Our ambitious curriculum is designed to be broad and balanced in both an academic sense – in many areas taking the National Curriculum as a starting point – and in deliberately identifying and addressing the SEMH needs which otherwise limit the progress and opportunities of many students. All KS4 students have the opportunity to access GCSEs including English and Maths, along with other GCSEs and L1/2 Vocational Awards. Almost all students will study GCSE English, Maths and Two Science GCSEs. Without this, many next step destinations would not be available. Though many may not achieve a grade 4 given the gaps in learning on arrival, by covering the content now we are best preparing them for success later.
Students access provision at West Cumbria Learning Centre via a number of routes. In some cases students have been Permanently excluded from their mainstream school. Others remain on roll at their mainstream but are ‘dual-registered’ and referred to West Cumbria Learning Centre for additional support for a limited period. For some KS4 students an Alternate Curriculum is sought for the whole of KS4 and, whilst they remain on roll at their mainstream schools, they access a vocational provision at West Cumbria Learning Centre with the additional benefits of the Social Emotional Learning focus. These places are allocated via the Western Heads Inclusion Panel sub-committee. Some students are unable to access education in their mainstream setting for medical reasons and instead attend HHTS based at West Cumbria Learning Centre. For a small number of students with a high level of need the SEMH department at West Cumbria Learning Centre is identified in their Education Health and Care Plan where students access a more intensive nurturing SEL provision.
Behaviour management plans are devised and regularly reviewed, and outside specialist agencies are accessed where appropriate to support the individual. Students also have access to specialist teaching staff and may take part in whole centre activities. Students are retested half-termly and their next steps determined. Some permanently excluded students, or those at risk of permanent exclusion who are referred to West Cumbria Learning Centre will continue to receive educational provision in Centre leading to eventual full reintegration into mainstream school. For others, immediate re-integration into mainstream school will be the most appropriate educational provision. The speed of transition and the support programme for reintegration is based on each individual student’s need and the support available from the receiving mainstream school, along with the individual student’s engagement with the process.
Non-core subjects taught at West Cumbria Learning Centre have strong links to, and are informed by Local Labour Market information ensuring students are best placed to access the opportunities available locally. Additionally, options are selected for the therapeutic and stress reducing impact they have on a child’s emotional well-being – for example art and cooking. The curriculum is Cumulative – where possible we allow students to regularly achieve throughout their time here. Not everything is a high stakes final exam (deficit model.) Students may study a range of AQA Unit Awards, gain professional industry recognised qualifications, sport specific NGB qualifications to complement the final GCSE/BTEC qualifications. This is particularly important to students who only stay for a short period or who join late into KS4, to ensure they still have potential to have successes officially recognised. All curriculum areas are sequenced and progressive where appropriate – WWI before the Rise of the Nazis, Identify before Describe, Explain before Evaluate, Woodland Walk before Scafell Pike, linear equations before quadratic equations, line drawing before shading and texture. Where there is a choice, the units or content that is chosen is deliberate to support the moral and social needs of the students and the angle from which content is taught again deliberately supports this rational – live issues in humanities topics seek to develop empathy and understanding with current issues such as refugees. Personal Development is vital and central to the learning needs of our students. It is taught explicitly but also threaded throughout the curriculum. Subjects use experience to go beyond the content and make the subject both real and enriching. Cultural Capital rich experiences – such as visits to a museum or a guest speaker from an aspirational destination, a positive female role model in given curriculum areas or an insight into opportunities locally – all enrich the learning experience. Cross-curricular themes – Spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness are taught throughout the curriculum, during assemblies and tutor time, as well as through relevant educational visits and visitors and each half term through ‘Cultural Days.’ Students will be offered work experience should it be felt that such an opportunity would meet the student’s needs. Work Experience placements are undertaken during school hours and support a student’s progress.
