will commence his/her learning programme differentiated according to ability and motivation.
Schemes of Work
Schemes of work are the foundation blocks of our students’ individual learning pathways and courses. For all subjects a Scheme of Work will be devised by an experienced Subject Lead and will detail the required Learning Objectives and Assessment Outcomes. Teachers will then have the freedom to devise and adapt individual lessons depend on the learning needs within the group.
Schemes of work and individual lessons will have differentiated outcomes to enable each student works at his or her own pace and ability. Students will self-assess after each lesson in dialogue with the teacher as to how far they progressed towards meeting the specific learning outcomes. This information is recorded on a subject checklist and lesson record sheet. This information is used to assess whether or not a student has completed a particular unit of work and if they can be awarded the qualification or entered for an exam.
Towards the end of each term, the students’ progress is assessed during whole school exam weeks. This enables us to report to parents and also to prepare students for public exams.
Outcomes are marked on a tracking sheet, using National Level Descriptors (WT, EL1-3, GCSE 1-9).
At the end of Y10 and in the Autumn Term of Y11 students take Mock GCSEs this informs the tracking process and also enables teachers and Students to make decisions on GCSE entries or alternatives.
Areas of learning:
We offer an alternative curriculum which includes the essential elements from a mainstream curriculum. For Key Stage 3 and 4 this consists of Maths, English, Science, Citizenship, PSHE, History, Geography, RE, ICT, Art, Food Tech and PE.
In addition for Key Stage 3 we provide Music and Dance.
Curriculum Enrichment:
Students at all age levels take part in regular PE activities including table tennis, gym, cricket, dance, tennis and football. Additionally we have a yearly plan of school visits and educational trips. Year 11 students are invited to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award.
Additional Subjects and ‘A’ Levels:
If a student joins the school mid-term and wishes to complete a GCSE in a subject not on the core curriculum it may be possible to have individual tutoring.
Our Post 16 students may follow ‘A’ Level courses depending on ability.
Careers Guidance:
Our dedicated careers adviser is Sarah Bater. Each student has an individualised career plan. We organise visits to local trades ie plumbers, car mechanics, hairdressers. Other trips are organised on demand. We also work with the appropriate feeder secondary school to arrange work placements when possible.
EAL
The needs of these pupils are met on an individual basis, according to their needs. We assess and identify their needs. We ensure that the parents/carers are involved in the process. We set realistic levels of attainment. We make use of external agencies as appropriate.
IMPACT
For the impact of our intent and implementation please refer to the following:
Student Destinations 2023
GCSE Exam Results 2023
Functional Skills, Entry Level & UAS Results 2023
Autumn Term Assessments/Report 2024
IEPs & Pastoral Progress Reports 2024
Records of Learning Walks and Lesson Visits
Records of work scrutiny and interviews with students.
Please see beside a selection of Subject summaries, these are under constant review and will be updated as we develop them further: