Meeting diverse needs, while being ambitious, creative and pupil-focused.

The Northgate curriculum aims to prepare pupils for adulthood by delivering a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum. Every child has the right to access a coherently sequenced, knowledge and skills-rich curriculum that is pupil-focused and suited to their wide-ranging needs.

It is our aim to ensure that whatever is taught, is presented with passion and ambition for our pupils. All children, regardless of need, deserve to access high quality teaching that supports and enables them to understand and engage with the world around them. The curriculum aims to build upon their knowledge and skills- step by step, in order to develop  not only academic knowledge, but also resilience, character, grit, communication and personal confidence, so they can meaningfully interact with their peers, families and the world around them.

Preparation for Adulthood is a fundamental part of what we need to do in order for our pupils to develop the skills to:

• enable a good moral character
• build on taught knowledge and skills
• enjoy and achieve
• keep themselves and others healthy and safe in school, and in the wider community
• demonstrate a good understanding of the rule of law
• understand British values and integrity
• overcome their own barriers with positive attitudes and a ‘can do’ spirit
•  know their rights, and who is in place to support them
• know how they can make their mark.

Where appropriate, our curriculum seeks to inform our pupils about their needs in an empowering way, making them, their parents and carers aware of the services and professionals who are part of their journey to adulthood, and whose job it is to support them in achieving their full potential. In doing so, we aim to support them in developing key independence skills that are fundamental to their future personal and economic growth, health, safety and achievement.

Our pastoral care and support is an integral part of our curriculum, and in many cases, is the thing that enables our pupils to access school, and therefore make the transition to learning and achievement. For some pupils it will be necessary to personalise their learning experiences this may be through time table changes, access to to therapies, Forest School, targeted interventions, remote learning, one to one sessions or other support or modification as is needed.

Our pupils have a wide range of complex to moderate special educational needs, and ‘success’ will come for our pupils in many different forms, but ambition, aspiration, knowledge and skills, expertise and personal success are traits we can all aspire to.

To find out more about our curriculum please telephone the school (01604 714098) and ask to speak to the deputy head teacher