CURRICULUM POLICY
Policy version control sheet
Document Status
Policy Number
Current
Version Number
Date of Policy
December 2014
Next review date
December 2015
Name of originator
Approved by
Date of approval
Target Audience
Staff
Referring authorities
Parents and carers
Regulatory bodies
Links to other policies
PSCHE Policy
SEN& Disabilities Policy
Mathematics Policy
English and Communications Policy
Community Cohesion policy
Changes to previous version
Distribution
Intranet
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Website
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Email to managers
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1 Introduction
1.1
Our aim is for each and every one of our pupils to achieve to their potential. Our
students generally arrive with a history of poor attendance, placement gaps and
exclusions from school and have therefore missed (often hugely significant) periods of
education. Our job as teachers is therefore a significant challenge but one that can be
overcome and is successfully faced with enthusiasm and energy.
1.2
At 3 Dimensions School every child matters. We provide challenging, motivating and
stimulating learning opportunities which enhance success and personalise the
students learning. We focus on positive emotional health and well-being to ensure
success for each pupil.
1.3
The curriculum is all the planned activities that we organise in order to meet needs of
the students. It includes not only the formal requirements of the National Curriculum,
modified to need, but also the range of extra-curricular activities that the school
organises in order to enrich the experiences of the students. We aim to teach our
pupils how to grow into positive, responsible people, who can work and co-operate
with others while developing knowledge and skills, so that they achieve their true
potential and are enabled to become valued and valuable member of their
communities.
2 Aims
2.1
The aims of our school curriculum are:
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To motivate our students to engage with the learning process
To enable our pupils to learn and develop their skills to the best of their ability
To promote a positive attitude towards learning, so that our pupils enjoy
coming to school and acquire a solid basis for lifelong learning
To enable pupils to be creative and develop their own thinking
To help our students understand Britain’s cultural history and values
To help our students understand the importance of truth and fairness, so they
develop an understanding and commitment for equal opportunities for all
To enable pupils to develop the requisite life and social skills in order to attain
independence
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To enable our pupils to develop the skills and knowledge required to be
positive world citizens in our society
To fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum, modified to need
To enable our students to develop respect for themselves and high selfesteem, and to be able to live and work co-operatively with others
To ensure learning occurs throughout the day, life skills and community
participation skills are fundamental parts of our curriculum
To encourage pupils to accept responsibility for their behaviour
To enable our pupils to acquire a respect for their own and other cultures
3 Organisation and planning
3.1
The curriculum is individualised for each student ensuring that each student receives
an education that is meaningful; accessible and motivating. Students are taught
according to ability not age or key stage.
3.2
Long-term plans indicate what topics are to be taught each term, and to which groups
of pupils. We review our long term plans on a yearly basis.
3.3
Schemes of work give clear guidance on the objectives and teaching strategies that
we use when teaching each topic. Differentiation and individualisation of the
curriculum begins at this stage of the planning process. Schemes of work are reviewed
on a termly basis unless the dictates of an individual pupil requires more frequent
attention, in which case it is as per need.
3.4
Our short term plans are those our teachers write on a weekly of daily basis. We use
these to set out the learning objectives for each session, and to identify what
resources and activities we are going to use in the lesson.
3.5
The curriculum in our school is designed to be flexible and fluid ensuring accessibility
and learning opportunities for all pupils. We adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of
individual pupils in response to evaluation of their learning and engagement with the
subject; Individual Education Plan targets and accommodate therapeutic input.
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4.1
Key skills
The following skills have been deemed ‘key skills’ in the revised National Curriculum:
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4.2
Communication
Application of number
Information and communication technology
Working with others
Improving own learning and performance
Problem solving
In our curriculum planning we take account of these skills, so that pupil’s progress in
all of these areas can be identified and monitored. All subject areas contribute to a
pupil’s progress in these skills and we believe that all pupils need to make good
progress in these key areas in order to develop to their true potential.
5 Assessment and reporting
5.1
Assessment is an essential part of the teaching process. Regular assessments are
made of pupils work to establish levels of attainment and to inform future planning.
Teachers use assessment information to track the progress of individual pupils and the
Education Manager uses it to monitor how effective the teaching and curriculum is.
5.2
We regularly assess and evaluate the success/outcomes of the approach stated in the
policy in order to maintain to effectiveness and currency.
5.3
Record-keeping and assessment procedures are defined in the Assessment Policy.
5.4
Also see:
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PSCHE Policy
SEN& Disabilities Policy
Mathematics Policy
English and Communications Policy
Community Cohesion policy
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