Our aim at The Chapel is to engage students in learning that is representative of elements of learning in mainstream school while enabling students to gain confidence in their ability and potential.

We want our students to learn to :

· Read a wide range of non-fiction and fiction texts with understanding and insight.

· Develop an appreciation of literature through the close study of prose, poetry and drama texts.

· Write skilfully to suit various audiences, purposes and forms such as letters, speeches etc.

· Speak with increasing confidence and fluency for a variety of purposes and audiences.

We also expect our pupils in KS3 to bring a private reading book to school every day. There is a reading opportunity towards the end of one of their English lessons and there may be chances to read in form time or in other lessons when work is completed.

Curriculum Aim

Our approach is to enhance pupils’ enjoyment of Maths and to allow them the opportunity to experience success in the subject. The pupils will follow a carefully sequenced curriculum based on the National Curriculum framework which is appropriate to the pupils’ starting point. Our teachers create a supportive environment where pupils are able to build on knowledge and skills already learnt.

Pupils will join our school at various points in the year, so we structure our curriculum and individual lessons to provide the possibility for progression - and to address any gaps they may have in their learning. Our teachers will encourage pupils to be resilient in their learning, by fostering positive relationships, alongside encouraging pupils to realise that making mistakes is part of the learning process. Pupils will be supported to communicate mathematically and to develop skills to solve familiar and unfamiliar problems.

We provide enrichment opportunities for our pupils to enjoy and develop their maths skills outside the maths classroom. We run an annual trip to a racecourse where we use the context of racing and thoroughbred breeding to deliver exciting, hands-on Maths activities in an open-air, healthy environment. We celebrate Maths Week England to encourage pupils to see that maths is accessible for everyone and also offer opportunities for pupils to partake in monthly maths puzzles as well as pi day.

Delivery of the Curriculum

In KS3, students are taught in mixed Year 7–9 classes and have 4 maths lessons per week. Below are the topics delivered during each term.

Term 1

Number
Algebra

Term 2

Geometry
Algebra
Number

Term 3

Geometry
Algebra
Statistics and Probability

Lessons will also involve retrieval of previous learning and teachers will address any gaps in knowledge pupils may have. Due to the nature of our pupils, our teachers may be required to offer bespoke lessons based on the learning needs of the group.

If you require more detailed information about what your child is studying in their maths lessons, please contact Katie Cammack, curriculum lead for maths, at kcammack@nexusmat.org

With KS3 our primary aim is to engage them with Science.  From this we can work on areas of the curriculum that our learners have missed.  This will prepare them for Y10.  Depending on the learner's needs and cohort, we may start to cover the GCSE content, as many schools start GCSE Science in Y9.

All Becton students are taught using a spiral curriculum approach, which is a curriculum that returns to the same topics over time. All lessons are aligned to the National Curriculum.

 The spiral approach to curriculum has three key principles. The three principles are:

1. Cyclical: Students should return to the same topic several times throughout their school career;
2. Increasing Depth: Each time a student returns to the topic, it should be learnt at a deeper level and explore more complexity;
3. Prior Knowledge: A student’s prior knowledge should be utilised when a topic is returned to so that they build from their foundations rather than starting anew.

The curriculum approach uses 5 levels of skills across 3 different areas:

• Health and Wellbeing
• Living in the Wider World
• Relationships

Staff will benchmark students on entry and will choose a level and subject according to the specific, bespoke needs of the students at that time. The choices will be made in liaison with the wider multidisciplinary team.

Our site enrichment sessions occur on a Thursday afternoon and pupils can choose from a variety of activities to suit their needs and interests. Activities change across the terms and examples of what we have offered can be seen below: