School/Curriculum intentions
When considering how to further our curriculum for 2024/25, we have utilised parent, staff and children’s feedback alongside our experiences of our curriculum, drawing on successes and further areas of progression from the previous three years.
The information below provides evidence of the changes we have implemented and justifications for doing so. We balance a nurture based curriculum with being aspirational with academic progress.
Key features of our curriculum in order to support our whole school intentions are:
The information below provides evidence of the changes we have implemented and justifications for doing so. We balance a nurture based curriculum with being aspirational with academic progress.
Key features of our curriculum in order to support our whole school intentions are:
Daily Nurture sessions for all groups.
We continue to offer high quality daily planned Nurture sessions to ALL children. This was previously only offered to our youngest pupils, but we recognised the value and positive impact in every class in an SEMH school accessing these sessions. The sessions are planned taking into consideration outcomes in pupils’ EHCP small step targets, focusing on their Social and Emotional areas for development and from Boxall profile target areas of deficit. We are looking to increase the number of educational visits and reward trips, as well as sporting opportunities, as part of our offer.
Curriculum Subjects.
For several years we have provided personalised learning groups for English and progress data for pupils, particularly for our emerging readers who are learning phonics, has demonstrated the benefit of this. We have introduced the Read Write Inc. Literacy and Language scheme of learning, with personalised groups based on Reading Attainment. We adopted this approach for Maths from 2021/22 as we identified that pupil progress for Maths was less than in English. End of year data has shown that this had a positive impact on increased Maths progress.
Last year, we took the bold step of introducing personalised learning groups for phonics. This has been successful, providing a clear progression pathway, supporting early KS1 phonics interventions. Children practice phonics for 20 minutes per day within their group, following either the Read Write Inc. Phonics, or Read Write Inc. Spelling scheme, with all children following the same learning journey relevant to attainment.
We continue to develop our approach to teaching reading beyond phonics and to promote a love of reading, introducing the Accelerated Reader scheme. Accelerated Reader helps create a culture of reading through engagement, choice, and celebration of reading achievement. With Accelerated Reader, a student reads a book, takes an online quiz, and gets immediate feedback. Students respond to regular feedback and are motivated to improve their reading skills.
As well as this, all subject coordinators continue to review their subjects and their suitability for academic progress, as well as meeting the needs for the Social, Emotional and Mental Health of our children. The Cornerstones curriculum is now used for Art, History, Geography, DT and RE, with Computing and Music links. This scheme allows us to create a bespoke curriculum, covering curriculum objectives whilst engaging children in enjoyable learning. PE now uses the Get Set 4 PE scheme creating a clear pathway of progression.
Physically active timetables.
All pupils (and in particular pupils with SEMH) need opportunities to be active, and evidence is clear that pupils who are physically healthier are likely to be mentally healthier. All of our timetables have increased opportunities for pupils to be physically active, via scheduled PE lessons, Nurture sessions, break times, be active and sensory breaks. We are aiming to include more children in sporting opportunities, with the aim of all children accessing by increasing the number of opportunities, in and out of school and linking in with more mainstream and special schools.
As well as this, the new PE scheme (Get Set 4 PE) is linked to the PE life skills award, recognizing and rewarding children who have developed life skills such as resilience, leadership, collaboration and independence through PE, which links to our school intentions.
We continue to offer high quality daily planned Nurture sessions to ALL children. This was previously only offered to our youngest pupils, but we recognised the value and positive impact in every class in an SEMH school accessing these sessions. The sessions are planned taking into consideration outcomes in pupils’ EHCP small step targets, focusing on their Social and Emotional areas for development and from Boxall profile target areas of deficit. We are looking to increase the number of educational visits and reward trips, as well as sporting opportunities, as part of our offer.
Curriculum Subjects.
For several years we have provided personalised learning groups for English and progress data for pupils, particularly for our emerging readers who are learning phonics, has demonstrated the benefit of this. We have introduced the Read Write Inc. Literacy and Language scheme of learning, with personalised groups based on Reading Attainment. We adopted this approach for Maths from 2021/22 as we identified that pupil progress for Maths was less than in English. End of year data has shown that this had a positive impact on increased Maths progress.
Last year, we took the bold step of introducing personalised learning groups for phonics. This has been successful, providing a clear progression pathway, supporting early KS1 phonics interventions. Children practice phonics for 20 minutes per day within their group, following either the Read Write Inc. Phonics, or Read Write Inc. Spelling scheme, with all children following the same learning journey relevant to attainment.
We continue to develop our approach to teaching reading beyond phonics and to promote a love of reading, introducing the Accelerated Reader scheme. Accelerated Reader helps create a culture of reading through engagement, choice, and celebration of reading achievement. With Accelerated Reader, a student reads a book, takes an online quiz, and gets immediate feedback. Students respond to regular feedback and are motivated to improve their reading skills.
As well as this, all subject coordinators continue to review their subjects and their suitability for academic progress, as well as meeting the needs for the Social, Emotional and Mental Health of our children. The Cornerstones curriculum is now used for Art, History, Geography, DT and RE, with Computing and Music links. This scheme allows us to create a bespoke curriculum, covering curriculum objectives whilst engaging children in enjoyable learning. PE now uses the Get Set 4 PE scheme creating a clear pathway of progression.
Physically active timetables.
All pupils (and in particular pupils with SEMH) need opportunities to be active, and evidence is clear that pupils who are physically healthier are likely to be mentally healthier. All of our timetables have increased opportunities for pupils to be physically active, via scheduled PE lessons, Nurture sessions, break times, be active and sensory breaks. We are aiming to include more children in sporting opportunities, with the aim of all children accessing by increasing the number of opportunities, in and out of school and linking in with more mainstream and special schools.
As well as this, the new PE scheme (Get Set 4 PE) is linked to the PE life skills award, recognizing and rewarding children who have developed life skills such as resilience, leadership, collaboration and independence through PE, which links to our school intentions.