Curriculum

To find out more about our curriculum areas, please select from the primary or secondary curriculum buttons below.

Curriculum Implementation

Our curriculum is designed to promote the intellectual, personal, social, physical, therapeutic and cultural development of pupils. It includes the formal programme of lessons and the informal programme of enrichment activities. The curriculum is also designed to robustly ensure that pupils gain experiences in the following areas of learning linguistic, mathematical, scientific, technological, human and social, physical and creative as well as providing opportunities for therapeutic and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development (SMSC) and cultural capital.

We ensure that each individual is able to pursue subjects they wish to study, a focus on life skills throughout the curriculum where SMSC runs alongside everything that we do. The creative and calming environment promotes inquisitive minds with a developed pastoral area that offers purposeful break out, sensory and individual learning spaces. There is a holistic approach, embedding our therapeutic input, supporting social and emotional well-being.

Pupils will develop confidence to tackle and understand those key life skills for success. This will include developing social communication and skills, emotional resilience and an understanding of themselves and others. We will support and educate our pupils, so they are able to regulate their emotions and behave in a way that allows them to be successful in the future. We know that this will help raise self-esteem and lead to a more positive outlook on life, thus helping to ensure the best future outcomes.

Curriculum Impact

Our school curriculum:

• ensures that supportive and therapeutic intervention supports engagement and improved outcomes
• is based on National Curriculum definitions of subject breadth and progression wherever possible
• meets the needs of pupils of all abilities including social, emotional and behavioural needs
• prepares students to make informed and appropriate choices at the end of points of transition
• ensures continuity and progression within the school and between phases of education, increasing students’ choices during their school career
• provides opportunities for work experience
• helps pupils develop lively, enquiring minds, an ability to question and argue rationally and an ability to apply themselves to tasks and physical skills
• helps pupils to use language and number effectively
• helps pupils understand the world in which they live
• Uses learning outside the classroom to help engage study of cross curriculum themes
• helps pupils develop personal moral values, respect for religious values and tolerance of other races’ beliefs and ways of life
• teaches students how to spend their leisure time imaginatively, independently and co-operatively in formal and non-structured environment
• leads to qualifications that hold currency for employers and for entry to higher education
• develops self-help skills and be aware of the rewards and dangers of society in preparation for adult life

Therapeutic Support and Intervention

Additional intervention is offered at all stages through group and one to one therapeutic support, according to specific individual needs, and also through a close working partnership between home and school. We have access to a range of Therapeutic Support including Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Psychotherapy, Arts Psychotherapy and Psychology. To take account of the differences and range of cognitive ability, preferred learning styles and learning needs all staff at Groveside School will adapt tasks, provide a range of resources, develop extension work, provide for a variety of learning styles and environments, set individual goals, provide different levels of support and offer a variety of ways for learners to demonstrate knowledge and understanding. A thorough knowledge and understanding of each learner’s needs and IEP targets are also crucial. At Groveside School we are committed to meeting the needs of each child as they are expressed in their Educational, Health and Care Plan.

Gifted and Talented

A small number of pupils display special talents, skills, expertise and understanding in particular areas. These include both high levels of ability in subject areas and in activities beyond the curriculum – sporting prowess or musical ability, for example. It is the responsibility of all staff to identify such pupils, to encourage their interests and to make appropriate provision for them.

Such provision includes planning classroom-based work which genuinely stretches such pupils, and additional challenges and experiences offered through clubs, interest and support groups, and opportunities to participate in external groups, societies, teams and organisations and external visits. Opportunities to celebrate such success include commendations in school assembly, letters of acknowledgement sent to parents and carers and records held in pupil’s records of achievement.

Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural Education

We are committed to developing our students Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural Education. As part of our curriculum, we ensure that partisan political views are not promoted in the teaching of any subject. This is closely monitored through lesson visits and the quality assurance of the curriculum.

All curriculum areas contribute to the pupil’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The integrity and spirituality of all faith backgrounds will be respected and explored. The diversity of spiritual traditions will be recognised, and pupils will be given access to alternative views. All adults will model and promote expected behaviour, treating all people as valuable individuals and showing respect for pupils and their families. Young people should learn to differentiate between right and wrong in as far as their actions affect other people. They will be encouraged to value themselves and others.

Pupils should understand the need for rules and the need to abide by rules for the good of everyone. The schools “Living and Learning” values combined with our classroom expectations of Safe, Ready, Respectful should reflect, reiterate, promote the character development of all, recognise progress and provide opportunities to celebrate pupil’s achievements. All curriculum areas should seek to use illustrations and examples drawn from as wide a range of cultural contexts as possible.

Fundamental British Values

Groveside School actively encourages pupils to respect the Fundamental British Values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs, throughout the curriculum delivery, teaching and learning in the school. These values underpin all teaching and learning at Groveside School, however, are also explicitly taught through assemblies, PSHE, RSE, our Myself, Relationships and Staying Safe Curriculum and through the pupils taking an active role in the school council. Specifically, we aim to ensure that pupils have an understanding and knowledge of:

• How citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process;
• An appreciation that living under the rule of law protects individual citizens;
• An understanding that bodies such as the police and the army can be held to account by the people, through the democratic organs of government;
• An understanding that the freedom to hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law, and an acceptance that other people having different faiths or beliefs to oneself (or having none) should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviours;
• An understanding of the problems of identifying and combating