Our Curriculum Offer

Our curriculum is broad, rich in the creative arts and personalised to the strengths and needs of our students. Based on the national curriculum but enriched by access to artists, poets, writers, musicians, and science workshops; we inspire and support our students to do the very best they can.

Our students have access to a wide range of experiences in the classroom, via the virtual world and in the local community. They enjoy learning and make outstanding progress.

Our curriculum always starts with the needs of the student. The personalised curriculum is rooted in collaboration with students’ home schools for those in hospital. Our support for students with SEND underpins all our teaching.  Assessment, monitoring and evaluation ensure a keenly matched curriculum for our community students from the minute they join us.

As students join us throughout the year for varying lengths of time, we have developed a themed based curriculum up to year 9. Those taking GCSE, A levels and other national exams have the opportunity to cover subject content in line with their individual needs.

We actively encourage our students to contribute their ideas about our curriculum provision through our pupil voice. Weekly discussion groups and regular feedback inform what we plan and how we deliver it.

We are a registered exam centre and pupils can take national exams whilst in hospital. We have an examinations officer who can be contacted at the school office. Access to information, advice and support from our qualified Careers Adviser is available to all our students. 

How we Work

We work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to support the development of the whole child during hospital admission. Our well-qualified staff team includes a SEND specialist teacher, one qualified SENDCO, learning mentors, art therapists and a full range of subject specialist teachers.

Mostly we work in attractive, well-resourced classrooms, teaching in small groups or individually. At times, when students cannot make it to the classroom due to their medical care we teach at the bedside.

We are creative in our use of technology, enabling students to link to our classrooms and their own schools so they can be part of a group even when they are required to be nursed in isolation. We bring the outside world in if they are unable to leave the hospital.

Positive relationships underpin all our work, and consistent, sensitive, trauma-informed programmes are used throughout the school to ensure all our students can access learning and get the most out of school.

Individual curriculum plans tailor the curriculum to the needs of each student; these are regularly reviewed and updated.

Working closely with parents and guardians as partners we offer support and advice about special educational needs legislation, educational placements and individual tuition where this is needed.