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Addington School

Curriculum Overview

Addington’s curriculum has to meet the needs of a wide range of learners who may, or may not, have medical diagnoses, sensory impairments or identified syndromes, however they all have significant learning difficulties that require our specialist provision to meet their individual needs. Our flexible and ever evolving curriculum is designed and sequenced to meet the needs of all the learners at Addington.

 

Intent:

  • Successful learners who enjoy learning and make outstanding progress.
  • Learners who leave school with the highest levels of literacy and numeracy possible
  • Effective communicators who can express themselves, make choices and build positive relationships with other people.
  • Confident individuals who take a full part in activities within school and the community.
  • Responsible citizens who behave well and make a positive contribution to the school and the wider world.
  • Lifelong learners who leave school equipped for the adult world whether in paid employment, education or supported living.
  • Flexible pathways responsive to the changing needs of learners 
  • Learners who have developed the tools of self-regulation to enable them to achieve to their highest

 

Implementation:

  • The core curriculum at Addington is based on the National Curriculum but adapted to meet our pupils’ needs – core subjects taught are Reading, Literacy and Communication, Maths and Cognition, PSHE and RSHE
  • Teachers’ starting point for planning delivery of the curriculum is their knowledge of the individual learner coupled with their Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) outcomes.
  • From EHCP outcomes, short term targets are devised as the learner’s Personalised Learning Plan (PLP). Targets are a team effort with input from education staff, therapists and parents. This approach of joint working supports best outcomes for all our learners.
  • An adapted EYFS is used up to year 3, recognising that our learners are ‘learning to learn’
  • From year 4 onwards, learners join either Key Stage 2 classes or Sensory or Therapeutic classes dependent on their needs and these pathways are reviewed annually
  • Building independence begins in the Early years curriculum and is central to all departmental curricula that follow and build on it
  • From year 9 there is a clear focus on preparation for adulthood, linking the curriculum to the individual’s EHCP and increasing opportunities to learn in the community
  • Abstract concepts are taught in concrete ways
  • A significant proportion of the curriculum is devoted to life skills
  • Progress is tracked through online systems with annotated evidence from observations, work books, film and photos
  • Interventions identified as impactful and evidence based, incorporated into the curriculum
  • Individual therapy programmes integrated into the curriculum
  • Frequent opportunities for repetition whatever the skill, whether learning 1:1 correspondence or using a local bus
  • Use of a Total Communication Approach

Impact:

  • The curriculum’s impact is monitored and evaluated to ensure that it is working for groups of learners and individuals, through a rigorous quality assurance process.
  • Mechanisms for monitoring include pupil progress meetings which take place and include triangulation of available data and assessments, work scrutiny and observation/pupil voice.
  • Each pupil’s progress is discussed as part of the teacher’s appraisal/performance management.
  • Is demonstrated in assessment data - Addington uses a ‘basket of indicators’ to capture the full picture of pupil progress and the range of measures and assessments used are different across the key stages in school.
  • Destinations of our young people – local and national colleges, work
  • Qualitative data as well as quantitative measures impact, particularly with the development of essential ‘soft skills’
  • Feedback from our partners - parents/carers, local employers, school improvement partner, community, Ofsted