Curriculum & Pupil Pathways

Curriculum Intent Statement

At the Pilgrim Pathways School we believe in putting pupils at the centre of everything we do. Our curriculum intent is to provide high quality teaching and learning in order to help pupils grow and reach their full potential. We work hard to give all our pupils the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding to progress and achieve academically, socially and emotionally. We do this through:

  • Fostering positive relationships
  • Creating personalised learning plans taking into account different learning styles
  • Supporting pupil’s personal development
  • Liaising with home schools, parents and other professionals

We are committed to providing a curriculum designed around individual needs. This ensures that as far as possible pupils are prepared for the next stage in their educational journey. All of our teaching takes place in a safe and nurturing setting where each pupil is valued and supported.

Each of our pupils is offered a personalised curriculum, designed to meet their unique medical/mental health needs, their particular interests and the demands of external qualifications such as GCSE’s. The Pilgrim Pathways School offers a rich, relevant, broad and balanced curriculum which promotes the mental, physical, spiritual, moral and cultural development of the pupils and prepares them for the opportunities and experiences of moving on with their lives.

When a pupil enters one of the four centres the Teacher in Charge of that centre will contact the pupil’s mainstream school or college and request information regarding that pupil’s prior attainment and targets, their individual learning needs, what subjects they are studying and any other information that might be useful concerning personal development behaviour and welfare. Internal baseline assessments will be carried out and a personalised learning plan will be written in collaboration with the pupil and shared with their parents/carers.

Curriculum Overview

  • EYFS: At Early Years Foundation Stage (under 5) staff follow the early years foundation stage programme to ensure children learn and develop and are kept healthy and safe. DFE Statutory framework for early years foundation stage September 2014.
  • KEY STAGE 1 & 2 (YEAR 1 - 6): Key Stage 1 and 2 (Years 1 to 6) pupils follow the national curriculum in literacy, numeracy and science and are taught in a cross curricular capacity to include Humanities, RE and Creative Arts. The Read, Write Inc Phonics programme is used to improve reading, writing and spelling skills. Teaching staff at Addenbrooke’s and the Croft make use of Age Related Expectation guidelines to help them assess children’s ability and target individual interventions to ensure rapid progress.
  • KEY STAGE 3 (YEARS 7 - 9): At Key Stage 3 (Years 7 to 9) pupils have access to all compulsory national curriculum subjects with the focus on English, Maths and Science. Other subjects include: PSHE, Sex and Relationship Education, RE and PE. AQA unit awards are used to personalise learning, further enrich the curriculum and accredit topics in which the students are interested. The Bronze Arts Award is used to engage learners and offers additional external accreditation.
  • KEY STAGE 4 (YEARS 10 & 11): At Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11) pupils are able to take a wide range of GCSE subjects as well as BTEC’s, Functional Skills Qualifications, Arts Awards and AQA Unit Awards. In 2016 pupils took GCSE’s in 21 different subjects. (English Language, English Literature, Mathematics, Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, History, Geography, Religious Studies, Business Studies, Textiles, Art, French, Child Development, ICT, PE, Catering, Health and Social Care, Philosophy and Ethics, Psychology, Humanities.) Our teaching team is complemented by subject specialist tutors as required to ensure that all pupils can continue to study without compromise. Both the Darwin Centre and the Phoenix Centre are approved exam centres where pupils are able to sit their external exams.
  • KEY STAGE 5 (YEARS 12 & 13): At Key Stage 5 (Years 12 and 13) pupils are able to study A levels, IB or BTEC diploma qualifications. Students who have not been able to take GCSE’s or who wish to retake them are able to do so. Other qualifications that students can take include Functional skills, AQA Level 3 Unit Awards and Employability Skills, the Arts Awards and Food Safety.

Transition Pathways

When a pupil is ready to leave one of the centres, the Teachers in Charge will work with the mainstream school, college or employer to ensure that reintegration is as smooth as possible. The Teacher in Charge will work with the child or young person to create a personalised transition plan. Support is given to all young people who are not in work, education or training to find a suitable placement.

If an alternative educational placement is needed the Teachers in Charge will liaise with locality teams to find a suitable placement. It may be necessary for an Education, Health and Social Care Plan (EHCP) to be written to support an alternative placement in which case the Teachers in Charge will liaise with the pupil’s previous school and Pilgrim Pathways School special education needs coordinator in order to prepare the report for the EHCP assessment.