Curriculum
Bespoke, accessible, holistic
Our students learn from a broad and balanced curriculum. It's based on the National Curriculum's programme of study, but we plan and tailor it to meet our students' individual needs.
The curriculum consists of three fundamental principles:
- It links to current issues in our students' immediate and broader worlds to help them gain an understanding of local, national, and global contexts.
- It's planned and sequenced in a way that makes it accessible for all students, regardless of when they joined the school and their individual starting points.
- It provides a holistic approach to our students' development. Academic outcomes are only part of the journey, so we plan our curriculum in a way that helps students meet the national Preparing for Adulthood outcomes to help them lead a fulfilled and independent life.
Preparing for Adulthood
We use the Preparing for Adulthood outcomes in many ways across all subjects within our curriculum. We link education around healthy eating to preparing nutritious recipes in food lessons. We expose students to a range of leisure activities in the local community as part of their PE (Physical Education) lessons to encourage lifelong participation in exercise and sports. And we use maths lessons to help students interpret and understand things like bank statements, bills, and interest rates.
When students first join our school, they complete a baseline assessment as part of their transition. They're then assigned a pathway which they're assessed against. This informs whether they're working towards Entry Level, Level 1, or Level 2 outcomes at Key Stage 4.
In Year 9, our Career Leads conduct transition interviews to establish which subjects the students are interested in. We then develop a bespoke curriculum offer for that year group, allowing students to select up to three option subjects.
Key Stage 5 is where we look at a student's options beyond Year 11. Our Career Leads conduct a second transition interview before their Year 11 EHCP (Education, Health, and Care Plan) review. This helps us formulate a plan with the student regarding their next steps, whether that be moving on to a college or continuing into Year 12 at school. If they continue with us, we can help them access extra studies while giving them targeted support for their transition into further education.
Key Stage 3:
- English
- Maths
- Science
- PE (Physical education)
- Personal development
- Religious education
- Humanities
- ICT (Information and communications technology)
- Food
- Learning outside the classroom
- Art
- Communication
- Enrichment
Key Stage 4:
- English
- Maths
- Science
- Core PE (Physical education)
- Personal development
- Enrichment
Additionally, students can choose up to 3 option subjects including:
- Art
- ICT (Information and communications technology)
- Enterprise
- Food
- Humanities
- Music production
- Personal finance