The Curriculum Overview
Our curriculum is holistic to provide the full range of learning and development needed for each of our students to be successful throughout life. Each of our provisions tailors their curriculum to match the needs of the current cohort so we are highly committed as a Group to being innovation, solutions-focused and proactive to mould a curriculum for the specific needs of each child. We create opportunities to track progress across the three areas of our curriculum design: safeguarding; wellbeing and academic progress.
Our focus is tailored across the KS3, Year 10 and Mixed Year 10/Year 11 GCSE classes providing for all our students. This will always include the key priorities of English; Maths; Science and SMSC. Our curriculum aims to promote confidence, transferrable skills for success lifelong and includes growth mindset principles to empower our young people to thrive and set themselves aspirational goals. Achievement and progress are fundamental as well as developing active leadership skills to enable our young people to make a positive difference to the Waltham Forest and beyond.
Our students at KS4 are typically very successful in a range of GCSE’s, including the core subjects. We also offer B-Tech qualifications, Functional Skills and, where we can accommodate, we support the pupils through options that may have been started in their mainstream school. We review our curriculum on a regular basis to ensure it meets the needs of our changing cohort and include Arts Awards, Sports and a choice of Vocational Unit Awards to support progress in employability areas.
Curriculum Intent Statement: Please see below our Curriculum Intent Statement
Careers: Please see below our careers programme and provider access policy
Challenge and Aspiration
At Burnside we believe it is absolutely imperative to break the cycle of aspirational disadvantage.
Our intention is to show our pupils they don’t need to face the challenges of the future alone and that they should aspire to be the best they can be.
- Keep high aspirations at the heart of your vision
- Develop student resilience
- Create a culture where young people are offered a second chance and the guidance and support required to successfully return to mainstream education
- Promote a growth mind set and solution-focused attitude to all challenges
- Celebrate success and promote wellbeing for all
How can staff improve outcomes for students:
- Create positive relationships with children
- Create a safe and caring classroom and school environment
- Be predictable
- Make each child, especially the ones with challenges, feel valued
- Teach children ways to calm themselves down and self regulate
- Build a support system using focusing on loving support rather than punitive consequences
- Use visual aids
Curriculum Aims
To create:
- Successful learners who enjoy learning; make good progress and achieve excellence.
- Confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives.
- Responsible citizens who can make a positive contribution to society.
- Enabling students to remember what they have learned and be able to apply their learning across both academic and vocational subjects, as well as in their own lives and in the wider community.
Curriculum Intent
To develop a curriculum which:
- Creates an aspirational high achievement culture.
- Ignites a passion for learning and a growth mindset
- Takes into account individual needs and styles.
- Allows everyone to experience success.
- Raises standards of attainment and progress.
- Identifies each individual’s needs and growth areas
- Is holistic with a strong focus on wellbeing; safeguarding and achievement throughout life
Curriculum Principles
- Clear progress over the time students are with us
- Accelerating progress to aim for successful reintegration back into mainstream for KS3 and Year 10 students.
- There should be depth before breadth. Maximise learning time in all subjects.
- Targeted intervention for literacy and numeracy to ensure that students have the essential skills needed for life and to access the full curriculum.
- Targeted support and additional challenge to ensure all students make at least national rates of progress.
- Ensure all students’ progress is in line with national expectations.
- To support induction into next steps for all students
The Curriculum at both KS3 and KS4 includes:
Subjects available to all KS3 students:
- English– 4 sessions per week
- Maths– 4 sessions per week
- Science– 3 sessions per week
- Creative Arts– 2 sessions per week
- Humanities- 2 sessions per week
- Physical Education- 3 sessions per week
- Mentoring– 1 session per week
- Literacy & Numeracy- 1 session per week
- SMSC- 1 session per week
- Spark2Life PSHRE- 1 session per week
- Wellbeing & Enrichment- 3 sessions per week
Subjects available to all Year 10 students:
- English language and literature– 4 sessions per week
- Maths– 4 sessions per week
- Science– 3 sessions per week
- Citizenship– 2 sessions per week
- Creative Arts / Drama– 3 sessions per week
- Physical Education– 3 sessions per week
- Careers– 1 session per week
- Mentoring– 1 session per week
- SMSC- 1 session per week
- Spark2Life PSHRE- 1 session per week
- Wellbeing & Enrichment- 2 sessions per week
Subjects available to all Year 11 students:
- English language and literature– 5 sessions per week
- Maths– 4 sessions per week
- Biology– 3 sessions per week
- Citizenship– 2 sessions per week
- Creative Arts / Drama– 3 sessions per week
- Physical Education– 3 sessions per week
- Careers– 2 sessions per week
- Spark2Life PSHRE- 1 session per week
- Wellbeing & Enrichment- 2 sessions per week
GCSE Subjects and examinations boards:
- English Literature – AQA
- English Language – AQA
- Maths – Edexcel Pearson
- Biology – AQA
- Citizenship – Edexcel Pearson
- Drama – WJEC
- BTEC Sport and Active Leisure (Entry 3) – Edexcel Pearson
Small group tuition
All of our classes have ten or less pupils in them. We have a teacher and support staff member for every class taught. This enables our pupils to have excellent support in their lessons and staff can work 1:1 in a class if needed. We also regularly team teach this allows our students to work at a pace that suits their learning needs, enabling them to make rapid progress.
For students who are behind in their chronological reading age, additional support is provided through withdrawal to enable them to rapidly catch up.
If you require more information about our curriculum offer, please contact the Head Teacher, Liz Rattue