Curriculum

Every learner who joins Three Towers has been on a unique educational journey: many of them start with us having become disengaged from learning and not seeing the value of education; they often have gaps in their knowledge and understanding because they have experienced disruption to their schooling. 

We aim to deliver a curriculum which allows our learners to shine; one that we believe allows them to gain knowledge, skills and attitudes that support progress whilst also capturing their interests and preparing them for their next steps. The curriculum offered to each learner is discussed with them and their parents/carers during the induction meeting and regular review meetings. 

Although personalised to meet the individual learners needs, our curriculum is intended to ensure that all learners make progress academically meeting or exceeding Three Towers’ expectations.  We ensure that high quality teaching along with high quality, timely interventions promote effective learning to enhance the progress of learners.  We are committed to equipping our learners for the next stage of that journey, whether it is returning to mainstream school, moving to specialist provision or transitioning to post-16 education, employment or training.

Learners are with us for varying amounts of time; some individuals will have a very short time on our roll, whilst older learners may remain with us until the end of Year 11.  As a result, our curriculum must be flexible enough to provide a tailored, personalised curriculums to meet each individual’s needs. 

Some academic data for each learner is usually provided by their mainstream schools at the point of referral, but we also complete a series of baseline assessments with each learner once they start at our school.  These assessments are analysed and an appropriate learning plan is put in place to improve their academic performance.  We do this by filling gaps in their knowledge which in turn gives them the confidence to progressively gain new knowledge and understanding, as well as acquiring and demonstrating new skills.

Additional academic interventions may be put in place if a learner is struggling to make expected progress or a specific learning need is identified.

Almost all of our learners have either Social, Emotional or Mental Health (SEMH) issues so supporting them to manage these areas is a priority in our setting.  Our curriculum, underpinned by a robust emotional literacy “Thrive” approach and targeted Thrive interventions is designed to improve not only our learners’ ability to learn but to develop their social/emotional resilience so that they are better equipped to return to school, further education or enter the world of work.  The curriculum gives priority to meeting learners’ current and future needs and promotes spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

The majority of our learners have access to 25 hours of education.  However, for some learners, their needs may be best met by a flexible timetable for a period of time; this may be due to their emotional wellbeing; their ability to cope with full time provision (especially for those who have been out of education for some time); or due to challenging personal circumstances not connected with school. 

When this is the case, this provision is agreed with parents/carers and reviewed regularly to ensure they can be increased to full time within a structured time limited plan.  Each of these learners has a support plan for their next steps, clearly-defined timescales and systems to put planning into action.  Secondary aged learners not accessing full time onsite provision are expected to access online learning activities.

The progress, engagement and needs of all our learners is monitored carefully and provision adjusted accordingly in consultation with their parents/carers, and when necessary relevant external agencies.