English

English, the subject is about enriching, empowering and enlightening individuals, not only to the power of language but also to the riches of our culture and heritage, to the amazing possibilities of new technologies – and the dangers – and to the mysteries and wonders of the imagination. It is about opening hearts and minds to creativity, collaboration and learning for the sake and sheer enjoyment of it.

Aims:

Success, achievement and self-belief in Reading and Writing for all students
Improved self-esteem and confidence through the “I can read it, talk about it and write it” realisation.
Development of perseverance, grappling and self-motivation, essential skills for independent and lifelong learning.
To equip students with relevant and useful transferable skills.
To provide English provision tailored to meet the individual needs of the students.

Objectives:

To engender a feeling of enjoyment, success and a sense of achievement in all pupils so that every pupil believes he or she is capable of success and improvement
To improve self-esteem and confidence in the pupils so that they are able to take pride in their work and achievements, to persevere and take risks in their learning processes and as such, develop the skills which will enable them to become independent learners
To equip the students with meaningful, relevant and transferable language skills in order to function effectively throughout their lives and other areas of their learning journey.
To provide a safe and supportive environment where children develop a positive attitude to learning and feel able to take risks – a feeling of ‘can do’ or ‘am confident enough to have a try’
To facilitate collaboration with students, staff and other adults effectively, allowing time for reflection and critical evaluation.
To provide appropriate resources, activities and experiences to enable students to keep on a par with their peers, allowing them to reach their potential and facilitate reintegration into a mainstream setting. Key Grammar Skills are integrated into daily lessons to imbed solid foundations for future learning and life skills.
To ensure that young people are aware of the purpose and dangers of advertising, persuasive language and the manipulation of information and reporting sometimes prevalent in media.

Teaching and Learning

The lesson will normally be broken down into a starter activity that will draw on pupil’s previous learning.
Leading on from this is an English task encouraging independent reading and/or writing, incorporating a wide a range of interesting, relevant stimulus – using ICT, media, drama and critical skills challenges .
The main body of the lessons will follow the National Curriculum guidelines for what needs to be taught, influenced by our local schools. Key Skills are integrated into daily lessons to imbed solid foundations for future learning and life skills.
Reading is always acknowledged and encouraged throughout the Centre. Students below Age Related Expectations are identified quickly through rigorous, regular assessments in both reading and spelling and targeted interventions are timetabled as necessary. Pupils are explicitly taught a range of skills to support decoding, fluency and comprehension. These are followed up with a range of activities that consolidate reading skills, enhance text-based knowledge and develop wider skills for life.

Curriculum content:

The Curriculum-KS3

The main body of the lessons will follow National Curriculum guidelines. Key Stage 3 students study a different unit of work each half term, based around a theme or a genre, which gives them exposure to a wide range of literary and non-fiction texts. Pupils are taught about awareness of language and manipulation of information, particularly in media formats, and how to interpret and manage the impact of this for them. Often English lessons will link to PHSE and other curriculum areas to enable pupils to make links with English and the wider world. Units are designed to consolidate and extend each student’s learning. This enables students to keep on a par with their peers, allowing them to reach their potential

Spoken Language and Communication

Pupils are encouraged to develop their communication skills throughout the year. They are taught how to communicate in a range of formal and informal situations and how to develop their listening skills. This is done through a range of activities within lessons, enrichment activities and, in Year 11, culminates in the planning, preparation and performing a 5-10 minute presentation on a topic of interest for their Spoken Language Endorsement.

KS3 Maths

At the West Cumbria Learning Centre, we aim to create learning environments that are innovative, motivational and impactful on students’ lives. We strive to do this by offering learning packages that are relevant to each child, that inspire them to want to learn more and that encourage them to become lifelong learners. The focus of mathematics teaching is to provide students with strong mathematical foundations, to allow students to tackle deeper tasks and enabling students to relate mathematics to real life.

Aims

Success, achievement and self-belief in maths for all students.
Improved self-esteem and confidence through the “I can do maths” realisation.
Development of perseverance, grappling and self-motivation, essential skills for independent and lifelong learning.
To equip students with relevant and useful transferable skills.
Mathematics provision tailored to meet the individual needs of the students.
Development of fluent knowledge, skills and understanding of mathematical methods and concepts taught in an appropriate, consistent and explicit manner.
Ability to select and apply mathematical techniques to solve problems.
Ability to reason mathematically, make deductions and inferences and draw conclusions.

Objectives

To engender a feeling of enjoyment, success and a sense of achievement in all pupils, so that every pupil believes he or she is capable of success and improvement.
To improve self-esteem and confidence in pupils, so that they are able to take pride in their work and achievements, to persevere and take risks in their learning processes and as such, develop the skills which will enable them to become independent learners.
To provide basic numeracy strategies, to allow students to access the mathematical work relevant to their age and understanding.
To equip the students with meaningful, relevant and transferable language skills in order to function effectively throughout their lives and other areas of their learning journey.
To provide a safe and supportive environment where children develop a positive attitude to learning and feel able to take risks – a feeling of ‘can do’ or ‘am confident enough to have a try’.
To provide a wide range of interesting and accessible activities to enable the students to engage with and improve their maths knowledge and skills.
To provide appropriate resources, activities and experiences to enable students to keep on a par with their peers, allowing them to reach their potential.
To facilitate collaboration with students, staff and other adults effectively, allowing time for reflection and critical evaluation. Encouraging students to generate their own targets /steps forward.

Teaching and Learning

The lesson is broken down into a starter activity that will initiate mathematical thinking and engagement or a starter activity which embeds previous knowledge and facilitates fluency.
Leading on from this is a mathematical task encouraging independent grappling and application. We strive to develop an environment where being stuck is ok. What is really important is the thinking and processes that take place to become unstuck and learning from our mistakes.
The main body of the lessons will follow the KS3 National Curriculum.
Modelling and pictorial representation is used to break down various mathematical techniques, enabling students to then tackle a range a problems with increased confidence.
Lessons are sequenced to facilitate progress with opportunities for revision and consolidation. Quick quizzes are incorporated into the lesson structure to check recall and understanding.
Termly Knowledge and Skills students sheets are shared with the student (in books) to allow for discussion and to show progress.
Termly reading tasks are provided (Green Paper, in books) to facilitate and encourage reading across the curriculum.

Curriculum Content

KS3

The topics taught at KS3 develop key mathematical skills to prepare students for everyday life and the world of work.

They set the groundwork for GCSE’s and allow our students time to consolidate and extend their mathematical knowledge ready for reintegration into a mainstream setting.

It is very common for pupils to arrive at our Pupil Referral Unit with large gaps in their mathematical knowledge and understanding. A baseline assessment is completed to ascertain individuals’ students knowledge and learning gaps. Small class sizes, regular assessment and individually targeted intervention work all ensure that pupils receive lessons that not only match their current level of ability, but also aim to plug gaps in knowledge and consolidate the foundations of their mathematical understanding.

The fundamental topics are those under the number strand. These underpin all other strands and a solid understanding is crucial to progress. For example- Times tables are practiced weekly. This knowledge will lead to more difficult applications such as 3 x 9 to 0.9 x 3 to 0.9 x 0.3.

Students will make cross-curricular links- graphs in Science, weighing and measuring – reading scales in Food Technology.

Students have 4 lessons of maths weekly.

The Curriculum builds on and extends previous learning which when mastered allows deeper connections to be made.

Year 7

Students are taught: Algebraic thinking: Sequences/Understand and use notations/Equality and equivalence. Place value and proportion: Place value, ordering integers and decimals/ fraction decimals and percentage equivalence. Application of number: Solving addition and subtraction problems/Solving multiplication and division problems/ Fractions and percentages of amounts. Directed number: Operations and equations. Fractional thinking: Addition and subtraction of fractions. Lines and angles: Constructing, measuring and using geometric notation/Developing geometric reasoning. Reasoning with number: Developing number sense/Sets and probability/ Prime numbers and proof.

Year 8

Students are taught: Proportional reasoning: Ratio and scale/Multiplicative change/Multiplying and dividing fractions. Representations: Working in the Cartesian plane/Representing data/ Tables and probability. Algebraic techniques: Brackets, equations and inequalities/Sequences/Indices. Developing number: Fractions and percentages/standard index form/Number sense. Developing geometry and reasoning with data: Angles in parallel lines and polygons/Area of trapezia and circles/Line symmetry and reflection/The data handling cycle/Measure os location.

Year 9

Students are taught: Reasoning with algebra: Straight line graphs/Forming and solving equations/ Testing conjectures. Constructing in 2 and 3 dimensions: Three dimensional shapes/constructions and congruency. Reasoning with number: Numbers/Using percentages/Maths and money. Reasoning with geometry: Deduction/Rotation and translation/Pythagoras’ theorem. Reasoning with proportion: Enlargement and similarity/Solving ratio and proportion problems/Rates. Representations and revision: Probability. Algebraic Representation.

Science

At the West Cumbria Learning Centre, we aim to create learning environments that are innovative, motivational and impactful on students’ lives. We strive to do this by offering learning packages that are relevant to each child, that inspire them to want to learn more and that encourage them to become lifelong learners. The science curriculum supports this by helping students to develop their interest in the natural universe and providing the skills needed to understand it.

Aims

Preparing our children for life in an increasingly scientific and technological world
Fostering concern about, and active care for, our environment
Helping our children acquire a growing understanding of scientific ideas
Helping develop and extend our children’s scientific concept of their world
Developing our children’s understanding of the international and collaborative nature of science

Objectives

Encouraging the development of positive attitudes to science
Building on our children’s natural curiosity and developing a scientific approach to problems
Encouraging open-mindedness, self-assessment, perseverance and responsibility
Building our children’s self-confidence to enable them to work independently
Developing our children’s social skills to work co-operatively with others
Providing our children with an enjoyable experience of science, so that they will develop a deep and lasting interest and may be motivated to study science further
Giving our children an understanding of scientific processes
Helping our children to acquire practical scientific skills
Developing the skills of investigation – including observing, measuring, predicting hypothesising, experimenting, communicating, interpreting, explaining and evaluating
Developing the use of scientific language, recording and techniques
Developing the use of ICT in investigating and recording
Enabling our children to become effective communicators of scientific ideas, facts and data

Teaching and Learning

Teaching science in ways that are imaginative, purposeful, well managed and enjoyable
Giving clear and accurate teacher explanations and offering skillful questioning
Pupils are expected to use correct literacy skills in line with all other subjects. Emphasis throughout the lesson will be clear and in line with the Literacy policy
Numeracy will be emphasised through graphs, interpreting data and in line with the Numeracy Policy
Making links between science and other subjects

Curriculum Content

KS3

The KS3 curriculum is designed to provide a foundation of scientific skills and knowledge that prepares them for more in-depth study at KS4

KS3

Students are taught:

Cells

Particles

Forces

Body systems

Elements, atoms, compounds

Sound

Light

Reproduction

Reactions

Space

Acids and bases

Health

Periodic table

Electricity and magnetism

Ecosystems

Separation techniques

Energy

Adaptations and inheritance

Metals and acids

Motion and pressure

Earth

Humanities Skills and Knowledge 3a

Humanities Skills and Knowledge 3b

Aims

To give each pupil equal access to the content and skills of Geography, History and Religious Education (RE) as curriculum areas within the Centre
To develop the specific talents of each pupil within the Humanities subjects, so encouraging each pupil to achieve to the best of his / her own ability
To provide each pupil with a knowledge and understanding of the world in which they live, developing their appreciation of historical and political events, the importance of sustainability, different cultures, religions and ways of life.
To encourage and develop pupils’ skills of mutual co-operation and respect for others
To allow students the opportunity to make informed decisions about social, moral and political issues within the Centre curriculum
To develop each pupil’s awareness of their own role and value within the local, national and international environment so as to encourage them to make a positive and responsible contribution to modern society
To work co-operatively with other subjects to develop cross-curricular themes and initiatives.

Teaching and Learning

Students have one lesson weekly, which is taught in termly blocks – split between history and geography. RE is taught through a cultural day, once a term.

Religious Education

Pupils experience activities which develop their awareness of other beliefs and rituals and compare these to our own. They also experience wider cultural sessions linking Geography, History, Art, Music and cooking in different cultures. Pupils follow the Cumbria Agreed Syllabus, which is designed to foster a reflective approach to living by understanding the nature of religious beliefs and practices, together with an understanding of the influences of these on the lives of the believers. Christian beliefs are studied alongside other major world religions, which we believe is essential in preparing students for life in a multi-cultural society.

T1.HINDUISM

T2.CHRISTIANITY

T3.SIKHISM

T4.JUDAISM

T5.BUDDHISM

T6.ISLAM.

History
The curriculum builds on topics studied at KS2 and aims to give students an experience which encourages the development of skills, investigation and enquiry whilst securing a chronological understanding of History as well as developing enjoyment and passion for future study. Where possible, the timing of teaching and learning takes relevance from international calendars for remembrance and awareness. A thematic approach is taken to allow pupils to make links between events and deepen their understanding of cause and effect. The themes continue through KS4 and enable pupils to prepare for the challenges of a KS4 curriculum.

Geography
The curriculum is aimed to give students an experience which encourages the development of skills, investigation and enquiry whilst securing a range of geographical knowledge as well as developing enjoyment and passion for future study.

	Term 1	Term 2	Term 3	Term 4	Term 5	Term 6
Theme	War	The UK	Inequality & Segregation	The physical World	Shaping our Nation	The Wider World
Y7 and 8	WW1	Introduction to the UK	Slavery	Rainforests	American Civil Rights	Introduction to the Wider World
Year 9	WW2	People of the UK	The Holocaust	Dangerous Planet	Suffragettes	Africa

KS3a Art Skills and Knowledge

KS3b Art Skills and Knowledge

GCSE Art Craft & Design

At WCLC, we aim to create a learning environment that are innovative, motivational and impactful on student’s lives. We strive to do this by offering learning packages that are relevant to each student, that inspire them to want to learn more and that encourage them to become lifelong learners.

In GCSE Art lessons, students learn through a variety of experiences, various process, tools, techniques, materials and resources.

Aims

To allow students the opportunity to express themselves after studying historical and contemporary artists.
To provide enjoyable practical experiences, which enable students to gain confidence and competence to express themselves in an extensive range of materials and contemporary technologies such as digital photography.

Curriculum Content

Year 7 & 8

Students will study what’s in a building, Aboriginal Art, 3D relief work, looking at architecture local and worldwide, exploring different artists and drawing with different media skills, students will use this information and gain knowledge to design 2D and 3D house plans and models. In the Spring term students will study Shared View, explore different cultures and environmental issues in our local area and how it affects our wildlife, understanding pattern work using tone and texture. In the summer term we discover the beautiful landscapes around us, focusing on perspective and the use of different media, photography and painting skills. Research work of local and worldwide artists that have explored landscapes through different cultures.

Year 9

In the Autumn term students will focus on self-image, looking at the proportions and features of the face and how different artists capture this. Digital photography is used to enhance learning and manipulate to create collages. Paint mixing and shading to create skin colour and recreate a portrait using their choice of media. Spring term the students will study an art-based graphics project, to design a new mobile phone, making model prototypes and packaging, finding out how to advertise their product. Students learn how to draw using isometric grid method and learn about graphic expressions in relation to human measurements. Summer term students discover personal and public places, research local and world-wide sculptures. Students will look at architects and artists such as Gaudi and Frank Gehery, students plan and design a group art display with the school.

KS4

Year 10 students will study and complete project work related to natural forms and manmade objects. Students choose a variety of media, and methods to create a portfolio of work based on their interests, they must complete art work from two different areas below for their choice of project.

Students will study natural and manmade environments focusing on different artists. Students will visit an art gallery and put together ideas, mount work and in preparation for their examination.

During KS4 students must explore and create work associated with areas of study from at least two titles listed below. This accounts for 60% of the total GCSE Grade.

Fine art: for example, drawings, paintings, sculpture, installation, lens-/light-based media, photography and the moving image, printmaking, mixed media and land art.
Graphic communication: for example, communication graphics, design for print, advertising exhibition graphics.
Textile design: for examples, fashion design and illustration, costume design, constructed textiles, printed and dyed textiles, surface pattern, stitched or embellished textiles, soft furnishings or textiles for interiors, digital textiles and installed textiles.
Three-dimensional design: for example, architectural design, sculpture, ceramics, product design, jewellery and body adornment, interior design, environmental/landscapes/garden design, exhibition design, three-dimensional digital design and designs for theatre, film and television.
Photography: for example, portraiture, location photography and studio, experimental imagery, documentary photography, photo-journalism, moving image: film, video and animation, fashion photography.

Component 1: must show evidence of working in areas of study drawn from two or more of the titles considering the distinguishing characteristic of art, craft and design.

Component 2: must show evidence of areas of study drawn from one or more of the titles.

The areas of study selected for component 1 can be the same as, or different from, those selected for component 2.

Students must explore, through a range of two-dimensional and/or three- dimensional processes and media, practical application of skills and relevant critical and contextual sources such as work of contemporary artists, designers and different purposes, intentions and functions of art, craft and design.

Students must develop and apply the knowledge, understanding and skills specified in the Subject content within the context of their selected titles and areas of study.

Further information about the GCSE Art curriculum can be obtained at: https://www.aga.org.uk/subject/art

Accreditation

AQA GCSE Art 8202/C

Food Skills and Knowledge 3a

Food Skills and Knowledge 3b

Food

Our catering lessons facilitate regular opportunities for students to develop both emotional resilience and life skills whilst gaining confidence and showcasing their creativity.

Curriculum Content KS3

All students take part in weekly practical and food theory lessons. Content is reviewed and revisited in more depth throughout the curriculum to ensure progress, so that students will:

Develop knowledge and understanding of food safety and hygiene practices and implement these in practice.
Be able to demonstrate effective and safe cooking skills by planning, preparing and cooking a variety of food commodities whilst using different cooking techniques and equipment.
Develop knowledge and understanding of the functional properties and chemical characteristics of food as well as a sound knowledge of the nutritional content of food and drinks.
Understand the relationship between diet, nutrition and health and the source and functions of nutrients, alongside the physiological and psychological effects of poor diet and health.
Understand the economic, environmental, ethical and socio-cultural influences on food availability, production processes, diet and health choices; including budgeting, using seasonal produce and reducing food waste.
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of functional and nutritional properties, sensory qualities and microbiological food safety considerations when preparing, processing, storing, cooking and serving food.
Understand and explore a range of ingredients and processes from different culinary traditions (traditional British and international) to inspire new ideas or modify existing recipes.

WJEC Level 1 / 2 Vocational Award in Hospitality and Catering

At KS4 students will study the WJEC Level 1 / 2 Vocational Award in Hospitality and Catering. This builds on the knowledge, understanding and skills that they have worked on in KS3, as well as gaining knowledge and understanding of the hospitality and catering sector. Students will have the opportunity to develop across a wide range of skills relevant across the industry and to benefit them both now and in later life; from food preparation and cooking techniques to organisation, time management, planning, communication and problem solving.

This specification has been chosen as it enables students to experience a balance between practical and theoretical knowledge and understanding along with a sound knowledge of the industry, which is a major employer of people – locally, nationally and in other countries. This qualification is also studied in many schools near to us, which students may be transitioning to/from and it enables progression on to further training for those wishing to pursue a career in hospitality and catering, as well as promoting many transferable skills.

Personal Development

We provide an individualised and relevant Personal Development curriculum inclusive of PSHE and Citizenship curriculum to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and prepare them for the opportunities and responsibilities of life.

The curriculum enables pupils to develop overarching concepts, essential skills and attributes needed to thrive in a time of rapid change with new and unpredictable opportunities and challenges constantly emerging.

Our pupils learn about their rights and responsibilities and are taught the importance of integrity and autonomy.

Throughout the lessons, our pupils develop respect for their environments and communities whilst promoting self-esteem and emotional development this helps pupils to form and maintain satisfying relationships.

Our programme of study an integral part of our Tutor sessions and our Outdoor Learning Education curriculum. Throughout timetabled sessions we encourage a sense of social responsibility, community involvement and political understanding.

We provide pupils with the knowledge, skills and understanding to play an effective role in public life.
We promote community cohesion by helping our students to respect people’s differences, whilst also promoting shared values.
We promote Citizenship, which allows our pupils to become better informed young citizens; as they get an opportunity to explore aspects of Rights, Responsibilities, the Legal System, Politics, the Media as well as contemporary global issues such as Fair Trade and Sustainable Development.

It is not enough for us to teach our pupils, we provide time for them to explore values, attitudes and beliefs through open discussion, allowing them to develop skills and strategies to manage issues should they arise in their lives outside. We have carefully considered the needs of our students and consider Personal Development to be incredibly important to prepare our pupils for issues faced by young people today. Our overarching concepts are:

Identity (their personal qualities, attitudes, skills, attributes and achievements and what influences these; understanding and maintaining boundaries around their personal privacy, including online)
Relationships (including different types and in different settings, including online)
A healthy (including physically, emotionally and socially), balanced lifestyle (including within relationships, work-life, exercise and rest, spending and saving and lifestyle choices). In addition we plan lessons for all students around National Health Data statistics which highlight relevant issues for our County and therefore prevalent for our students.
Risk (identification, assessment and how to manage risk, rather than simply the avoidance of risk for self and others) and safety (including behaviour and strategies to employ in different settings, including online in an increasingly connected world. We work closely with Cumbria Police to identify risks to our students, plan and deliver relevant lessons- sharing the delivery between knowledgeable police officers and the PD teacher- ASB/ County lines/Staying safe online.
Diversity and equality (in all its forms, with due regard to the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010)
Rights (including the notion of universal human rights), responsibilities (including fairness and justice) and consent (in different contexts)
Change (as something to be managed) and resilience (the skills, strategies and ‘inner resources’ we can draw on when faced with challenging change or circumstance)
Power (how it is used and encountered in a variety of contexts including online; how it manifests through behaviours including bullying, persuasion, coercion and how it can be challenged or managed through negotiation and ‘win-win’ outcomes)
Career (including enterprise, employability and economic understanding)

Our Medium Term planning is around the Three Core Themes, using the PHSE Associations framework and their Good Practice resources. Staying safe online, PSED and LGBTQ+ is threaded throughout.

Health and Wellbeing
Relationships
Living in the Wider World

In Key Stage 3

Students study the following topics:

Health and wellbeing– Promoting self-esteem and a positive self image; Stigma towards mental health; Healthy Choices; Healthy Bodies; staying safe online, alcohol, drugs smoking (CADAS) ; ‘Really’ programme – Teenage pregnancy ; emotional neglect; bullying ; LGBTQ+ ; Where to get support.

Relationships-This is abuse; Real Love Rocks and the REACH programme ; homophobia, sexism and Cyber bullying ; Sex and Relationships Education; CEOP- Grooming, Power and Control ; Healthy relationships, Healthy Bodies ; STI’s ; Sexual exploitation / Grooming/ County Lines ; Real love rocks ; FGM ; contraception ; sexting ; Where to get support.

The Wider World– Identity and Community ; Human and Child rights ; Interfamilial abuse ; British Values ; Money sense ; Careers ; British Values ; multiculturalism ; Extremism ; Staying safe online- In a Connected World; Where to get support.

Year 10

Students study the following topics:

Health and wellbeing – promoting self-esteem, creating stronger minds to manage the stresses of life ; strategies to cope with stress ; mental health and body image ; emotional and mental health ; Healthy minds / Healthy bodies ; Where to get support.

Relationships– ‘First to a million’ resources ; reporting problems online ; rights and responsibilities online ; digital footprint ; peer pressure ; healthy relationships/ Healthy Bodies ; Sexual exploitation / Grooming/ County Lines ; sexting ; Consent ; Real Love Rocks ; Drugs, alcohol and smoking (CADAS) ; LGBTQ+ ; Where to get support.

The Wider World– Diversity and Values ; challenging extremism and radicalisation ; British Values ; Business and enterprise ; Employability ; Staying safe online in a Connected World ; Where to get support.

Year 11

Students study the following topics:

Health and wellbeing – promoting self-esteem and coping with stress; mental health and body image ; emotional and mental health ; health and safety in independent contexts ; taking responsibility for health choices ; online relationships and media influences; internet safety and harms ; Where to get support.

Relationships– Personal values and assertive communication in relationships; Real Love Rocks ; Consent ; tackling domestic abuse ; forced marriage ; Sexual exploitation / Grooming/ County Lines ; British values, human rights and Community Cohesion ; challenging extremism and radicalisation ; drugs alcohol and smoking (CADAS) ; Where to get support.

The Wider World– Careers- Morgan Sindall Programme – Open Opportunities, Staying safe online in a Connected World, skills for employment and career progression, money sense ; Where to get support.