Key Stage 4 Curriculum

KS4 CURRICULUM STATEMENT

CONTEXT

The Key Stage 4 curriculum facilitates experiences and opportunities for students to work towards and achieve their individual outcomes set within their EHC Plans. 

This journey is recorded and assessed using Evidence for Learning and ensures that the progress measured for each student is relevant to their needs and works towards preparing them for adult life.

Students in Key Stage 4 will access a broad and balanced curriculum building on the skills acquired within Key stage 3. As in KS3 the curriculum continues to be adapted to the needs of individual students and forms 3 main pathways, Explorer, Engager and Challenger.  All students will access a curriculum that supports their cognitive development but also their communication and interaction skills, their social and emotional development, and their physical development.  They will have opportunities to develop their independence and self-help skills through a range of curricular activities.

Students in Key Stage 4 will prepare themselves for their next steps either in KS5 or at alternative provisions. There will therefore be more of a focus on life skills and preparation for change as appropriate.  Where relevant pupils will be challenged to achieve accreditation to support with reaching their future aspirations.

Key Stage 4

INTENT

IMPLEMENTATION

IMPACT

What is the intention of teaching and learning?

To develop a secure foundation of self-regulation and self-management so that each student can develop a strong resilient ethos to learning and life.

To develop literacy and numeracy skills particularly in functional settings.

To follow identified accreditation routes and prepare for transition.

To ensure staff research based CPD is linked to the improvement of teaching and learning for all students..

To ensure the emotional wellbeing of all students through a consistent approach use the Thrive Approach.

To ensure all students are world-ready and can become positive and active citizens within the community and the wider world.

To make steps toward future aspirations through gaining independence and having opportunities to follow and develop interests.

How will it be implemented?

Students will be ability based for core learning, they will have access to accreditation at the appropriate level.

Literacy groups are ability based using reading/spelling and handwriting assessments to allow better targeted approaches to improve SPaG, reading and writing. 

Maths groups are based upon formal termly assessments and regular teacher assessments.

Students will engage with the Fresh Start reading scheme and phonics programme.

Teaching and learning approaches will be based on evidence-based practice and applied consistently across the curriculum including CPA approaches for core learning.

Students will make choices regarding the options they would like to study in more depth and be given opportunities to develop key interests and skills.

All students will have access to universal Thrive approaches that are specifically timetabled.  Some students will have individual 1:1 session.

All students will have access to a SRE and PSD curriculum that prepares them for the wider world and the roles and responsibilities of being a responsible citizen.

How will we measure or monitor impact of teaching and learning?

Evidence for Learning and PLG’s will be used measure progress of EHC Outcomes.

Accreditation assessments for Maths and English will measure progress termly.

Branch Maps for Communication, Literacy and Language (CLL) and Maths are used to track small step progress for students working through our Explorer Curriculum and beyond.

Thrive assessment reviews will measure the impact of social and emotional development.

Annual review process and provision maps will be used to measure the impact of interventions and support strategies on students’ access to learning.

Staff CPD has a positive impact on outcomes through lesson observations, quality review processes and subject improvement.