Curriculum

Curriculum Intent

Our curriculum is personalised to meet the needs of each learner and to provide them with high quality, engaging learning opportunities and experiences through which they can become:

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  • Successful learners who enjoy learning and make outstanding progress.

  • 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.

At the centre of our curriculum are each pupil’s strengths and needs as identified within their Education, Health and Care Plan as well as fulfilling the aims of the National Curriculum where appropriate. Pupil and family aspirations are key in shaping our personalised provision and we endeavour to plan with ‘the end goal in mind’. For younger children following our Stepping On Early Years / Key Stage One pathway the end goal is transitioning into the right pathway that allows for progression. For learners in our secondary phase and in particular for those in Year Nine and above there is a clear focus on preparing for appropriate destinations and adulthood. Our curriculum is designed to prepare children to move on to the next stage whilst always recognising the importance of the current stage in the child’s development.

We aim to ensure that our curriculum

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  • keeps the strengths, knowledge, skills, needs and aspirations of each child and young person at its centre.​
  • is broad, balanced, relevant, engaging and ambitious.​
  • presents knowledge and skills in a well-structured way which makes links and builds on what has already been learned.​
  • teaches a breadth of real life skills and provides opportunities to apply these to real world contexts through community based activities and experiences.
  • fosters a lifelong love of learning and develop interests which will continue beyond school​.
  • promotes independence, resilience and ​healthy lifestyles.
  • ensures each child and young person has a voice.
  • always prepares each child and young person for; beyond 3 o’clock, Friday, 19 and beyond!

Curriculum Implementation

“If a child can’t learn the way we teach, we have to teach the way they learn

​We recognise that in order to meet the diverse needs of the children and young people at Penn Hall School, we need to provide our different groups of learners with a different curriculum offer. Our curriculum consists of four broad pathways, each tailored to the distinct learning needs of specific phases or groups of learners within our school. Within each pathway, skills, knowledge and understanding along with the most appropriate pedagogies to teach these are presented in a well-structured way, making links and building on what has already been learned.