POLICY STATEMENT No 48

CURRICULUM POLICY

  1. First Rung Independent School (FRIS)
  2. Forming part of First Rung, FRIS provides full time education for up to a maximum of 40 learners from year 10 to year 11. Our school engages learners through a curriculum that focuses on functional skills, personal and social development, social and emotional aspects of learning, citizenship and vocational learning. Central to our ethos is a personalised approach to learning. We offer a bespoke curriculum to meet the needs of learners with greater-than-usual educational and emotional support needs. In order to provide flexibility and breadth of curriculum, First Rung works collaboratively with other providers and employers to develop an appropriate, personalised timetable for each learner.
  1. Learners
  2. FRIS’s intake is comprised predominantly of vulnerable learners with multi agency involvement, many of whom are statemented or on school action plus. It includes learners who have been excluded from mainstream school or other PRU provision or who are school refusers.
  1. Provision statement
  2. The learning in core subjects will be framed within the Study Programme Curriculum which offers a stable learning environment in which vulnerable young people can work towards academic progression and achieve a fulfilling place in society, whilst becoming more emotionally and socially independent.
  1. British Values

4.1 First Rung’ independent school curriculum will incorporate and promote theBritish values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respectand tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

  1. Protected Characteristics
  2. The First Rung independent school curriculum will encourage respect for other people paying particular regard to the following legally protected characteristics:
  • Age
  • Disability
  • Gender reassignment
  • Marriage or civil partnership
  • Pregnancy and maternity
  • Race
  • sex
  1. Teaching Values
  2. Worth- all learners should be treated as of equal value whatever their gender, race, ability, background or other characteristics;
  3. Equality- all learners should have equal access to resources and opportunities;
  4. The right of each learner to access learning that is pertinent to them and acknowledges their learning history– we build on previous positive learning experiences of learners to negotiate new areas of learning - learners should be exposed to as broad a range of learning experiences as possible:
  5. The right of each learner to grow emotionally and intellectually– what learners learn should contribute to their emotional, physical, intellectual, and social growth, enabling them to develop and test their personal values and attitudes;
  6. Individuality – all learners learn and are motivated to learn in different ways
  7. Participation– all learners should participate actively in their own learning; their voice should be central in planning appropriate learning opportunities;
  8. The right of each learner to make informed decisions about their lifestyle choices–learners should be enabled to make positive decisions regarding their physical, emotional and sexual health
  9. The worth of on-going evaluation – while planning their learning journey, learners will discuss how they will evaluate both the journey and the outcome
  10. Celebrating achievement – all academic and personal achievements will be celebrated through awarding of certificates, vouchers and celebrations.
  1. Curriculum Policy
  2. The curriculum supports the aim of facilitating appropriate progression by providing the opportunity for accelerated academic, social and personal development.
  3. The aim of the curriculum is to provide a broad, balanced and relevant learning experience which, as far as possible, fulfils the requirements of the Study Programme whilst being sufficiently flexible to address the diverse and complex needs of the learners referred to the Programme.
  4. The First Rung Independent School aims to provide:
  5. Continuity of learning by ensuring:
  • Accurate baseline assessments are made using referral information from schools and providers and a thorough induction process, including ForSkills Skills Builder screening, initial assessment and diagnostics.
  • That learners, parents and carers are made aware of the qualification equivalencies of their curriculum and likely progression routes
  • All staff have up to date knowledge and understanding of links between the mainstream and post-16 curriculum, and appropriate progression routes.

7.3.2.Early identification of and support for individual needs by:

  • Close liaison with all schools and involved professional agencies including any differences in approach to support in relation to Year 10 and Year 11 learners.
  • Close adherence to SEN procedures
  • Identifying learners ( not exclusive to ESOL) who have great difficulty with reading and writing including those learners:
  • Learning to read and write (in any language) for the first time.
  • Who may be literate in another language which uses a different script, e.g. Bengali or Chinese
  • Who may have very limited spoken English
  • Who may be fluent English speakers
  • Whole programme support for cross-curricular improvement of basic skills, including ICT skills
  • Referral to individual support sessions and other professionals according to need.
  • Sharing information on a regular and formal basis as a staff team and with all relevant providers and outside agencies.

7.3.3.Supporting development of personal skills necessary to access the academic curriculum by:

  • Encouraging participation in personal challenges
  • Provision of individual mentoring
  • Peer and Self Assessment, encouraging learners to take greater responsibility for their learning, for example, by encouraging engagement with assessment criteria and reflection of theirown performance and that of theirpeers.
  • Organising activities which help develop co-operation and social skills.
  • Providing activities which allow for individual achievement.
  • Actively including learners in planning and self-assessment, wherever possible
  • Using informal opportunities to considerspiritual, moral, cultural, ethical and social issues
  • Closely monitoring personal progression, and changes to individual circumstances, and adapting strategies as necessary

7.3.4.Encouraging inclusion and access by:

  • Being aware of the diverse social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds of all learners and the local community, and reflecting this in curriculum planning, resources, work with other providers and displays.
  • Ensuring those with gaps in their knowledge or lacking key basic skills receive well targeted and effective support to overcome barriers to learning.
  • Providing access to aesthetic and practical experiences to appreciate and understand the world we live in through (but not exclusively) our Aesthetic & Creative Curriculum.
  • Encourage and empower learners to engage in constructive debatecovering a plethora of contemporary issues and wider philosophical ideas through the independent research that they carry out in preparation for the debate.
  • Encouraging parents/carers to be active members of the First Rung community.
  • Ensuring ILPs address individual barriers to learning, and that strategies to support success are shared with both staff and learners.
  • The curriculum is supported by a structured trainer/learner support/learner & progression team which ensures the overall progress of individual learner is carefully monitored and individual support is well targeted. Learners have access to a Learner & Progression Advisor as well as regular opportunities to reflect on progress and their own personal development, in order to best inform their next steps as a learner and member of the community. The Programme aims to encourage all aspects of personal growth by creating an ethos which encourages the development of integrity and a sense of community. This aim is supported by regular opportunities for discussion, a Learner Voice Forum (LVF) and initiatives such as community projects led by the Community Support Lead.
  • Please see Appendix A to this policy for a Sample Learner Timetable.
  1. Monitoring:
  2. The effectiveness of the informal and formal curriculum is continually monitored through:
  • Regular reviews of individual learner progress
  • Analysis of examination results
  • Careful monitoring of attendance, in conjunction with the Local Authority School Attendance Service and all relevant outside agencies
  • Regular in-class observations to monitor quality of teaching and learning – both peer observation and external observations by an independent quality adviser
  • The content of the curriculum is reviewed annually in light of new initiatives and forms of accreditation (e.g. the development of Functional Skills), the requirements of colleges and identified learner need.
  1. Areas of Learning

8.1 The First Rung independent school curriculum will give pupils experience of the following areas of learning:

Linguistic - through delivery of GCSE and functional skills English

Mathematical - through delivery of GCSE and functional skills mathematics

Scientific – through of a science module focusing on biology

Technological – through delivery of the functional skills ICT qualification.

Human and social – through delivery of a history module

Physical – through delivery of sport provision incorporating badminton, table tennis, indoor football and basketball

Aesthetic and creative – through delivery of an aesthetic and creative module focussing in literature, drama and appreciation of art

Speaking, listening, literacy and numeracy skills – through delivery of functional skills in English and mathematics, vocational courses and personal and social development provision

  1. Accreditation:
  2. As a principle all programmes of study offered through First Rung Independent School offer some form of accreditation to recognise the progress and achievements of our learners.
  3. Currently the following accreditation routes are available:

Occupational Area / Course Title / Title of NVQ/
Qualification
(AW Code) / Level / Awarding Body
Pre-vocational / Functional Skills / English (09497) / E3 / OCR
Pre-vocational / Functional Skills / English (09498) / L1 / OCR
Pre-vocational / Functional Skills / English (09499) / L2 / OCR
Pre-vocational / Functional Skills / Maths (09864) / E3 / OCR
Pre-vocational / Functional Skills / Maths (09865) / L1 / OCR
Pre-vocational / Functional Skills / Maths (09866) / L2 / OCR
Pre-vocational / Functional Skills / ICT (09875) / E3 / OCR
Pre-vocational / Functional Skills / ICT (09876) / L1 / OCR
Pre-vocational / Functional Skills / ICT (09877) / L2 / OCR
Pre-vocational / GCSE
/ English Language (8700) / L2 / AQA
Pre-vocational / GCSE
/ Maths (1MA1) / L2 / Edexcel
Vocational / Childcare / Award in Working with Children / L1 / NCFE
Vocational / Customer Service / Certificate in Principles of Customer Service (CSC01) / L1 / Skillsfirst
  1. Non – examined universal offer
  • PSHE ( including emotional literacy and readiness to learn) – through group sessions, working with other providers, tutorials, One to One sessions with Learner & Progression Advisor
  • PE/Art/Study skills (rotating half termly programmes) – one lesson per week
  • One to One mentoring
  • School trips

All non-examined curriculum offers will be set within a framework that shows initial assessment of a learner’s position and their progress thorough regular reviews and evaluation of their attainment and progression.

  1. Additional support
  • There is internal provision available for One to One support sessions in English
    and mathematics, or additional mentoring from the Learner Support Assistant.
  1. Potential developments
  • Developing Year 2 progression curriculum for Year 10’s returning for Year 11 including a Sports qualification.
  • Further developing the offer in all 9 Curriculum area’s (Childcare, Customer Service, English, Maths, ICT, Science, Sport, Aesthetic & Creative and Human & Social.

May 2018 Page 1 of 7