Curriculum - Print version

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Main principles of CELC curriculum

  • ‘Enhancing Futures’ – maximising the potential of all our students
  • Create well rounded citizens who make a positive contribution to society
  • Broad, balanced and relevant.
  • A personalised curriculum with a choice of routes (reintegration into mainstream school or specialist provision where possible, recognising that some students require support to successfully complete Year 11 with us and get the best opportunities for post 16 provision). Students access a wide curriculum offer tailored to needs and aspirations, including a wide range of work-related learning course at KS4.
  • Sequenced and progressive
  • Meet students’ SEMH needs
  • Promotes knowledge and understanding; mastery of intellectual, physical and interpersonal skills and personal qualities, values and attitudes
  • Equality of access for all students to academic experiences
  • Choice of routes focusing on reintegration and / or post 16 provision
  • Offer a personalised curriculum including opportunities for entitlement to work related learning at KS4
  • A positive, secure and safe environment creating to enable students to learn
  • Meets all statutory requirements

Intent: Our ambitions for our students

Our students receive a broad and balanced curriculum offer which supports positive emotional, social and cognitive progress in a developmentally appropriate way. We recognise that our students attend CELC because they are, at that point in time, unable to succeed in a mainstream school. It is thus crucial that we provide a truly ‘alternative provision’ to mainstream schools to best meet our students’ needs. 

CELC’s offer goes beyond what a mainstream school can provide by tailoring a personalised curriculum for each student and by intensively addressing each student’s underlying SEMH needs. We seek to identify and meet our students’ academic and SEMH needs to enable them to reintegrate into mainstream school or into special educational settings or to support students to successfully complete Year 11 with us with improved prospects and engagement for Post-16.

Our curriculum has been thoughtfully constructed to allow each student to:

  • Re-engage with their education
  • Be inspired and motivated to achieve the best possible outcomes, whatever their ability
  • Develop the skills, behaviours and attitudes that will enable them to reintegrate to and be successful in the next phase of their education
  • Make progress from their individual starting points and to have success in learning
  • Focus on developing their social, emotional and mental health
  • Focus on core subjects (English, Mathematics and Science)
  • Explore enrichment subjects beyond the core curriculum
  • Lead healthy, safe and fulfilling lifestyles
  • Become responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society
  • Develop personal moral values, respect for religious values and tolerance of other races, religions and ways of life

KS3 - Our KS3 curriculum has a particular focus on reintegration into mainstream school or specialist provision. It is designed to cover all the competencies required for experiencing success in a new mainstream or special school placement.  Our students receive a balance of academic and personal development sessions. 

The academic lessons ensure a key focus on core subjects, engaging learners, identifying gaps in learning, and driving progress to equip students for success in their school career.

The personal development sessions enable us to do the same process of identifying gaps and driving progress, but with students’ SEMH needs – those which led them to being placed in our provision and which need addressing in order for them to move on. We provide a nurturing environment in which students’ underlying needs are identified and met.

KS4 - Our KS4 curriculum also aims to support reintegration where possible, though recognises that some students require support to successfully complete Year 11 with us.  Our curriculum offer is further tailored according to needs and abilities.  All our students receive a broad and balanced curriculum offer of accredited academic study, SEMH intervention and enrichment. 

A good proportion of students attend the centre full time.  Those that don’t, have access to 2 days Work Related Learning, this provides students’ with the opportunity to access a wide range of vocational qualifications which they can build upon during their Post16 education.  The remaining 3 days are spent within Centre and where students have access to a broad GCSE curriculum and additional SEMH support if required.

All students at both KS3 and KS4 are offered Quality Careers Advice, this is delivered by Prospects.

The core purpose of the ELC is ‘Enhancing Futures’ - maximising the potential of all of our students. Our students receive a broad and balanced curriculum offer which supports positive emotional, social and cognitive progress in a developmentally appropriate way.

We recognise that our students attend Coventry ELC because they are, at that point in time, unable to succeed in a mainstream school. It is thus crucial that we are providing a truly ‘alternative provision’ to mainstream schools in order to meet our students’ needs.Coventry ELC’s offer goes beyond what a mainstream school can provide by tailoring a personalised curriculum for each student and by intensively addressing each student’s underlying SEMH needs.

We seek to identify and meet our students’ academic and SEMH needs to enable them to reintegrate into mainstream school or into special educational settings or to support students to successfully complete Year 11 with us with improved prospects and engagement for Post-16.

Our curriculum has been thoughtfully constructed to:

  • Re-engage our students in their education
  • Inspire and motivate students to achieve
  • Enable all students to make progress from their individual starting points and to have success in learning
  • Focus on developing a student’s social, emotional and mental health
  • Have a strong curriculum focus on facilitating core subjects English, Mathematics and Science
  • Allow students to explore enrichment subjects beyond the core curriculum
  • Support all students to lead healthy and safe lifestyles
  • Support all students to develop the skills, behaviours and attitudes that will enable them to reintegrate to and be successful in the next phase of their education

The principles that underpin our pedagogy and all curriculum learning are:

  • The positive relationships between staff and students
  • The CELC provides a secure and safe environment creating the sense of safety to enable pupils to learn
  • The importance of transition in children’s lives

KS3

Our KS3 curriculum has a particular focus on reintegration. It is designed to cover all of the competencies required for experiencing success in a new mainstream or special school placement. Our students receive a balance of academic and enrichment sessions. The academic lessons ensure a key focus on core subjects, identifying gaps in learning and driving progress to equip students for success in their school career. The enrichment sessions enable us to do the same process of identifying gaps and driving progress, but with students’ SEMH needs – those which led them to being placed in our PRU and need addressing in order for them to move on. We provide a nurturing structure where there is a family atmosphere which will be personalised to each cohort of students.

KS4

Our KS4 curriculum also aims to support reintegration where possible, though recognises that some students require support to successfully complete Year 11 with us. Our curriculum offer is further tailored according to needs and abilities. All of our students receive a broad and balanced curriculum offer of accredited academic study, SEMH intervention and enrichment. Approximately half of our KS4 students remain in centre full-time whilst the other half spend two days per week benefiting from a vocational curriculum providing accreditation upon which they can build at Post-16 provision. We are working towards delivering most of these courses in-house at The Link site. Throughout 2019/20 we have expanded our in-house vocational offer of Hair & Beauty, Horticulture and Urban Arts courses. This offer will continue to expand to incorporate construction and vehicle maintenance in the first instance.

Implementation: Our structure and curriculum

Students’ attending CELC will join us having had very different experiences of education, with differing levels of engagement and varying curriculum offers. Those who are successful in being integrated into a new setting may experience yet another different curriculum. We have mixed ability classes of students, many of whom are not working at age related expectations. It is therefore important that our curriculum is flexible enough to enable us to engage all students and meet a wide range of needs and abilities.

A robust induction process ensures that as much relevant information as possible is gained from all stakeholders in order to inform the support each student receives. Each student who enters CELC will be assessed on entry. Students complete baseline assessments in Maths, English and Science, allowing staff to develop a curriculum offer that fills any gaps in prior learning and engage students with differentiated learning, whatever their starting point.

Provision is made within the school for all students with special educational needs and disabilities and those for whom English is an additional language.

Additional support is provided for students within the classroom. The student-focused provision, along with personalise pathways and differentiation, ensures that all students are stretched to meet their own potential.

Students continue to follow the requirements of the National Curriculum, whilst embarking on public examination courses leading to a range of qualifications (see below).

Our curriculum delivery is enhanced through the use of external specialists, including Northampton Saints [https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/community/saints-in-the-schools] (physical activity and personal development sessions - Saints in the Schools community programme) and Coventry Music Hub [https://www.coventrymusichub.co.uk/music-school?categoryId=5].

Our curriculum overview can be found in Appendix 1 [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/7016/curriculum].

WRL / Vocational Courses

A broad range of courses is offered to students within KS4. All courses are accredited and are sourced through Coventry Local Authority’s Work Related Learning Team. 

The current offer includes the following options:

  • Sports Leadership
  • Construction
  • Car Mechanics
  • Motorbike Safety and Maintenance
  • Gaming Design
  • Music
  • Health and Social Care
  • ICT
  • Boxing
  • Animal Care
  • Public Services

In addition to the offsite provision there is a purpose built Hair and Beauty facility at the Link site offering accredited courses in this area.  The onsite vocational offer will be enhanced when the redevelopment of the Link site is completed in 2022.  This will allow onsite courses to include construction, music, vehicle maintenance and sport/fitness.

Qualifications and Awards

Academic Qualifications

CELC seeks to provide qualifications at a range of levels, so that students experience success and gain confidence by securing early achievements to build upon.

KS4 students are entered for Functional Skills tests in English and / or Maths when they are ready.

The Unit Award Scheme (UAS) is a unique recording of achievement scheme, rather than a qualification.  It offers learners the opportunity to have their achievements formally recognised with a certificate each time a short unit of learning is successfully completed.

  • AQA Unit Award
  • Edexcel Functional Skills L1 and L2 at KS4
  • GCSE in Year 11

Vocational Qualifications

CELC offers a range of vocational qualifications through on-site and off-site Work Related Learning courses. Students experience success and gain confidence by securing early achievements which can progress to higher level qualifications for those who are able and are with us for long enough. 

  • BTEC
  • NOCN
  • The Learning Machine
  • Sports Leader SLQ

Impact: our outcomes

Our key indicator of success is not examination and test results alone but rather ‘enhancing futures’.  Whilst we care greatly about ensuring that all students gain the qualifications that they are capable of, we know that enhancing futures for our students is about far more:

  • Developing into a well-rounded citizen making a positive contribution to society.
  • Improved wellbeing.
  • Leaving us with the best possible skills and qualifications, built on the solid foundations outlined above, in order to:
    • Successfully reintegrate into a mainstream school
    • Secure a placement at a special school
    • Enter Post 16 education, employment or training.
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