Curriculum

Equity

 

This strand of the curriculum provides pupils with adaptations and interventions ensuring that we do more for those who start with less. Through ELSA, Thrive, PSHE (RSE), our Reading Strategy we support each pupils' specific needs. This is the first building block of support enabling pupils to learn how to more successfully manage their own emotional literacy, countering their previous adverse life experiences and enabling them to access our Equality Curriculum. It is designed to equip pupils with the secret knowledge that the more privileged hold, namely, disciplinary knowledge- the ability to speak, read and write in ways suited to different disciplines and contexts and personal knowledge for example: self-regulation skills, understanding notions of ‘self’ and realising personal strengths that can open new career pathways.

A significant part of our Equity strand is our whole school reading strategy supported by Fresh Start Phonics, Accelerated Reader and digital SORA library which identifies, on entry, the reading ages of pupils and a diagnostic assessment of need and next steps which we then address through our reading programme- this programme creates a strategy for individual pupils and is reviewed three times in an academic year. Raising reading ages and literacy levels is key to preparing our pupils for the Equality strand of our curriculum ensuing accessibility to its ambitious content and levelling the playing field following their challenging and often continued adverse life experiences.

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Equality

 

This is the second building block of support we use to counter the adverse educational and life experiences of our pupils. The purpose of this strand is to provide pupils with a curriculum that is ambitious and is ultimately designed for them to attain on a similar level to their mainstream peers it is designed to address the ‘secret knowledge’ gap that our pupils possess, specifically, social knowledge- the way in which society is organised and who it operates in the interest of. 

We have a systematic and explicit Curriculum Journey for English Language, Maths, Science, Food Technology, PSHE(RSE), Art and Technology. This document sequences learning over time for pupils and ensures that they begin at the right starting point for them to ‘know more and remember more’. Based on pupil entry data which is provided by the Local Authority or partner schools and enhanced by our baseline diagnostic assessments, which pupils complete as part of their induction, curriculum start points are identified and recorded in the Student Directory which ensures that teachers and support staff can plan for progress. This is updated on a half termly basis using in classroom assessment data, and a termly basis using Accelerated Reader reading age data and SORA reading habits data.

The Curriculum Journey sets out the knowledge to be gained at each stage, most importantly identifying each subjects’ key knowledge so that we can ensure pupils are closing knowledge gaps before they move on to the next stage in the sequence.

The Curriculum Journeys are supported by the Curriculum Steps for each subject that specify what must be explicitly taught every half term from the beginning of Year 9 until the end of Year 11. 

 

  

Extension

 

Through provision of access to physical education such as MMA, Gym, Fishing for Schools, Bunker Underground Studios, Bike Hub, Photography, Aesthetic and Creative units’ awards, work experience and college placements. These provide our pupils with knowledge and skills often denied to them due to their socio-economic demographic and/or the organisation of mainstream schooling and are designed to support pupils in equipping them with ‘secret knowledge’ favoured by the privileged, specifically cultural knowledge, the arts, music, history, sports, that will allow pupils to compete fairly in the wider world. 

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Please note that ‘secret knowledge’ here is defined as: knowledge that is held by the privileged that provides them access to opportunities, experiences and outcomes that the disadvantaged do not have. We have divided this into four distinct areas: disciplinary knowledge, cultural knowledge, personal knowledge and social knowledge.

 

Disciplinary Knowledge: the ability to speak, read and write in ways that are appropriate for context, for example: like a scientist when in a science lesson but then transitioning to select vocabulary like an author in an English Language lesson. 

 

Personal Knowledge: understanding self and managing your own story, for example, the ability to manage time effectively, use anger management strategies and realise personal strengths that can unlock future career paths.

 

Cultural Knowledge: the knowledge and skills often denied to our pupils due to their socio-economic demographic and/or the organisation of mainstream schooling specifically  the arts, music, history, sports, that will allow pupils to compete fairly in the wider world. 

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                                                                                                                               Alexandra Marshall​

                                                                                                                              Assistant Headteacher 

                                                                                                                              T&L/Curriculum Lead

                                                                                                                                Contact Alexandra

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