Article 28 Every Child Has the Right to an Education

Ysgol Pen-y-Bryn

Curriculum Policy

As a Rights Respecting School, we are committed to embedding the principles and values of the United Nation Conventions for the

Rights of the Child (UNCRC). This policy enables our pupils to access and enjoy the following articles of the convention.

Article 1 – Every child under the Age of 18 has all the rights in the Convention.

Article 28 – Every child has the right to an education.

Article 29 – Education must develop every child’s personality, talents and abilities to the full.

Article 42 – Every child has the right to know their rights.

Headteacher…………………………………. Date ……………………………………

Chair of Governors …………………………. Date ……………………………………

Review Date ……………………………………………..

Curriculum policy 2013

Introduction:

At Ysgol Pen y Bryn we believe that all pupils have a right to access a curriculum that is meaningful and appropriate to their individual needs whilst not compromising their entitlement. We also believe that lessons at Pen y Bryn should motivate and engage our children. Our

1 curriculum is broad and balanced but is also flexible, creative, and above all needs-led. We value each individual and nurture their potential by tailoring their education to meet their needs in an environment that is set up to best facilitate their learning and development.

At Pen y Bryn we promote the moral, cultural, spiritual, mental and physical development of pupils and students and prepare them for opportunities and responsibilities of later life. We also acknowledge the importance of here and now and that fun and enjoyment is essential to well-being and emotional development.

We strive to enable the pupils to reach their full potential in all areas, educational and social. All opportunities are seized for learning, including break / snack times, lunch times, visits out of school etc, all of which are included within the school’s PSE or subject area schemes of work/ skills curriculum. We believe that every minute is a learning opportunity.

Aims of the curriculum:

All of our pupils have access to the full range of subjects in the National Curriculum. All of our learning experiences stimulate the senses and promote personal and social development. At Pen y Bryn the core curriculum consists of Literacy/ Communication, Numeracy, PSE and

ICT. These core subjects form the basis of our whole school curriculum and are taught in appropriate ways for all of our pupils.

Welsh:

Welsh, as a language to be learned and spoken, is offered through Curriculum Cymreig and designated lessons as appropriate. This involves many aspects of the Welsh culture: the music/songs of Wales, simple Welsh greetings, Welsh legends and folk tales, Welsh places, artists and people, along with the food of Wales. These year-long celebrations culminate in a Welsh Week including St David’s Day. The many aspects of Curriculum Cymreig are reflected in teachers’ termly planning, ensuring that all pupils have access to the particular features and culture of Wales. Second language welsh is taught at levels appropriate to pupils development.

PSHE and Sex Education:

Whilst acknowledging the value in a cross-curricular approach inspired by overarching themes many aspects of PSE and certainly Sex

Education are respected as standalone subjects that are given their own slot on the timetable. Only when it is clearly relevant would a themed approach be continued. Sex Ed is offered on a consent basis throughout the school. The schemes of work are pre-planned and resourced and delivered in a linear way with content remaining age appropriate throughout, furthermore classes are split groups and gender groups when it is correct and sensitive to do so. As part of PSE, drug awareness is also taught, again in an age and ability appropriate way.

However, standing alone, the National Curriculum cannot provide the necessary balance, breadth and relevance for all of our pupils. We aim to overcome this by providing a range of other experiences which include access to multi-sensory stimulation, cross-curricular activities, and extra-curricular experiences, such as visits and trips to local shops, parks, places of interest etc to practise social skills and develop independence.

2 The nature of the balance between the various components of the whole curriculum will vary between individual pupils. The process will involve meeting individual needs, as identified at the pupil’s Annual Review and also the curriculum plans devised by class teachers to meet the more common needs of pupils at the different stages of development in any one class.

Approaches to planning and recording are consistent throughout the school. Staff meets regularly within their key stage to discuss approaches, assessment and the learning outcomes of classes and of individuals within a class.

At Pen y Bryn we advocate that it is up to the professional judgement of each class teacher to decide the style and content of the educational programme they provide. The school curriculum provides the structure, themed content, guidelines and philosophy as well as expectation of achievement. The exact content, personalised targets, creatively devising activities that best match pupils’ ability and learning styles, communication, life skills, key skills, as well as moral, spiritual, and physical development within the framework discussed is the job of our experienced, professional and able class staff.

Curriculum Access:

Due to the diverse and complex needs of our pupils we need to provide additional support in order for the whole curriculum to be accessible to them. With this in mind, we establish the conditions most likely to facilitate learning for all of our pupils through:

 The provision of appropriate information technology resources – computers, relevant software, I pads

 An environment which supports total communication using signing, speech, symbols, objects of reference, communication aids,

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS).

 Consistent and sensitive use of programmes to moderate challenging behaviours

 Our intention to offer essential therapeutic activities – speech and language, occupational therapy, hydrotherapy, music

therapy when we can

 The use of strategies to minimise or alleviate sensory impairments, such as access to the sensory areas, and the use of

sensory integration strategies

 Our commitment to collaboration with parents, professionals and agencies, with the community and with the pupils themselves.

The teaching experiences/activities which are detailed in our school curriculum and accompanying planning documents and skills profile reflect the programmes of study from Foundation Phase for 3-7 year olds and KS2 and 3 of the National Curriculum and KS4 & 5 accredited units and modules.

The activities have been developed in detail to allow for continuity and progression as well as to provide age appropriate experiences for our pupils working at the earliest levels of the Curriculum across the entire age range.

Our curriculum plans present a carefully considered view of the relevance, breadth and depth of study appropriate to the current school population, with all teachers providing individually targeted programmes for all pupils in their class.

Some of our pupils will need to revisit fresh interpretations of the same programmes of study, in addition to having regular opportunities to consolidate skills, which have been already acquired throughout their time at Pen y Bryn.

3 Equal opportunities: care is taken within all units of work to ensure that all students have access to the content. Balanced view points are planned into the curriculum to ensure that a fair and equal amount of information is given to key issues such as religion, race, culture, gender and disability. The school fully endorses the Rights Respecting Schools ethos.

Curriculum Management and Organisation:

The head teacher and Leadership Team have responsibility for the planning process and the day-to-day implementation of the curriculum.

Most teachers have subject responsibilities. This includes policy development and review, drawing up the units of work, advising at the planning stage, assessing resources and monitoring the learning, teaching and standards in the subject, which is supported by the Senior

Leadership Team.

The curriculum in all primary classes is delivered through topics and units based on the Foundation Phase and the National Curriculum. In secondary classes the curriculum is thematically taught linking units together as appropriate. In some classes the TEACCH philosophy underpins the delivery of the curriculum. The 14-19 Curriculum is based on accredited units and modules. Cross-curricular opportunities are sought but the learning objectives for the individual subjects are not neglected. A variety of teaching and learning methods are employed in the delivery of the curriculum, including group work, and at times, whole class teaching. The curriculum is based around the development of the key skills communication, numeracy, ICT and thinking skills. These are embedded across the subjects.

The timetable for each class is drawn up to ensure that there is appropriate balance between the Foundation Phase Areas of Learning,

National Curriculum, as well as taking account of the sensory/development curricula. The SLT ensures that each class has a timetable which provides appropriate breadth and balance.

Classes/groups:

We acknowledge the importance of having specialised needs led classes where:

 each class group is equipped and organised to meet the specific needs of the youngsters within.

 appropriate staff teams are drafted on year by year basis with appropriate training provided in each case

 the class environments reflect the needs of the children with respect to not just their need type on the whole, but their

specific needs as highlighted in their IEPs or Individual Behaviour Plans.

 appropriate provision of visual time tabling, PECS, sensory areas, work stations are also established

Pupil grouping:

At present pupils are predominantly based in age- related groups. We acknowledge that some children require a unique setting offering predominantly sensory and therapeutic ASD approaches to access the curriculum and the school is therefore committed to sustaining resource bases for those children. Class size may vary. Where appropriate individual pupil’s access lessons and activities across the two school sites for literacy, for sixth form and for key skills.

4 Independence:

At Ysgol Pen y Bryn we strongly encourage pupil independence. Whilst we acknowledge the importance of a supportive and caring environment we are focused on fostering independence rather than dependence. Many of our young people may go on to rely on some level of support and help in later life to equip them with as many self-help skills and as much independence as possible. This will vary greatly from pupil to pupil, however, as with our school philosophy on the whole we look at the individual and set realistic but ambitious goals. We hope to create a self help and independent mind set amongst our pupils which in turn will give them a greater sense of self worth, freedom and ownership of their lives.

Conclusion:

At Pen y Bryn we passionately believe in developing bespoke learning programmes that best meet the needs of each and every individual class, need, age group, gender and culture. We have developed a system whereby our teachers and support staff can implement the key skills curriculum, devise units of work and prepare long term, medium term and short term plans as well as IEPs that address the specific educational requirements of their young people.

We do not believe in force fitting our pupils in a one-size- fits- all curriculum doggedly pursuing schemes of work unquestioningly whilst knowing with all of our experience and professionalism there is a wealth of sensory, interactive, needs-specific input waiting to be implemented to address life skills, physical development, sensory integration that could be fashioned and implemented with our specific pupils in mind.

We have developed a frame work that allows the professional judgement of our staff to adapt and tailor the areas of the National

Curriculum in a way that does meet the needs of our students head on. In small groups and with 1:1 input as well as whole class and across the whole school, our young people are having their specific levels and needs addressed and met in a thoughtful and targeted way.