All areas of our curriculum at Boldon School, is successfully adapted, designed and developed to be ambitious and meet the needs of all students. Each subject area develops their knowledge, skills and abilities to apply what they know and can do this with increasing fluency and independence.
Our teachers check pupils’ understanding systematically, identify misconceptions accurately and provide clear, direct feedback. They respond and adapt their teaching as necessary without unnecessarily elaborate or individualised approaches. This is to get the very best outcomes for our students whether they are SEND, disadvantaged or to challenge our higher ability students. This will ensure that students are ready for their next stage of education, employment or training to gain qualifications that allow them to go on to destinations that meet their interests and aspirations and the intention of their course of study.
How the English Curriculum supports our SEND students:
The Department for Education states, ‘Children and young people with SEND all have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most children and young people of the same age. These children and young people may need extra or different help from that given to others.’
Boldon School is an inclusive school where every student is encouraged to develop a thirst for knowledge, to enjoy their curriculum and feel valued as a member of our school community. We are committed to the progress, inclusion and resilience of each student and support the learning journey that they require. Our curriculum is successfully adapted, designed or developed to be ambitious and meet the needs of pupils with SEND, developing their knowledge, skills and abilities to apply what they know and can do with increasing fluency and independence across all subject areas.
Students with SEND are supported in English through:
Resources that are accessible yet challenging – all students at Boldon follow the same schemes and sequences. Adaptive learning strategies are used to ensure we “teach to the top” and scaffold to ensure students reach their potential.
Resources that are “chunked” and act as scaffolds to allow for more support in accessing key tasks, seen with our Quality Mark assessments.
Visual learning tools, writing frames and learning mats for Literacy – at Boldon, the English faculty is adept in using visualisers to further strengthen this.
Where appropriate, support from HLTA and TAs – planned placement to scaffold student learning
Teacher feedback – formative and summative – THINK PINK BUBBLES are used together with GREEN FOR GROWTH FEEDBACK strategies at Boldon.
Independent study / home learning through bespoke platforms on GoogleClassroom.
Targeted intervention and support when required, including Phonics support, Lexia and Accelerated Reader.
How the English Curriculum supports our disadvantaged students:
The Secretary of State for Education set out the government’s national plan to support children and young people to reach their full potential, regardless of their backgrounds. With an overarching goal and aim of improving social mobility through education, and delivering better educational and career outcomes more evenly across England.
At Boldon School we have 50% of our students with high levels of deprivation, but strive to raise the attainment and aspirations of all students regardless of social background. We have a robust allocation system of pupil premium funding to obtain the most successful outcomes for our students and to narrow the gaps in attainment across all subject areas.
In English, identification of our disadvantaged students is our starting point which paves the way for providing targeted support for students during lesson time through a variety of strategies including targeted questions, live marking, scaffolds and writing frames.
We seek to identify any barriers to learning and ensure effective, timely and appropriate intervention is put in place
In assessment, positive discrimination is used to ensure effective and detailed feedback is written in books.
Providing free revision guides, theatre opportunities and other visits to develop cultural capital at no cost or a reduced cost to reduce the financial strain on families.
The whole-school teaching and Learning agenda allows for effective CPD and support to staff; this allows us to use a variety of strategies to help close gaps in learning.
How the English Curriculum supports our higher ability students:
HM Chief Inspector stated, If we are going to succeed as an economy and as a society, we have to make more of our most able young people. We need them to become the political, commercial and professional leaders of tomorrow.
At Boldon school we aim to nurture scholastic excellence through a challenging curriculum where the work given to students is demanding and matches the aims of the curriculum in being coherently planned and sequenced towards cumulatively sufficient knowledge. We recognise the need to stretch and challenge all students but especially our MAT and higher ability students to obtain maximum progress.
Higher ability students are supported in English through:
Bespoke and timely feedback.
Use the feedback loop concept. This involves teachers and students simultaneously collecting and analyzing student learning information to determine where students are and where they need improvement. We offer detailed feedback that is refined and detailed to each student.
Self-assess regularly – familiarize students with the mark scheme and allow each student to become independent in their proficiency in marking and delivering clear feedback for their peers.
Support creative and critical thinking
Using exemplar, polished materials.