Curriculum Statement
At Downland School, we offer a curriculum which is broad and balanced and which builds on the knowledge, understanding and skills of all children, whatever their starting point. The curriculum is aligned with the National Curriculum at each Key Stage and those of external examination bodies. It also provides opportunities for other experiences which best meet the learning and developmental needs of the pupils in our school.
The aim of our curriculum is for pupils to have the requisite skills to be successful, independent and motivated learners in readiness for their next stage of education or employment.
Our philosophy is to provide a holistic and individualised approach, designed and tailored to support pupils to fulfil their potential. Staff place high expectations and aspiration at the heart of their delivery and are consistently challenging both pupils and themselves in order to overcome barriers to success and provide pupils with the tools they require to thrive in all areas of development.
We have a shared vision: to embed a nurturing strategy throughout the school; we realise that effective learning will take place when lessons are engaging, staff are confident and pupils have high personal resilience and feel safe in their learning environment.
Our aim is to be an invaluable resource within our community and to build our reputation as an exceptional provider of specialist education.
Our school motto is: Aspire, Achieve, Thrive
Golden Threads:
The fundamental principles that underpin the work carried out at Downland School are:
- Engagement – our core purpose is to re-engage pupils in learning thus allowing them to develop both emotionally and academically.
- Literacy development, with a focus on reading: our aim is to ensure all pupils leave with a minimum of functional level literacy.
- Emotional development with a focus on developing : self-regulation; managing and sustaining relationships; building self-esteem; resilience and communication. This includes understanding your place within society and the influence of British values.
- Preparedness for adulthood - this includes cultural capital and careers education
Curriculum Overview:
We offer a broad curriculum for pupils starting at Year 7 through to Year 11.
Pupils who transition to, or start within the Key Stage 3 curriculum in Year 7, 8 or 9 are provided a core of English, maths and science alongside the foundation subjects of cooking, art, design, PE, geography, history, PSHEE and forest science. Our offer is supported by thorough assessment data processes which underpin planning and sequencing of delivery which includes adaptive practice.
The design of the KS3 curriculum is carefully considered and the knowledge and skills to be acquired are mapped in each subject area to maximise engagement and diminish gaps in learning. In all curriculum areas, leaders have made careful choices regarding the content of their subject and the implementation of the curriculum.
The transition between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 is carefully mapped; this is echoed between Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. This ensures that all pupils are experiencing a broad and balanced curriculum which has a holistic approach and encompasses their special educational learning needs.
If a young person, in Key Stage 3, has difficulty engaging with the more traditional curriculum offer, we will work with alternative provision providers to enrich their curriculum offer. We have close links with additional provisions which offer therapeutic interventions.
Basic entitlement for all young people in Key Stage 4, is access to core English Language, maths and one of the sciences. For pupils who are able to access these at a higher level there are further options available, including English Literature, statistics and further sciences. Pupils will also access entry-level and functional skills qualifications, where appropriate.
Pathways are chosen in Year 9 and allow pupils to focus on their areas of interest. Pupils commonly leave school with an average of five level two qualifications.
Due to the needs of the current transitional group, the key stage 4 curriculum for academic year 2024-2025 has been modified. This is being done to ensure the pupils are successful in their key stage 4 education as we feel a 'traditional' curriculum solely focused on GCSE outcomes is not suitable. We will be providing a more vocational approach which offers: a college placement; fewer academic subjects and enrichment opportunities. These will include a range of activities from areas such as: sport; art and craft; gardening; life skills and personal & social development.
Where possible, within English, maths and science, pupils will be entered for entry level qualifications, functional skills and GCSEs where appropriate.
PSHEE is a vital component of the curriculum and has heightened importance to our pupils owing to their special educational needs. The subject is delivered by a specialist as they are best placed to adapt the content to meet the needs of our pupils.
The Careers and Work-related learning programme is underpinned by the SEND Gatsby Benchmark and has been created by liaising with the Careers and Enterprise company. Downland School is committed to delivering the National Careers strategy which allows us to offer all of our young people access to a ‘well-developed career development journey’.
The Hub
For pupils requiring more support we have ‘The Hub’. Within this provision the classes will be small and the curriculum developed in a bespoke manner for the individual; much of the learning will be interest-led initially with a focus on developing the pupils’ self-esteem and resilience thus allowing them to access a wider curriculum.