ARAN HALL SCHOOL – CURRICULUM POLICY
ACADEMIC YEARS: 2021 - 23
Health and Safety Staff follow the school’s health and safety policies and procedures and receive training so that they understand and feel confident in doing so. All environments and learning activities are risk assessed; any off-site activities are risk assessed separately. All pupils have an individual risk assessment (RAMP) which is regularly reviewed, and read and considered when planning all learning activities. Personalised Approach As a school with a small number of pupils, we are advantaged in being able to personalise each pupil’s curriculum and learning opportunities – both throughout the school day and, as all of our pupils are residential and most on 52-week placements, beyond school hours as well. Pupils have a variety of targets set, usually in consultation and agreement with the Care and Education teams, via EHCPs, LAC Reviews and PEP meetings. In addition to this (and often to ensure progress towards these targets in school time), each pupil has a termly IEP. These IEPs are written by teaching staff, in consultation with teaching assistants who work closely with the pupils. In Maths and English, specialist teachers set and monitor targets and contribute to written Education Reports. To support the pupils’ progress, termly meetings between the class teacher and Head of Learning and Principal are held (Termly Review Meetings); at these meetings, future plans for each pupil are discussed and agreed – as per our Curriculum Map. SMSC, British Values and RSE Culture is an important aspect of pupils’ daily lives and curriculum: we live in Wales, in a rural environment and pupils are encouraged to utilise local facilities as much as possible. Furthermore, pupils are nurtured to appreciate Welsh culture (and understand the term ‘culture’ to include: language, historical events and people, the local environment, wider Wales, music, literature and art). Welsh culture is celebrated and taught throughout pupils’ provision. Fundamental British values permeate through the whole curriculum to support the development of an understanding of the key values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and a tolerance of other faiths and beliefs. We recognise the importance of Relationship and Sex Education in supporting the students to develop an increasing awareness of self, of their emotions and developing healthy relationships. (There is a separate RSE Policy available for further and more specific information.) Using Information Technology (IT) to Support Learning, Independence and Personal Development The New Curriculum for Wales acknowledges the importance and use of IT in everyday life as Digital Competency runs through the entire curriculum; we incorporate this into pupils’ daily lessons and learning. Pupils have discrete IT lessons as well as access to their own desk top computer, as appropriate and relevant, throughout the school day. In addition to this, pupils have access to an I-pad and learning apps to support their progress and development. These are common in promoting literacy with Spell-o-Drone, and numeracy with Doodle app. Staying safe online and using technology safely are especially pertinent to many of our pupils and their past experiences; therefore, pupils receive regular support via PSHE and IT lessons (as well as through any other opportunities which occur) on using IT and the internet safely. The Achieve! programme allows us to provide pupils with steadily increasing access to and use of technology (including personal laptops, mobile phones, I- pads and games consoles). Curriculum Management We monitor the curriculum, its content and delivery regularly according to new admissions, ability levels of pupils and future intentions of pupils, as well as staffing and provision. This is important in order to: - Gather information about the effectiveness of teaching and learning and the impact of the curriculum on students
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