Our curriculum vision for our academic curriculum and our wellness curriculum are shared below.
We aim to provide an education which delivers outstanding outcomes for children with social, emotional and mental health needs.
Underpinning this are high expectations and aspirations for all, so we ensure that all children make good progress from whatever their starting points and are supported to achieve accreditation and qualifications which enhance their life chances.
We will ensure that children have positive destinations to move on to in the next stage of their lives. We believe it is essential children experience a ‘rite of passage’ through which they can grow and develop increasing maturity towards that goal.
We shall establish three phases in the school: a Key Stage Two phase, a Key Stage Three phase and a Key Stage Four phase. Each of these phases will have distinctive features and an appropriate curriculum offer founded on the National Curriculum.
Within the phases, we shall combine a strong curriculum offer with multi-agency and therapeutic support and we shall work in partnership with Havering Local Authority and other local providers to deliver this.
Reading
Reading lies at the heart of our academic curriculum and we are determined that our students will leave us with the reading, writing and communication skills they need to flourish. We believe:
“Reading is fundamental to education. Proficiency in reading, writing and spoken language is vital for pupils’ success. Through these, they develop communication skills for education and for working with others.
The Reading Framework: Teaching the Foundations of Literacy (DFE July 2021)
The school believes that ‘True navigation begins in the human heart’ and this is underpinned by our STAR values (Success, Teamwork, Aspiration and Resilience). This informs our approach to the curriculum.
Whilst we appreciate the pupils will have additional needs and present with additional challenges, we see no reason to lower our expectations of both what they can eventually achieve and the final outcomes which are possible for them.
We do appreciate we will need to address these needs through a relevant, modified curriculum and therefore include Social, Emotional and Communication and Therapeutic strands to the curriculum as set out here.
Our Curriculum Offer
Academic:
- English (including drama, functional literacy and wider reading)
- Maths (including practical application of maths outside the classroom and financial literacy)
- Science (including links to sport, health and nutrition)
- Humanities: History, Geography, RE
- MFL – tutor time sessions and enrichment
- Food, DT
- IT
- Art
- Music
- Careers and work-related learning
- PSHE
- PE
Interventions and social learning:
- Additional literacy and numeracy
- Tutor time – assembly themes, zones of regulation, mindfulness, Check-In, Check-Up, Check-Out, visual timetables, social stories, sensory circuits
- Nurture events – built in for individuals as part of Wellness Curriculum
- Timetabled nurture sessions for small groups
- Structured and supported social time (break and lunch) and transition time (planned and structure play, social and sensory and physical activities)
Further information about our curriculum plans will be shared in September when our teachers join us. During the transition time in the first half of the Autumn Term, in our first term as a new school, we will start with themed learning linked to constellations and navigation – which could lead us in many directions.