Curriculum Overview
Curriculum Intent:
The curriculum at Kelford is designed to enable learners with a wide range of needs to build the knowledge and skills they need for life, in order to be “the best that they can be.” The four cornerstones of Communication, Academic learning, Wellbeing and Independence provide our curriculum with a strong holistic core, which is flexible and adaptable through the use of individual learning plans to ensure that it is relevant to each and every learner. Topic based thematic learning, with a hook, project and celebration for each topic, provides exciting, engaging and experiential learning opportunities for all.
The curriculum is driven by a determination that we will ensure all learners have the best opportunities beyond school, whether learners’ futures follow a social pathway, further education or employment. The four cornerstones of our curriculum are intrinsically linked to preparation for adulthood providing opportunities for; Employment, Community Inclusion and Good Health as well as Independent Living.
Communication is a key cornerstone of our curriculum. learners are encouraged and supported through a total communication approach to be confident and independent communicators developing key skills that will support them into adulthood. Our personalised approach to learning has the flexibility to adapt to pupil voice, allowing each pupil to be involved in driving the direction of their own curriculum.
Academic learning – Driven by passionate belief that all learners are entitled to high quality education, our academic curriculum, informed from a developmental perspective, reflects the wide range of needs of our pupils and provides breadth and balance across all learning pathways, including social, moral,
spiritual and creative learning. The carefully sequenced curriculum is designed to develop pupil’s knowledge and skills, with a focus on mastering and generalising these, to ensure they have the best opportunities into their adult life.
Wellbeing – Learners are not ready to develop if their physical and emotional wellbeing needs are not met. Our curriculum nurtures individuals, encourages resilience, pride, self-regulation and the development of a growth mindset, promotes respect and dignity and ensures that all physical and sensory needs are met.
Independence – The curriculum develops independent living and self-care skills from the early years, ensuring that young people are independent and valued members of the community at school and beyond.
Curriculum Offer:
At Kelford, we take PRIDE in our highly personalised and bespoke curriculum offer. We recognise the diverse needs of our pupils and the fact that their aspirations and priority outcomes differ depending on their needs. Our curriculum has been designed with this in mind, drawing upon both research and knowledge of our learners to ensure that the needs of all pupils are met.
We recognise the need for a range of approaches, strategies and resources to support young people with a wide range of learning disabilities including Autistic spectrum Conditions (ASC), Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD) and Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD) Complex needs and profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD)
For all learners we recognise that it is essential to offer opportunities for progression within all 4 areas of need as defined in the SEND code of practice, this is reflected in bespoke planning of termly outcomes for all pupils in their Individual learning plans (ILP’s) linked to long term targets In Education Health and Care plans (EHCP’s)
We promote the moral, cultural, spiritual, mental and physical development of pupils and prepare them for the opportunities and responsibilities of later life. We also acknowledge the importance of developing life skills and that fun and enjoyment is essential to well-being, emotional development and a passion for learning.
Our curriculum reflects our PRIDE values with pupil voice playing a substantial role in the design and ongoing review of our curriculum. The curriculum supports pupils to understand how to treat each other with dignity and respect; Independence runs throughout our curriculum with all learners from EYFS onwards having bespoke independent living objectives within their individual learning plans and all pupils receive their entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum, including all statutory requirements as highlighted in this policy.
Thematic Learning
The curriculum for all pupils in key stages 1-3 is driven by 15 whole school project-based topics on a rolling 3-year cycle. Each topic has a hook into learning at the start and Pupils complete work towards a celebration event at the end of the topic. Projects and their linked celebrations include art galleries; music and film festivals; farmers markets; adventures in space and time and cultural celebration days. Meaningful, project driven work which is celebrated at the end of a topic provides motivation and purpose to our learners. They are designed to engage learners and to offer breadth of focus within foundation learning over the 3-year cycle. The curriculum follows a spiral model, where learners have opportunities to revisit previous learning and build on their knowledge and skills as each topic is revisited during their learning journey. Each topic has been designed with 3 phases: Y1-Y3; Y4-Y6 & Y7-Y9, building on prior learning each time it is revisited.
Learning Faculties
All academic and holistic learning at Kelford is aligned to faculties, each of which has been developed and is overseen by a team of teachers, led by an experienced practitioner. Subjects have largely been grouped as a continuation of early years practice, reflecting the developmental stages of our learners, however understanding the world has been separated into discrete faculties for the world around us and STEM to ensure that pupils receive breadth and entitlement within these areas. We believe that delivering learning through faculties allows us to offer our pupils engaging cross curricular learning opportunities delivered through high quality, carefully planned long term plans and offers breadth and balance through a quality over quantity approach.
Core Learning at Kelford Comprises of: Communication, Language and Literacy; Mathematics; Personal & Social Development & Sensory/Physical Development.
Foundation Learning comprises of: STEM; The World Around Us; Creative Arts & Preparation for Adulthood
The diagram below shows how subjects are grouped by faculty.
Learning Pathways
At Kelford, learners follow one of four learning pathways. We recognise that the curriculum content; approaches and pedagogy; communication approaches and assessment should be personalised based on the needs of learners. The pathways are designed to support the development of knowledge and skills that individuals need to acquire based on their starting points & learning needs, and provide learners with the support they need to be the best that they can be at Kelford and beyond.
In addition to the four cognitive pathways, we recognise the need for bespoke approaches to support pupils with ASC, which is reflected in the blue pedagogical approaches in the table below.
If you would like more information about our Curriculum at Kelford School please contact our Curriculum Lead
Carl Haag
Telephone: 01709 512088
Email: chaag@nexusmat.org