Our Curriculum

At Grove House our intention is to deliver:

A curriculum to support pupils to recognise and achieve their full potential academically, personally and socially, preparing them for independent successful lives.

Intent:

At Grove House we have a curriculum that is designed to give all our pupils with SLCN the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed and reach their potential in life. 

Our school curriculum is clearly articulated through its intent and developed through each section of the 3 stranded curriculum for our pupils with SLCN.  These three distinct, yet equal strands (the academic; therapeutic; social and emotional) run throughout all subject areas.  Opportunities and equality for pupil development in each of these areas are assessed,  identified and planned for by subject leaders, teachers and therapists. 

We have ensured that our school's curriculum is  systematically and coherently planned to ensure that all learners have a clear sequence of meaningful learning throughout all phases. The curriculum essentials for pupils at each phase of education are differentiated in order to ensure that pathways are appropriately challenging for pupils of different abilities and within often"spiky" learning/language profiles. These outcomes directly lead to accreditation pathways, securing for all learners, the skills for the next stage of education and independent living.  This means that our pupils have accumulated sufficient knowledge, skills and attitudes for their future education and employment which equips them with the potential and the opportunities to lead successful independent lives beyond school and college. 

Implementation:

High quality CPD and monitoring cycles ensure that teachers understand what they need to do to strive for excellence in their teaching. As a result we know that:

• Children are challenged to do their best work and the curriculum delivery is planned to engage and motivate learners 
• Teachers display good subject knowledge
• Learning objectives and activities are in line with our curriculum and subject intent
• Excellent learning habits and organisational systems ensure pupils are encouraged to think for themselves and to recall strategies and resources independently that will support them.  Pupils are encouraged to self evaluate and take responsibility for their learning. 

Support staff equally receive targeted CPD sessions and have an understanding of how best to support the needs of SLCN pupils in the classroom whilst promoting and developing thinking, independence and deeper understanding. 

Impact

• Pupil progress in core subjects, personal and social developments and therapeutic targets is consistently good from their starting point.
• Pupils are ready for their next stage in learning because they achieve well in core subjects and attain good basic skills.  The therapeutic input develops the functional skills in speech and language and emotional regulation that pupils need as they move towards independence.   Through the curriculum pupils develop their basic skills, emotional well being and social skills ; they show respect and consideration for others. 
• Our pupils develop into confident learners.
• Our learners leave us having achieved a range of formal accreditations which prepare them for the next stage of education and employment.  All pupils leave with qualifications in English and Maths with a range of Entry, Level 1, Level 2 , GCSE foundation and higher. Some pupils also undertake GCSE statistics and iGCSE English Literature.  All pupils are able to access formal qualifications in ICT - Entry/L1/L2;  Art  - Entry/GCSE ;  PE - Entry level; Science—Entry/iGCSE; Food technology - Level 1/2;  Units from Life and Living Skills; Music  - Arts award/GCSE (where taken as an option/appropriate); From Year 9 onwards pupils are able to undertake the Duke of Edinburgh Award at Bronze and Silver level as appropriate.  The Arts Award is also offered at various levels across the Arts from KS4 onwards.  Additional accreditations in Post 16 provision include Employability and Work Skills - Entry/L1; Food Hygiene and First Aid.
• Destinations for pupils range from Foundation - Level 3 vocational courses at Further Education colleges along with Supported Internships and traineeships and apprenticeships.  Updates from our past pupils suggest that the vast majority succeed in completing their original course/programme with many moving on to further qualifications in their chosen area and with some employment success from work-based training programmes such as internships.

Link to our Termly Class Curriculum Topics: