Curriculum Offer

The curriculum at Alt Bridge School has been designed to be ambitious and to ensure that all students access a broad range of skills and knowledge.  Our curriculum has also been designed to prepare students for their next steps and so that they are equipped to lead successful adult lives.

Our whole school curriculum is overseen by our curriculum leader.  The curriculum is divided into clusters of subjects and provisions which hold a complimentary theme for the intention of skills and knowledge for our students.  There is a curriculum leader for each of the clusters.

The seven clusters include:

-Innovation and discovery curriculum

-Language and Literature curriculum

-Thriving curriculum

-Global curriculum

-Arts curriculum

-Physical development curriculum

-Virtual curriculum

We offer a bespoke curriculum that meets the needs of all our learners.  The national curriculum has been adapted and enhanced by our unique offer.  Our curriculum has been designed by our cluster leaders based on what we feel our students need to know, be able to do and remember. 

Curriculum Intent 

The curriculum intent for Alt Bridge students is that they access a broad, balanced and engaging curriculum which is adapted where needed, in order to meet the holistic needs of students. Our curriculum intent is to ensure that our students are well prepared for adulthood and are supported to achieve personal success in their chosen pathways. We aim to equip them with the relevant knowledge they need, whilst ensuring they have the skills to apply this knowledge widely and the ability to retain it.  

We recognise the importance of supporting our students with the long-term retention of knowledge and skills to enable greater success across the curriculum.  We hold high expectations of, and for our students and work to instil in them, a commitment to continued learning throughout life. We place importance on the development of personal skills and utilise a wide range of opportunities in order to build cultural capital, thereby enhancing their learning experiences. We place further emphasis on building the communication skills of our students so that they may find and use their voices to steer their course towards their best possible outcomes in adult life.   

A key to the curriculum for our students is to enhance accessibility. We achieve this through a variety of ways such as the teaching of self-regulation skills, reading skills and developing independence, as well as ensuring that our curriculum is engaging and relevant. Our students can also expect equal opportunities through our educational provision, a strong focus on equalities and mental health and a keen commitment to celebrate diversity. At Alt Bridge School, students who require more individualised support are also able to access a range of additional provision. We continually prepare students to contribute positively to society and we also teach them how to keep themselves safe and build resilience. It is important they know how to seek support and how to maintain positive connections with others through their communities.  

The curriculum prepares students for the opportunities, responsibilities, and experiences which they will encounter in adult life and promotes spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The curriculum is enriched with a range of activities designed to build character and resilience whilst also enhancing wellbeing. We believe that by providing opportunities for thinking, exploration and creativity, our students will continue to develop their independence as learners and we provide both challenge and support to achieve this aim.  

Alt Bridge School assesses the progress students make using a variety of formative and summative assessment methods. Our rationale for assessment is that it provides us with important information about the knowledge and skills our students acquire over time through the curriculum and enables us to monitor progress against their individually planned outcomes. The information we gather informs our curriculum planning, the selection of qualifications and options we offer at Key Stage 4 and our specialist provision. 

At Alt Bridge School we consider the whole child and personalise learning to suit the needs of all our learners.  We adopt a personalised approach to enhance the provision for each student so that they can access the curriculum. There is also strong emphasis on reading at Alt Bridge School. Throughout the curriculum we focus on preparing our students for adulthood and lifelong learning by developing;

• Independence
• Thinking skills
• Communication
• Wellbeing
• Self-regulation
• Confidence

We use a range of strategies to support the students with their learning.  A range of scaffolding techniques are used in order to develop student independence.  Effective questioning also supports the retention of knowledge.  Growth mind-set is promoted throughout the curriculum and students are taught to develop thinking skills.

 We continually strive to develop classroom practice through ongoing;

• Continued Professional Development (training)
• Collaborative coaching
• Utilising pupil voice
• Implementing specialist approaches
• Assessing the impact of the curriculum and reviewing regularly

The curriculum is divided into three pathways, consisting of key stage three and four class groups.  It is divided into clusters of subjects which hold similar skills and knowledge, enabling students to transfer learning across a number of subjects. There is a curriculum leader for each of the clusters.

Alt Bridge School is a secondary provision split into KS3, 4 and 5.  We also have four base classes; Dragon Class, Helix Class, Phoenix and Pegasus Class. Within the key stages, there are the following groupings of classes:

Students follow an adapted national curriculum in both KS3 and 4.  Students in KS4 also have the opportunity to choose from a range of option subjects.

Following a secondary model, lessons are delivered by subject specialists and students are taught in mixed ability groups.

In addition, the curriculum offers:

• Nurture support where required
• Sensory programmes and Occupational therapy for students where needed
• Speech and Language therapy programmes
• Targeted Maths and English support delivered by academic mentors
• Mentoring and therapeutic support from the Wellbeing Hub

Our wider curriculum includes residential and educational visits, visits into the local community, sports activities and a wide range enrichment opportunities.

The curriculum at Alt Bridge is based on the National Curriculum and no pupils are dis-applied. It is run as a secondary model for both core and foundation subjects and is delivered by subject specialists. It is also annually reviewed to ensure we are adequately catering for the ever-changing needs of our pupils.

Subject Time Allocation

KS4

It is our intention at Key Stage 4 to seek as many opportunities as possible for accreditation for the work and attainment of our learners. Key Stage 4 Students are organised into ability groups for Maths and English. Students are also taught Science, Computing, PSHCE (including sex and relationships), PE and Life Skills. 

During year 9, students would make selections from a range of subjects for their KS4 options. All students also study for a BTEC in vocational studies.

Included on the timetable is an opportunity to enjoy enrichment activities.  There are a variety of activities on offer including Forest School and Duke of Edinburgh.

We offer accredited courses in many subjects and at varying levels in order to ensure that learning is personalised as much as possible to meet the needs of all of our learners at Alt Bridge School.   Accredited courses range from GCSE and Level 1/2 qualifications, Entry Level and ASDAN to Unit Awards.

Options

In addition to the compulsory subject areas above, students will select three options subjects that they will study alongside the core subjects.  

We have made every effort to ensure that there are a variety of options available and that these are offered at various ability levels in order to offer every student a curriculum that is not only broad and balance, but personalised and enables them to succeed.

Not all options are guaranteed to run and group sizes are limited to 10.

Philosophy for Children

Rationale

At Alt Bridge School we continue to embed philosophy into our curriculum and utilise the approaches to develop the oracy, social and thinking skills of our students.

Taking the time to consider key questions linked to the curriculum, provides our students will an opportunity to really think and explore their reasoning. Examples of such questions might be….

• in art – what makes something beautiful?
• in P.E. – is there such a thing as a fair race?
• in history – is it possible to have a just war?

By asking questions and exploring ideas in groups, students have opportunities to hear and consider opposing views to their own and also express their own views to others in a considered way.

P4C has been found to have a very positive impact on self-esteem and confidence whilst helping students to develop key speaking, listening, social and cognitive abilities. More information about the benefits of P4C can be found at this link;

https://www.sapere.org.uk/about-us/p4c-research.aspx

Even more than this, P4C strongly supports our school ethos and values by helping our students to share their ideas and opinions. We are a Rights Respecting School and we support Article 12 of the UN Convention on Children’s Rights which states that children still have the human right to have opinions and for these opinions to be heard and taken seriously.

It says that the opinions of children and young people should be considered when people make decisions about things that involve them. Their opinions shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand on the grounds of age. They should be taken seriously, with their evolving capacities taken into account. It is important that we help our students to develop their capacity to form and share opinions.

Our students are asked to express their views often in relation to their needs, educational provision and also the support that may help them through the annual review process.

P4C Project

Alt Bridge School is excited to be part of the Thinking Together in Science and RE project with SAPHERE P4C. This project is funded by the Templeton World Charity Foundation as part of the Big Questions in Classroom project.

The project supports students and teachers from both Science and Religious Education departments to use P4C to explore the philosophical dimensions of RE and science.

Our communication curriculum is designed to provide opportunities for students to develop their speaking and listening skills. The combined approaches of oracy across the curriculum, Philosophy for Children (P4C) and our social communication provision, all promote and develop communication skills amongst our students.  In addition to these key approaches, all staff are trained in how to support communication through a variety of every day strategies.

School ethos and values

Our main school approaches to behaviour for learning have a key focus on communication skills. Both Zones of Regulation and Restorative Practices support students to develop their language around emotions and also problem solving. You can find out more about our behaviour for learning approaches at the link to our behaviour and expectation webpage below;

Link to behaviour and expectations page

Voice 21 project

We know from the Speak for Change report (April 2021) that the pandemic has had a significant impact on the ‘language gap’ amongst many children and young people.

https://oracy.inparliament.uk/sites/oracy.inparliament.uk/files/2021-04/Oracy_APPG_FinalReport_28_04%20%284%29.pdf

Following our engagement with the Voice 21 project and our other approaches, we have more meaningful opportunities for pupils to develop oracy across the curriculum. Staff are aware of the importance of communication skills and how to model and support oracy across the curriculum.

We even continued to support oracy skills during lockdown, when our staff used verbal feedback via Seesaw for the work students produced. We were aware that the students were missing opportunities for spontaneous talk outside of their home bubble so we worked to provide these opportunities. Staff have continued to utilise voice notes and to encourage students to do so, in order to share their views/ideas.

Oracy organisers have been created for core subjects to showcase the oracy framework to support our students to be confident communicators.

https://voice21.org/

Developing Oracy

At Alt Bridge school we are passionate about our pupils finding their voice and expressing themselves effectively. Being able to articulate thoughts and feelings is a fundamental skill for our learners to develop, not just in education but also in life. While speaking and listening activities are embedded into the Language and Literature Curriculum, in order to further support communication skills, oracy is incorporated into all lessons.

Often, pupils are given real life scenarios when practicing their oracy skills. This can be something as basic as asking for an item in a shop to practising for an interview or presenting to a class or small group of people. We strive to build confidence in pupils by giving them the necessary tools they need to succeed as well as creating a secure environment in which to express their voice. By providing ample opportunities for pupils to practice oracy, their skills will develop further.

At Alt Bridge School we engage with Speakers Trust; an organisation who are dedicated to building a stronger society in which the voices of young people are heard. This engagement has allowed our pupils to build their confidence in social situations and formal presentations as well as catalyst their levels in the speaking and listening assessments in English; giving them the best chances in the next stage of their education and employment