Education and Curriculum Offer at Walworth School

At Walworth School our fundamental principles are rooted on our commitment to the intrinsic value of each child and their holistic development. We believe that in order for all of our children to thrive and progress in a positive and vibrant manner they must feel safe, secure and ready to learn. We provide nurturing classes that focus on the individual child and develop positive trusting relationships so that pupils can gain the knowledge and experience to thrive.

Once our children are settled and regulated within our school environment, we endeavour to provide creative experiences through a broad, varied and enriched curriculum tailored to their particular needs which fully prepares them for their next steps in education and the wider world.

Our main intention is for our pupils to be fully prepared for the next stages in education and for future life by having

An awareness of how to be a successful learner.
The appropriate knowledge and skills to develop independence.
A good understanding of being a responsible citizen.

We follow the National Curriculum and its programme of study. We have designed our curriculum so that children work on objectives that are matched to their academic ability (rather than chronological age) that are set to challenge them, accelerate progress and help close the gap between current academic levels and age-related expectations. Within this, there is flexibility for teachers to be able to address earlier year group concepts where gaps in learning are identified to ensure children have a deep understanding of concepts.

Core knowledge has been carefully selected to ensure that pupils acquire knowledge, vocabulary and skills in a well-thought out and progressive manner in every curriculum subject ensuring sufficient coverage across each subject over time. New learning is based upon what has been taught before and prepares pupils for what they will learn next. There are clear end points which pupils work towards on their learning journey. We know that if our pupils are learning our curriculum, they are making progress and are being prepared for the next stage of their educational journey.

An emphasis on reading is an integral part of our curriculum design with high quality texts promoted through class novel time, reading skills sessions and foundation subject lessons. Children are organised into mixed age classes so our curriculum is organised on a 2 year rolling programme. Year groups have a clear set of expectations and learning is revisited to ensure ‘sticky learning’. We aim to make our lessons as interesting and as ‘hands on’ as possible to engage previously reluctant learners and to ensure they gain the essential knowledge to engage in new learning and opportunities. As a result of this we agreed to implement five key areas within our curriculum planning to develop children’s:-

Knowledge and Skills in relation to communication, reading, writing and Maths so they are prepared for their next stage in learning.
Emotional Awareness so that they are engaged, inspired and motivated pupils who enjoy and contribute to learning, make progress and are challenged to achieve above and beyond expectations.
Citizenship so that they are responsible citizens who share ‘British Values’ and have the cultural capital to make a positive contribution to life in modern Britain
Independence so that pupils have the knowledge and skills to make informed choices, foster positive relationships and promote their independence in school and their next stage of education.
Life experiences and understanding to help them become confident individuals who are able to lead safe, healthy & fulfilling lives, making successful transitions in to adulthood

We wish children to acquire knowledge and skills for life in preparation for adulthood (PfA) and promote these outcomes within the planning across the key stages, so that pupils are able to apply these and have a thirst for knowledge, through enjoyment and by experiencing a wealth of opportunities.

This commitment must however be consistent with the children’s Education, Health, Care plan which may well prioritise particular subjects or key areas of learning, allowing group or individual intervention work to take place. In all classes the curriculum is differentiated to support the children’s individual support plans written by the teacher with support from outcomes identified by other professionals such as the Educational Psychologist, Future Steps Occupation Therapist, Speech and Language Therapist and CAMHS clinicians.

Our Overarching Curriculum Policy helps to explain how we approach the delivery of subjects and the wider curriculum in school.

All other policies can be found by going to Policies section.

Beyond the Classroom

At Walworth we believe that every opportunity should be given to children to practice what they have learned in real life situations and settings. We have regular trips and enrichment activities to encourage our children to take an active part in our local communities.

We aim to prepare children fully for life in modern Britain through a curriculum that is broad, balanced and underpinned by values of tolerance – promoting spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and promoting a focus on outcomes that are transferable to the real world. We have been using School Council as pupil voice to identify what aspects of school and the wider community can be made better for each pupil and develop ideas to successfully enhance children’s experience in school and beyond.

Achievements of our Children

Feedback from parents and carers suggest we have an excellent approach enabling children to feel safe, happy and enjoy coming school, whereas in their past attending school was seen as a challenge. Our children tell us that they leave Walworth with not just lots of good memories of being here but a stronger sense of self-worth to continue to try hard and succeed in their next school. Walworth has acted as a springboard to achieving throughout their future lives.

For some of our children their achievements have been reflected in improved academic skills and self-confidence. English and Maths skills have seen improvements and some of our pupils are on the road to become confident independent learners, enjoying learning for life.

For some of our children their achievement has been to overcome personal difficulties that they have faced and Walworth staff are always on hand to listen and help where they can.

We also recognise for many of our children that their strengths often don’t always lie in academic success and we celebrate all the achievements children make at our school. Tolerance, politeness and willingness to have a go at things without giving up are repeatedly observed as examples of children’s progress and growth and these are achievements that should also not be overlooked.

Teaching British Values

It is Walworth`s responsibility to “promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs” (The prevent strategy 2011); Find out how we promote British Values at our school.