Northern College Curriculum Strategy
1. Introduction
The College’s curriculum is shaped by its mission and values and its origins as a provider of
democratic, progressive adult education.
The College’s mission is:
“To provide outstanding adult residential and community education for the empowerment and
transformation of individuals and communities”
Its three core values are:
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To inspire excellence
To value and celebrate diversity
To promote social inclusion
2. Context and Overarching Principles
Since its inception, the concepts of ‘society’ and ‘community’ have been central to Northern College’s
curriculum offer. The notion of ‘really useful knowledge’ linked to a tradition which recognises the
relevance of popular education, democratic adult education and the legitimacy of group and social
movement education as well as individual advancement are a necessary and important background to
curriculum development. The College’s curriculum offer has never been static and is always evolving
and developing in response to changes in adult education policy, in the economy and in society.
The following seven overarching principles govern the management and development of the curriculum
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Access and Flexibility: the offer should be provided in a variety of ways and levels with multiple
entry and exit points
Coherence: both at Programme and at the level of individual courses and programmes of learning
Achievement and Progression: the College should aim to interlink all provision to provide pathways
and progression routes which support, challenge and inspire all learners to realise their potential
and ambitions
Relevance: the curriculum must be relevant to the needs of learners and their communities and to
the stakeholders of the College
Innovation: continuously generated in both content and delivery, maximising the use of individual
contributions and talents, and the use of new technologies.
Excellence: learning opportunities of the highest quality and at the leading edge of best practice,
both nationally and locally
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Income: the balance of subjects within the curriculum cannot be divorced from income targets and
financial viability
3. Aims
Following a recent review of the College’s mission and the launch of College’s CHANGE agenda,
the College aims to provide a curriculum that:
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Develops every student’s self-confidence, self-esteem and pride in achievement
Contributes to every student’s personal wellbeing, health and happiness
Inspires excellence and raises the aspirations of students
Challenges students to think in new ways and to understand competing frameworks for
analysing the way the world is
Encourages students to get involved through active citizenship, participation in civil society
and in the community
Contributes to the empowerment and transformation of individuals and communities
Values and celebrates diversity and promotes social inclusion
Builds upon the wide range of experiences and skills adults bring to learning, to enrich the
learning experience of all
Involves students in planning and taking responsibility for their own learning and
encourages them to contribute to the college community
Provides the building blocks for progression to higher levels of learning and employment
Involves students in planning and taking responsibility for their own learning and
encourages them to contribute to the college community
Provides the building blocks for progression to higher levels of learning and employment
Responds to the needs of the regional and national labour market within its area of
expertise
Responds to the Government’s priorities for community learning
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Strategy
The College's general curriculum strategy is to:
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Review its curriculum offer in spring each year as part the annual planning cycle
Focus its activity in curriculum areas where it has an established reputation, good resources
and significant staff expertise
Work with community partners to identify local community learning needs and offer a
curriculum to improve the socio-economic well-being of students and their communities
Design bespoke courses to engage new students and work with groups to build their
capacity to meet the challenges they face.
Work with strategic partners like Jobcentre Plus and Local Authorities to identify local
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labour market needs and devise a curriculum to respond to these
Work with employers, within the College’s areas of expertise, to develop provision that
responds to labour market needs
Provide different routes and pathways to learning in a flexible way including short or parttime learning experiences.
Make best use of the Colleges residential facilities to offer intensive bursts of learning that
also build social and employability skills and foster collaborative learning outside the
classroom
Evaluate the financial viability of new provision and review existing provision to ensure that
it is delivered in the most cost-effective way
Offer a curriculum that celebrates and develops a wider understanding of diversity issues
and ensure the effective integration of equality and diversity across the curriculum
Provide opportunities for individuals to improve their skills in English and mathematics and
ensure the effective integration of these subjects across the curriculum
Ensure that there are entry-level courses in each area of provision wherever possible, and a
clear and coherent progression pathway into more advanced programmes either within the
College or via other partner adult education providers
Utilise new learning technologies, including the VLE, to enhance and extend learning
Offer a mix of non-accredited and accredited learning and the most appropriate form of
certification to meet the needs of learners and employers
Ensure that teaching approaches and materials do not create unnecessary barriers to
learning and that delivery methods are sensitive to the needs of learners with additional
learning support needs
Use a variety of methods to measure and evaluate the impact of the curriculum for
individuals and for communities
5. Curriculum Content
The College has developed staffing and learning resources with a focus on education for a social
purpose. The College currently makes provision in the following broad curriculum areas:
Children’s Workforce
English and Maths
Health and Social Care
Humanities/Combined Studies
Information Technology
Leadership and Management
Personal Development/Work Preparation
Social Studies
Teacher Education
Trade Union Studies
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6. Curriculum Change
The College recognises that its curriculum must evolve and change in response to changes in;
society and the economy, adult education policies and priorities, and in learner and partner
demand. In making the decision to allocate resources to new curriculum areas, College
managers will always consider strategic fit and alignment with the College Mission, as well as
financial viability, capability and any associated risks.
Proposals for the introduction of new qualifications or courses within an existing curriculum
area and within existing resources should be referred to the relevant Academic Manager, who
will make a decision in consultation with the Vice Principal Academic. Proposals to introduce a
course in a new curriculum area or to make a substantial revision of the course offer in an
existing curriculum area should be developed with the relevant Academic Manager and
referred to the Senior Management Team (SMT) for decision.
College managers will review the curriculum offer in spring each year as part the annual
planning cycle. Although changes will not be restricted to this one review point this means
there is a regular cycle of review and potential adjustment.
7. Responsibilities
Academic Managers are responsible for managing curriculum development, planning and
implementing new courses and qualifications and for ensuring that course validation/approval
processes are completed appropriately.
The Vice Principal (Academic) is responsible for monitoring the implementation and delivery of
all qualifications and programmes and overseeing development planning and review processes.
The Academic Standards Committee is responsible for the supervision of processes relating to
the development of new qualifications and courses and for monitoring overall quality standards
and curriculum effectiveness. Substantial changes to the curriculum will be reported to the
Academic Standards committee.
The Board of Governors is responsible for agreeing the College’s mission and strategic themes
that inform and drive the curriculum.
8. Related Policies and Strategies
Teaching and Learning Policy – 2012
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Community Strategy - 2013
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