Curriculum Intent

Curriculum Intent

Our curriculum is designed to meet the needs of the wide range of learners that access our school. Every aspect of our curriculum is focused on “Beyond School”, preparing our learners with the relevant qualifications and experiences they require to make that positive transition to the post 16 world of education or work based learning.

Students are at the heart of our curriculum and it is their views which shape curriculum development based on their future ambitions and aspirations.

Our curriculum is relevant and reflects what the young people in this area value, preparing them for the opportunities in further education, apprenticeship and employment that this area can offer.

We understand that many of our students come to us with historic low attendance, gaps in their education and often unassessed learning needs.  It is our intent to assess for learning support, identify and plug gaps in education and to provide a safe and secure learning environment which supports and encourages regular attendance and enjoyment of education

Our outstanding CIEAG provision ensures that students are exposed to local employers and understand the qualities that will make them desirable employees through our links with Enterprise Group, Colleges and Training providers all of whom attend our annual Career and Apprenticeship Fayre.

It is our intent that all students will have a positive onward destination built on the strong foundations of the curriculum we provide them.

We want all of our students to benefit from both our formal and informal curriculum and move on to become responsible and productive citizens in a diverse multi-cultural world.

Curriculum Content

The McKee curriculum has been crafted to meet the needs of a very diverse group of learners, all of whom have different aspirations and ideas on what constitutes education.  From the academic to the vocational, our curriculum content meets the needs of all our learners.

We use our split site and off site providers to give specific curriculum focus;

KS3 Curriculum Offer

Students are provided with a standard curriculum in a 30 lesson week.

This is our specialist provision, working with the most complex learners at KS3, most with undiagnosed and un assessed need.

Our team of highly skilled professionals work closely with school SENCO’s, SEND and EP services to identify need and meet need through our bespoke, personalised approach to each student.

Students at Chadwick KS3 can expect to have a full needs assessment undertaken, if required,  which will support the development of their learning support plan, a tool which can then be used by other teachers to meet that particular child’s needs.

The curriculum is underpinned by nurturing principles and much of the Literacy and Numeracy is delivered through a thematic approach.  Groups are small and students enjoy a high staff to pupil ratio.

Students will typically work with most teachers in the school but will get specialist input from dedicated teaching staff through our Nurture component.  The model is similar to that of a primary school with teachers developing strong working relationship with students, building their confidence and preparing them for a return to a mainstream setting.

The range of subjects studied is broadly in line with what students would experience in their mainstream settings;

English, Maths, Science, Geography, History, RE, PE, Art, Citizenship, PHSE, Forest School – the use of IT is delivered throughout the curriculum.

Our  SENCO administers the assessments and develops the personalised plans, instructing staff on how to implement them effectively.

Students are withdrawn from sessions to undertake assessment or work in smaller groups on specific tasks eg IXL, Lexia or IDL.

Trips out of school are a large part of the programme to not only enrich “cultural capital” but to work on social skills and to promote active learning.

 

KS4 Curriculum offer

Students are provided with a curriculum in a 30 lesson week.

Many students accessing this curriculum are on short term placements and will be returning to mainstream settings.  It is therefore vital that we can offer a comparable curriculum to support smooth transition back to mainstream.  Many learners start with us with gaps in their education but our small class size and curriculum mapping expertise helps to quickly address gaps in knowledge with students making rapid progress.

For students unlikely to return to mainstream settings or have struggled with the rigors of a full academic curriculum the option of a vocational strand with defined links to college courses, apprenticeships and employment is a motivating factor in re-engaging with education.

Enrichment is built into the timetable and this time can be used to provide alternate activities for students eg support in a GCSE which is not timetabled ie IT or French.  It can also be used for trips and visits to enrich the “Cultural Capital” of out students.

Academic Route

Students can elect to take a full set of GCSE or BTEC subjects from the following;

Vocational Strand

Personal Development

Essential Education
·      English Entry Level to GCSE
·      Maths Entry Level to GCSE
·      Science Entry Level to GCSE

Career Pathway

Curriculum Justification

It is at the heart of our curriculum that we are offering our students the curriculum they want, allowing them to make informed choices which provide the end goal they desire.

For the majority of our students the “mainstream” curriculum offer has not met need.  The additional support combined with the culture and ethos within the school enable most students to continue with a full academic curriculum. For others they want something different, something tangible, something that feels relevant to them.

Our students inform us as to what they think is important in a curriculum, we respond to that.

Our curriculum is referred to as “Beyond School” because it is designed to do just that, prepare students for what happens next.

This is evident in our very low NEET figures which reflects the positive destinations our students choose after they leave us. Destinations

Curriculum Development

As a school we are always looking to improve our curriculum offer and to make sure it remains relevant for our students.

Keeping our curriculum relevant and engaging for students is important to us, therefore we listen to the student voice and make adaptations when possible.  For example many students did not want to take GCSE RE and they suggested Business Studies instead, so we introduced Business Studies as alternative option the very next year, which has proven to be very popular.

Recently we have introduced Forest school to the students and this has proved to be very popular with students. (link)

Our MPP programme is unique and is testament to the positive impact that military training and discipline can have with the right students. (MPP Page)

We have looked beyond the school and with our strong links with Blackpool and Fylde College and Chadwick High we have extended our curriculum options to take advantage of their facilities and expertise to introduce Catering and Salon skills to the curriculum. As well as extending our curriculum options, students also attend college to complete courses, breaking down barriers and making college an aspiration for our students to move onto.

The development of our vocational offer is extending into WRL, allowing appropriate students to gain real work experience in a field that they see themselves in.

We consider our school to be reflective and adaptable in our curriculum offer and to put the needs of learners first