Curriculum
Intent
At Connex Alternative Provision, our curriculum is rooted in a clear understanding that many of our learners have experienced disrupted, complex and often traumatic educational journeys. Our intent is to re-engage learners with education by providing a curriculum that is ambitious, inclusive and personalised.
Our curriculum is designed to ensure that all learners, regardless of their starting points, are able to:
- Acquire essential knowledge and skills across a range of subjects
- Develop literacy and numeracy as fundamental tools for life
- Build cultural capital, enabling them to participate confidently in modern British society
- Develop emotional resilience, self-regulation and independence
- Prepare for successful transition to the next stage of education, employment or training
Our curriculum intent is underpinned by three core principles:
1. Knowing Each Learner
We prioritise understanding each learner’s:
- starting points, including contextual
- strengths and interests
- barriers to learning
2. Re-engagement through Meaningful Learning
Our curriculum rebuilds engagement through:
- relevant, contextualised learning experiences
- strong relationships and therapeutic support
- enrichment experiences to build cultural capital
3. Preparation for the Future
We ensure learners are prepared for:
- reintegration where appropriate
- further education, employment or training
- independent and successful adult lives
Aim
Our aim is for all learners to make exceptional progress from their starting points, achieving outcomes that enable them to sustain success beyond Connex.
Through our curriculum, learners will develop the following knowledge, skills and attributes over time:
- Acquire the knowledge and skills to make informed choices and decisions
- Apply and develop their numeracy and literacy skills with confidence throughout their adult lives
- Identify risks and seek support where needed to keep themselves safe
- Equip themselves with emotional regulation skills and strategies to support their positive mental health
- Identify with and find inspiration in elements of the curriculum offer to develop transferable skills for their future, for example, teamwork, problem solving, empathy, perseverance, resilience, curiosity and creativity
- Develop an understanding of and ability to engage in safe, healthy and mutually rewarding relationships
- Uphold the British Values of democracy, tolerance, mutual respect and the rule of law and liberty; feeling prepared for adult life in our diverse multi-cultural society
- Develop responsible attitudes to their physical health – developing understanding of health and nutrition and identifying preferred physical activities/sports which they can take forward into adulthood
- Engage in recreational activities they enjoy that give them fulfilment in their leisure time.
- Trust that their opinion is valued and feel confident to voice their opinions; being able to take on board others’ viewpoints and adjust their own accordingly
- Continue their education, building on the qualifications and skills they have learned at Connex to be able to achieve their goals
- Contribute economically to their community – through paid/voluntary employment and understand how to manage their finances effectively
We aim to offer high quality teaching and learning opportunities and consistent standards and expectations across the whole curriculum offer, which in turn offer both predictability and aspiration for our learners and encourage them to develop their self confidence and self-esteem. The teaching and learning offer is personalised and adapted, not only to meet the specific learning difficulties but their personal learning style, as well as ability.
We invest significantly to ensure quality target and outcome setting through the annual review process and continually strive as a provision to ensure that learner’s Education and Health Care Plans (EHCPs) are live working documents within the classroom and when out and about in the community. This is to ensure that we are meeting each learner’s holistic needs and offering them a relevant and meaningful curriculum which supports them effectively through key transitions and prepares them for their next phase of education or employment.
We work towards equipping our learners with the knowledge, skills and independence they need to thrive in a less specialist environment and with reducing support over time. Our ultimate aim is to support all our learners to make progress from their starting points in order to become positive young people equipped with the life and work skills they need, for a sustainable future that is fulfilling for them.
Please follow the link to read the full Curriculum Policy