Our curriculum aims to be broad and exciting in order to engage learners who have been out of school for long periods of time or who find school very difficult. It is delivered in a gentler and more holistic manner, and subjects are linked a great deal. We focus on using practical experiences as much as possible and due to our Nordic routes include not only the full UK curriculum but also several other elements such as philosophy and environmental studies. Due to high staffing we aim to allow students to have a say in their own personal curriculum and be as bespoke as possible, especially in years 7 to 9. As we move to outstanding we are continuing to develop wider curriculum aspects such as student voice, our clubs offer and community links. We teach in a blended manner, so therapuetic aspects are included throughout each lesson and our support staff have a heavy focus on improving mental health, not simply academic interventions. 

In year 10 the curriculum narrows and our process for deciding this is explained in the Careers, Exams and Next Step tab. 

Our curriculum is ambitious and has a strong focus on students following their personal interests as well as achieving solid English and maths qualifications. Recently we have reduced our GCSE offer, although we still have a very good range, in favour of equivalent or alternative qualifications and certificates in a much broader range of interests. Each year we discuss the possibilities with the new year 11s and year 10s and try to create an inital program that meets their needs. Our curriculum is not aimed at achieving GCSEs rather to providing a solid platform to gain a suitable next step placement and helping young people see a route to achieving a job in an area that interests them. 

Although our curriculum is based on knowledge, we also teach a strong life skills strand alongside with students gaining Action Awards / ASDANs or completing diplomas (often insurable as work qualifications) and level 1 -3 certificates (some of which are GCSE equivalent) in areas of personal interest. These courses are all based on assignments and coursework rather than a final exam, which often suits our young people. Beauty, animal care, computer and gaming, crafts are among the topics that have been very popular of late but the range of courses available is incredibly broad. These courses are still accepted by many colleges. 

All students complete a cognitive abilities test and further research is made into their learning style. We use this information to design a programme in which they have a say and which progressively increases from an inital high amount of therapy, to less therapy and more academics as their mental health improves.

Students with additional SEN diagnosis or needs complete the same testing, and we are ambitious for all our students. We run a strong interventions offer and much of our teaching is actually 1:1 or small group tuition.

Every week the SLT debates any proposed changes to an individual's or group curriculum with suggestions for changes coming from teachers, professionals or indeed the students themselves. In this way our curriulum remains bespoke and relevant to the student, thus reducing their anxiety around learning. 

See policies and curricula below - we are happy to share detailed Medium Term Plans upon request. Please see the TAB to your left for secondary overviews 

The above is further enhanced by the additional PSME 'Philosophy, Sociology, Morality and Ethics' as laid down in the curriculum maps for each dual year.  

In addition to the above, because art is so therapeutic, each year group curriculum map includes additional art projects and also details of visiting craftspeople. We are able to teach ART to GCSE following either the 'fine arts' 'installation art' or 'photography' OCR syllabus as laid out on their website.