Curriculum

With a three-year rolling programme, Adventurer and Pioneer students explore a formal curriculum with clear overarching themes to make learning engaging and purposeful. 

• Maths
• English literacy 
• Reading
• Humanities (Georgaphy/ History/RE)
• Art /DT
• Computing
• Health and Well being/ Community
• PSHE
• RE and spiritual well being 
• Music
• Food Tech
• Careers and Employability runs discretely throughout the subjects 

With a three year rolling programme, Champion and Explorer students follow a pre-formal or semi-formal curriculum accessing a continuous provision model. We recognise that  ‘Learning is best done when the student is placed at the centre of the curriculum’ (EQUALS 2019).  

Every moment and situation is regarded as a learning opportunity. All areas of learning happen at once through the planning and teaching of a range of learning opportunities. These are not prescriptive and provide the means for teachers to be creative and innovative. This ensures the curriculum is personalised to the learners’ particular interests and motivators.

Communication
– Reading/ Writing/ sensory integration /Intensive Interaction/ Attention Autism/ water play

Reasoning Skills
– Maths / Computing

My Physical Development and Care
– Community/ Personal care targets / O.T targets
– Knowing about and maintaining a healthy body/ Learning to move my body/ Independent Care Skills

Understanding Me and My Relationships – Health and wellbeing/ PSHE 
– Interpersonal relationships/ Community relationships/ Emotional Development  

My World 
– RE/ Careers and Employability / Geography/ History/ Science/ Cookery
– How we function in the world/ Work-related learning/ Learning about the world/ Understanding the world 

Creative Expression
– Drama / Music/ Art/ DT

Read our Primary school Adventurers and Pioneers curriculum plan – Spring 1

Read our Primary school Champions and Explorers curriculum plan – Spring 1

Students in our middle school embark on topic-based learning, studying the subjects that match their interests and aspirations. They can also access plenty of enrichment activities. Over three years, their curriculum will focus on: 

• English 
• Maths
• Science 
• Computing 
• Humanities 
• Art 
• Personal, social and health education (PSHE) 
• Food technology 
• Health and wellbeing

Read our Middle school Adventurers and Pioneers curriculum plan – Spring 1

Read our Middle school Champions and Explorers curriculum plan – Spring 1

When students move into our upper school they follow an accredited curriculum across two years, along with non-accredited learning. Subjects covered include: 

• English 
• Maths 
• Science 
• Personal, social and health education (PSHE)
• Outdoor learning 
• Art 
• Geography 
• ICT
• Food technology
• Employability

In Upper School, students can achieve a range of qualifications, including pre and entry-level, functional skills, GCSE, Duke of Edinburgh, Arts Award, Duke of York, ASDAN BTEC, EPQ’s and Cambridge Nationals.

Read our Upper School Adventurers and Pioneers curriculum plan – Spring 1

As we prepare our students to leave us, they embark on a three-year cycle of accredited learning and enrichment activities. This is where they can hone their skills and interests ahead of adult independence. Students can choose to study a range of academic, vocational and social subject areas:

Academic

• English 
• Language, literacy and communication
• Maths
• Science
• Art 
• ICT 

Vocational and college links

• ASDAN employability and enterprise education
• Work experience and careers guidance
• Vocational taster sessions and college links:
  • Construction
  • Hospitality
  • Animal care
  • Computing, games and media

Non-accredited 

• Independent community participation
• Expressive arts
• Physical development
• Understanding the world
• Personal, social and health education (PSHE)
• Sex and relationship education
• Health and wellbeing education

Across all these subjects areas, students can achieve a range of qualifications, including pre and entry-level, functional skills, GCSE, A Level, Arts Award, ASDAN, EPQ’s and BTEC.

Read our Post-16 Champions and Explorers curriculum plan – Spring 1

View our Post 16 Adventurers and Pioneers Curriculum

Phonics and early reading is taught throughout the school where appropriate. Pre-reader phonics sessions are typically cross-curricular with music and sensory sessions to motivate and capture the attention of these students.

In lower school, students explore the world around them, asking questions through objects, pictures and text. 

Students are identified and introduced to the Systematic Synthetic Phonics (SSP) Programme –  Read, Write Inc. Where the student starts on this journey is dependent on their individual ability levels which are determined through our monitoring and assessment process.  Students are encouraged to question and explore stories as well as use an array of resources to engage learning through games linked to different texts. Any student identified as requiring additional support in their phonic knowledge will receive further 1:1 targeted intervention.

In the Champion and Explorer classes, we take direction and support from the Speech and Language Therapy Team. We monitor and assess progress through the Engagement Model and the Read Write Inc assessment tools, ensuring appropriate gaps are identified and appropriate for each individual learner. Stories are shared with the student and learning is differentiated using communication for all, intensive interaction, Attention Autism, role modelling and a ‘thinking out loud’ approach. 

We use a combination of assessment programmes to suit the learning needs of each individual. Using resources from a variety of schemes provides flexibility when supporting the diverse needs and gaps in learning for our students. Please refer to the reading policy for further information.

Ruth Miskin Training – Ruth Miskin Phonics Training

Parents – Ruth Miskin Phonics Training

To help us choose the right pathway for your child, we’ll assess their starting point when they join us. Together we’ll discuss your child’s education, health and care plan and transition review. We might also do a few assessments. These might include:

• Therapy outcome measures
• AET baseline
• Subject-specific baseline tests
• Initial placement review
• Interim placement review
• Provision map

We measure student progress against their plans every single day and identify positive next steps through:

• Student-teacher dialogue
• Self-assessment
• Peer-assessment
• In the moment feedback

Each term in our student progress meetings, we’ll update your child’s roadmap and review our planning. We follow a robust quality assurance cycle which includes:

• Learning measures 
• Lesson observations
• Learning walks
• Moderation of work
• Book scrutiny 
• Therapy outcomes

Each year we’ll conduct an annual review of your child’s EHCP using information around academic, social, emotional and theraputic progress.

We also monitor your child’s education, health and care plan outcomes using:

• Case studies
• Attendance and engagement
• Individualised planning
• Impact of therapy or individualised programmes and outcome measures
• Autism Education Trust targets
• Behaviour
• Individual education plan 
• Student progress data and reports