Overarching Curriculum Intent

The curriculum at Co-op Academy Brierley has been developed to meet the wide ranging needs of all pupils within the school. It will continue to develop and evolve over the next two years whilst we grow our school. Pupils at  Co-op Academy Brierley are placed within a personalised pathway which best suits their needs.  Our bespoke personalised curriculum has been designed by the school staff team working at every level within the academy, and all have been encouraged to contribute to the process. 

We offer a broad, balanced and engaging curriculum that is aspirational for all of our learners, develops independence, and meets individual pupil needs. Our curriculum is driven by the need to develop the skills, knowledge and understanding that are the building blocks for later life.  

We want our learners at Brierley to be:

• Effective emotional and social communicators

• As independent and creative as possible

• Healthy in body and mind

• Able to form healthy and safe relationships

• Skilled in numeracy and literacy

• Happy, engaged and included members of their community

 

The pathways are planned so as to engage and motivate each and every child. We plan creatively so as to give our pupils memorable experiences which make sure that learning is meaningful and that it is enjoyable. 

Our curriculum plans are carefully crafted so that the smallest steps of progress are built upon week by week, term by term and year by year. We have devised a bespoke and personalised curriculum that is holistic and has EHCP‘s at the heart. In this way the learning experiences support and enable our pupils to reach their full potential. Built into our curriculum are rigorous and robust assessments that inform the next steps of learning.. 

We create high quality, imaginative and exciting learning environments and we find the best teaching resources to enhance the curriculum.  

The pathway model which has been implemented  ensures that all pupils access a curriculum which is both ambitious and challenging. At Co-op Academy Brierley we believe that every school day counts and we strive to ensure that all of our pupils have irresistible opportunities to engage both in the classroom and also when accessing the wide range of specialist provision around school.

At Co-op Academy Brierley topics and themes are selected carefully to take into consideration our locality and wherever possible, role models from diverse backgrounds are selected for pupils to learn about. 

 

At Co-op Academy Brierley, our curriculum choices are always strongly influenced by our aim of developing pupils’ communication skills. This is a main priority for all of our pupils so that their safeguarding vulnerabilities are reduced and their development in all learning areas is optimised. By placing such a focus on communication,we are supporting our learners to develop independence and strategies so that they have a voice. As well as the emphasis on developing pupils’ communication skills, safeguarding is a strong feature of all areas of our curriculum. We focus upon teaching pupils behaviours for different situations. We have developed a ‘commitment to communicating consent‘ which is to highlight the importance of developing an understanding of consent for all of our pupils. 

Books are at the heart of our curriculum and are linked to the themes. The themes provide a main vehicle for all aspects of communication. We have carefully selected themes which lend themselves to support communication for pupils working within each pathway. 

Based on the Co-op value ‘Do what matters most’, much of our curriculum content is selected specifically to prepare pupils for the next stage of education; develop their life skills and their independence in preparation for moving onto a positive destination. The educational experiences they have at our academy will enable our pupils to live more independently as adults. We build in frequent opportunities for pupils to practise and consolidate key knowledge and create appropriate accreditation opportunities that are bespoke and aspirational and provide currency for the next stage of learning.

We inspire in pupils a love of learning and of school. We  build our pupils’ cultural capital through a wide range of coherently planned, first-hand experiences, including educational visits.  

Our curriculum is designed to give pupils a sense of belonging in the academy and the wider community. We are passionate about pupils building relationships with their peers, as well as having commonality with children in mainstream schools.