Our Curriculum

Our curriculum offers a well-rounded education that reflects the realities of modern life

Curriculum at Edan Court School

At Edan Court School, our curriculum offers a well-rounded education that reflects the realities of modern life, delivered in a therapeutic learning environment. We aim to provide a personalized and engaging education for all our pupils, encouraging a purposeful and ambitious learning journey.

We interpret the word ‘curriculum’ in its broadest sense. Our students engage in thoughtfully planned learning experiences throughout the day, both inside and outside the classroom. This holistic approach aims to highly motivate and engage our young people in their learning and personal growth. Our dedicated team of teachers, instructors, and support staff structure these experiences to ensure a positive impact on the attainment, progress, and personal development of all pupils.

The curriculum encompasses activities designed to promote the intellectual, personal, social, physical, therapeutic, and cultural development of our students. It includes both formal lessons and a rich programme of informal enrichment activities.

We ensure that pupils gain robust experiences in the following areas of learning:

Additionally, our curriculum provides opportunities for therapeutic, spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development (SMSC) and the growth of cultural capital.

Our aim is to inspire and support each student to reach their full potential, both academically and personally, preparing them for a successful future.

Geese in flight.

Edan Court School Curriculum Offer

Our curriculum is designed with the aim of providing a broad, balanced, and individualized education for our students. Our mission is to help each student realize their full potential. We tailor to meet the unique needs of each student, ensuring they are both challenged and supported throughout their learning journey.

Where possible, we align our curriculum with the guidelines of the National Curriculum. We strive to ensure that each student works at or towards their appropriate Key Stage. To further support our students, our curriculum has been expanded to offer differentiated qualifications, allowing each student to achieve success in a way that best suits their abilities and aspirations.

The curriculum has been expanded to deliver differentiated qualifications:

Entry Level

  • Open Award in Functional Skills Maths

Level 1

  • Open Award in Functional Skills Maths

Level 2

  • Open Award in Functional Skills Maths
  • AQA GCSE Mathematics

Entry Level

  • Open Award in Functional Skills English

Level 1

  • Open Award in Functional Skills English

Level 2

  • Open Award in Functional Skills English

  • GCSE English Language

Level 3

  • AQA A Level English Language

Entry Level

  • Open Award in Science

Level 1

  • Open Award in Science

Level 2

  • Open Award in Science

  • AQA GCSE Physics

  • AQA GCSE Biology

Level 3

  • BTEC National Certificate in Applied Science

Entry Level

  • Open Award in IT User Skills

  • NCFE Digital Functional Skills

Level 1

  • Open Award Essential Digital Skills for Both Work and Life

  • NCFE Digital Functional Skills

Level 1

  • NCFE CACHE Award in Relationships, Sex and Health Education

Level 2

  • NCFE CACHE Award/Certificate  in Relationships, Sex and Health Education

Entry Level

  • Open Award in Living in the Community

  • Open Award in Looking After Yourself and Your Home

  • Open Award in Skills for Further Learning and Employment

  • ASDAN Life Skills

Level 1

  • Open Award in Skills for Further Learning and Employment

  • ASDAN Life Skills

  • ASDAN Award/Certificate of Personal Effectiveness

Level 2

  • Open Award in Skills for Further Learning and Employment

  • ASDAN Life Skills

  • ASDAN Award/Certificate of Personal Effectiveness

Level 3

  • ASDAN Life Skills

  • ASDAN Award/Certificate of Personal Effectiveness

Entry Level

  • Open Award in Hospitality and Catering Skills

Level 1

  • Open Award in Hospitality and Catering Skills

  • Highfield Food Safety

Level 2

  • WJEC GCSE Food Technology

  • WJEC GCSE Hospitality and Catering

  • Highfield Food Safety

Level 3

  • Highfield Food Hygiene

  • WJEC Diploma in Food Science and Nutrition

Entry Level

  • Open Award in Creative Arts

  • NCFE Award in Creative Art

Level 1

  • NCFE Award in Creative Art

Level 2

  • NCFE Certificate in Creative Art

Entry Level

  • Open Award in Animal Care Skills

  • Open Award in Horticulture Skills

Level 1

  • Open Award in Animal Care Skills

  • Open Award in Horticulture Skills

Entry Level

  • NCFE CACHE Award in Preparing to Work in Schools

  • Open Award in Business Administration Skills

  • Open Award in Exploring Construction and Building Crafts

  • Open Award in Retail Skills

  • Open Award in Introduction to Hair and Beauty Skills

  • Open Award in Child Care

  • Open Award in Customer Service

Level 1

  • Open Award in Business Administration Skills

  • Open Award in Skills for Business

  • Open Award in Retail Knowledge

  • Open Award in Child Care

  • Open Award in Health and Social Care

  • Open Award in Customer Service

Nurture Pathway

Our Nurture provision is designed to offer pupils who may have missed out on early learning experiences and opportunities to form secure attachments and the opportunity to flourish within school. It provides structure and a secure base that supports our more fragile learners to feel safe and confident in their learning environment.

With focus on literacy and numeracy, identified as the basic skills needed to raise self-esteem, the curriculum of our nurture group is designed to accelerate academic progress or restart it when it has stalled, leading to a shared enjoyment of learning and improved attendance.

At Edan Court School we aim to develop the social, emotional, and behavioural skills of our pupils, enabling transition from our nurture pathway and into KS3 on our emerging or expected pathways, and/or life after Edan Court.

Reading, Writing and, Phonics

Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.

Frederick Douglas

At Edan Court School, we recognize that English is the gateway to the success of all our pupils – it is the key to their future accomplishments. Our English curriculum is designed to ensure that our pupils leave Edan Court with the confidence to speak out loud, be confident writers, and become avid readers.

We deliver a comprehensive synthetic phonics programme for pupils who have not yet met the expected standard, with a strong focus on communication and language.

This provides firm foundations for all our pupils, which are further built upon as they progress through school. Our curriculum includes listening and reading comprehension, word recognition, and extended writing opportunities. English is the cornerstone of our entire curriculum and is embedded within all our lessons, where we strive for high expectations for all.

We understand that these language skills not only impact pupils’ progress across the curriculum but also profoundly influence their life opportunities. Having firm foundations and secure phonological knowledge is crucial for our young people to read independently and access the curriculum. It also equips them with the necessary skills to be independent in society.

A swan with signets.

Reading at Edan Court

At Edan Court School, we believe that every young person deserves the joy, fascination, and knowledge that books offer. Books open up the world, and we aim to ensure that every student leaves our school as a lifelong reader. We firmly believe that every young person is a reader—they just need to find the right book! With this in mind, we have carefully designed our Reading for Pleasure Curriculum to expose our children to a broad and varied range of texts.

Our timetabled daily ‘Reading for Pleasure’ sessions allow our pupils to explore a variety of books, including different text types and genres. These sessions may involve independent reading, one-on-one shared reading with a key adult, or whole-class novels read aloud by familiar staff. Our well-resourced school library offers books of differing reading ages and topics, providing a calm and inviting environment for pupils to embark on literary adventures. Regular visits to the community library further enhance this experience.

To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.

Victor Hugo

Two deer in woodland.
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