Newbury Manor School offers an academic curriculum remains for those with high academic potential but who also have complex needs. We are very careful not to place a ceiling upon the aspirations of our students so that they can achieve their full potential. We offer students:
- A carefully planned, phased curriculum structure
- A curriculum that offers the right balance of challenge and support to enable our young people to succeed and progress
- A Post-16 sixth form provision that allows students to develop their skills in a mainstream setting
Tailored learning packages
The curriculum at Newbury Manor School is structured in such a way that each young person benefits from a bespoke package that meets their specific needs. We do not expect them to fit into what already exists. Instead, each and every new student has a brand new package built around, and with them.
In order to meet the wide range of differing student interests, Newbury Manor School offers a variety of subjects at GCSE as well as functional skills, maths, English, science and ICT and a selection of external accreditations. In our quest to meet individual needs, the school has previously bought in tuition to cater for a specific pupil’s subject of interest if we do not already have an on-site teacher specialising in this.
A focus on lifelong learning
When creating a pupil’s personalised learning programme, we consider any factors that could limit or prevent them from achieving their ultimate goal of having a happy and fulfilling adult life and then work towards removing these barriers. Our focus on lifelong learning and successful adult outcomes guides our curriculum decisions, including any therapeutic learning that is integrated into and personalised for the individual.
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A three stage curriculum
In 2014, Newbury Manor School launched a new three-tiered curriculum structure. Since its introduction, our unique curriculum structure has moved the school forward significantly. It allows pupils to engage in learning at their starting point and provides a secure yet challenging environment for them to begin their learning journey. The curriculum is split into three stages:
Transition Curriculum
When a student joins us, often they have previously faced significant challenges and may be caught in a cycle of failure. Our transition curriculum is designed so that they quickly feel Newbury Manor School’s ‘culture of success.’ Tailored to the individual’s needs, this phase of the curriculum splits the transition process into small attainable stepping-stones with the outcomes of reducing anxiety, raising confidence and developing strong, trusting relationships.
Developing Skills Curriculum
This curriculum phase slightly increases the learning challenge as pupils settle at Newbury Manor School and become familiar with the routines. There is a subtle move towards greater structure in lessons and an increase in adult-led learning. As pupils engage more readily within this learning culture, we will also start to introduce achievable elements of the National Curriculum. The Developing Skills Curriculum gives pupils opportunities for pair and group work and encourages them to access activities within the wider community.
Accredited Learning Curriculum
As pupils progress though our school, we ensure that they are offered every opportunity for success, including the chance to achieve national accreditations and qualifications. Whatever the individual’s learning journey, we ensure there is the support in place for them to achieve accreditation, which may be through GCSEs, AQA Unit Awards, Functional Skills, BTECs, or Independence Awards via ASDAN.
The Spectrum Star
The ‘Spectrum Star’ package underpins all three of our curriculum stages and is used to set long-term goals for our young people (see diagram below). Newbury Manor School uses this model to ensure our focus is not just on academic outcomes, but also on the nine outcomes that young people with a diagnosis of autism require in order to progress towards a happy and fulfilled adult life. By incorporating the ‘Spectrum Star’ into our curriculum, we build pupils’ attendance, resilience and motivation, in turn helping them to make academic progress.