Curriculum Pathways
You can download our Education Scheme using the button below.
Curriculum Pathways
The Orchard School offers a learning environment at the heart of its wider community. We promote the care of our students - setting, respecting and expecting high standards in all aspects of school life. We aim to meet the needs of our students, preparing them for adult and working life in the 21st century. The vision for our school’s curriculum is to provide a fully inclusive curriculum that gives learners the opportunity to achieve their full potential by engineering a curriculum that best meets each learner’s diverse needs. Students access a broad and balanced education, based on the realities of modern life and delivered in a personalised learning environment.
Students are assessed before entering the school to determine which Pathway would best suit them and to enable individual needs to be met through the inclusive curriculum. Curriculum Pathways will allow learning journeys to start from individual pupils’ current strengths and needs. At this point, teachers and parents will decide which of the five curriculum pathways is most suitable for pupils; The Nurture Pathway, The Explore Pathway, The Structure Pathway, The Inspire Pathway or The Engage Pathway. The curriculum selected will depend upon the pupil's barriers to learning, their needs and long-term goals.
We avoid rigid placement within a Pathway and movement between pathways is possible following a re-evaluation of a pupil’s needs and progress. Each Curriculum Pathway is enriched through the Holistic Curriculum with intervention which may include therapeutic interventions, academic interventions, outside learning opportunities and mainstream opportunities or work experience.
Nurture Pathway
The Nurture Pathway is tailored to the needs of students whose main barrier to learning is an aspect of Attachment disorder or are highly vulnerable or have adverse childhood experiences that have impacted their social, emotional and cognitive development. Prior to attending The Orchard School, students following the Nurture Pathway have often been unable to attend mainstream settings for extended periods, due, for example, to extreme levels of anxiety or refusal.
Students within this Pathway may have an additional barrier to learning; they may present as extremely vulnerable with extreme anxiety, Speech, Language and Communication needs, Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC), Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
On the Nurture pathway, KS4 students work towards a range of Unit Awards, BTECs, and Functional Skills level 1-2 qualifications, Entry levels give learners the basics in maths and English which are vital in everyday life. Some GCSE qualifications may be accessed.
Structure Pathway
The Structure Pathway is tailored to the needs of students whose main barrier to learning is complex ASC or complex Communication and Interaction needs. Structured Plus students may build-up to their curriculum being delivered within other pathways, moving to a range of subject specialist teachers but they are still identified under the Structured Pathway.
On the Structure Pathway, KS4 students work towards a range of GCSE (1-9) BTECs, Functional Skills Level 1-2 qualifications and Entry-level qualifications. Functional Maths and English are at the core of the curriculum alongside developing vital social communication skills both on and off the school site.
Explore Pathway
The Explore Pathway meets young people at their point of learning. The Explore Pathway offers the opportunity of a more vocational curriculum with overarching themes that are of significance for individuals and provides relevant learning contexts. Students are given opportunities in pursuing project-based learning opportunities with a kinaesthetic approach to engage young people onto the positive pathway of learning through positive achievement. The Explore Pathway is tailored to the needs of students whose main barrier to learning is a significant aspect of Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH).
KS4 students work towards a range of GCSEs Grade (1-9), BTECs, and Level 1-2 qualification in Functional Skills and there is a range of opportunities for vocational qualifications.
Inspire Pathway
The Inspire Pathway aims to stretch and challenge learners by raising their aspirations for achievement. The Inspire Pathway enables our higher attaining pupils to access a challenging academic curriculum, which allows their learning journeys to develop.
Students within this Pathway may have an additional barrier to learning, this could be Speech, Language and Communication, Autistic Spectrum Continuum (ASC), Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or Social, Emotional, Mental Health issues (SEMH) and Hearing Impairment (HI), or Visual Impairment (VI), KS4 students work towards a range of GCSEs Grades (9-4) BTECs, and Level 2 qualifications.
Engage Pathway
The Engage Pathway is a highly individualised support led curriculum for students who are in crisis. The Engage Pathway is highly differentiated and focused on supporting children who have become disengaged with learning or need crisis intervention support. Learner’s access fully personalised intervention, which is discussed with a solution-focused approach. The curriculum is entirely adapted to enable a continuum of provision to promote and meet the needs of the pupil and enable the student to gain confidence in re-engagement back into the school community. The academic curriculum supports functional literacy and numeracy only.
The Engage Pathway is tailored to the needs of pupils who may have experienced a sense of fear, or worry within their life; had their life safety threatened, or perception of endangerment, not in control of basic life exercise, forced into role- reversal with an adult, feeling of isolation from trusted adult at home, flashback of previous trauma, tragedies and/or uncertain future. Learners accessing the Engage Pathway are rarely in a conducive emotional state for learning, they struggle with social relationships and often seek to have their basic needs met. It is likely that learners on this Pathway are unable to access 25 hours of learning each week and maybe on a reduced provision off-site. Learners accessing the Engage Pathway have regular Support and Review meeting with multi-agency involvement.
The outcome expected for the Engage Pathway is a re-engagement in learning and the school community and to encourage students to move forward into their adult lives with memories and emotions of achievement, relationship building, support and encouragement. Students on this Pathway would have the opportunity to achieve functional skills in English and Maths.
For further information about our curriculum and our curriculum pathways click on the button below to view our full Education Scheme document: