The curriculum is based on vocational and practical learning develop knowledge and skills for application to the sector.  

We teach these courses to support the students in developing the skills needed to work in a range of professions that support society. These courses allow children to learn practically and develop teamwork and communication skills which better support their personal development. The course are designed to be engaging and accessible to all to support them in developing real-life understanding of different sectors.  

Pillar 1 is ensured through the use of a range of teaching styles to ensure all learners can access the work and develop their understanding of the content. Interactive discussions are used to support verbal learning and peer work. Students are provided an opportunity to develop skills and apply these skills through practical learning.  

The curriculum is a supportive and accessible curriculum which allows children to develop on grades to feel successful. This allows them to bank grades through out the course, which allows them to see the progress that they make throughout the course. Learning through practical skills and application allows them to take controlled risks where they can explore new ideas that they may have not tried elsewhere. These courses encourage students to set personal goals and to take pride in their achievements. This allows for an environment where the students feel both challenged and supported to take on different challenges. 

The content of the courses is inclusive and cover a wide range of issues that affect many individuals, this allows for representation and inclusion. Real-life contexts are used to ensure students can understanding the wider application and impact of the content they are learning. Target setting allows for the students to have influence over their own personal development and have access to information to support them in their career aspirations. Everyone involved in these courses is an important role in the delivery of the course and have the ability to present their own ideas and opinions on real-life topics. 

The course support students to learn the key content needed to access roles within the Health sector and the Early Year sector. Many of the units develop specific skills to support direct progression into Level 3 courses or into a variety of work places. A core unit looks at the roles within the Health sector and the specific skills needed to support individuals. Many careers are taught and referred to, which can also be accessed as a vocation following the course including EYFS practitioner, HCA and carer. 

All the school values can be linked to the courses as they focus on current issues within society and the impact on individuals holistically.  

Literacy is supported through the development of formal writing skills and extended writing based on research. Students learn the skills to evaluate and analyse content which then expands on to applying information relating to specific case studies.  

Numeracy skills such as time management are developed throughout to support student sin planning and completing timed assessment. Students also study the importance of time management within different sectors. Health-related numeracy is used to complete medical calculations including blood pressure and BMI. 

Content is taught in a variety of methods which include formal classroom learning where information is presented, whole class topic based discussions and practical tasks to develop skill based learning. Cases studies and current issue based topics are presented t students to encourage application and analysis skills.  

All students are presented with the marking scale to set personalised goals for achievement and to encourage students to visualise where they are working where they can also view where they aspire to be. All students are provided with personalised feedback and time to make improvements on work following assessments to encourage students to make changes to access higher assessment criteria. All students have access to the assessment marking square to ensure they have an understanding of the requirements of final assessments.  

Formative assessment is completed regularly with controlled assessment style topic questions provided for students to complete and assess. This allows for students to see a variety of questions and format their own planning style to complete the PSA assessments. All formative assessments have personalised feedback provided with additional time available to respond to the feedback and complete an additional element of work to apply the feedback.  

All students have access to the core content and the assessment marking square. This has been developed into a planning sheet to scaffold for students who may find planning or consolidating learning challenging. All work has been curated into a booklet to support students in taking notes with a variety of note-taking styles including mind-map, labelling and exam style questions. Assessment task at the beginning of course are guided which is then reduced throughout to support students in developing their own planning and writing skills.  

Feedback is provided after all assessments through a WWW.EBI feedback box in their booklet which provides them with personalised feedback and a target to improve on. They are also given time to make this improvement in one paragraph of their work. Teacher guidance in lesson is provided to give students verbal feedback on their work to support their note taking.  

Success will look different for every student based on their goals and aspirations. Students will be successful when they are engaged and enthusiastic in their work they have created, showing in pride in their work and outcomes. Students will show success in being able to confidently apply the skills they have learnt to their PSA assessments. Students show success through identifying their own gaps and accessing support to address these gaps.  

The vocational elements of these courses encourage students to develop transferable skills (communication, planning, care) which they can use in employment within the Care and Education sector or apply to further study. The course encourages students to develop empathy and support skills which they can use in their own lives to support others and develop as an individual. The real-life scenarios help students to understand different people with differing needs which they may experience in wider society, therefore making them positive members of society.