Pupils leave Richard Cloudesley school with all the knowledge and skills they need to be as independent, autonomous, and self-determining as possible in their adult life. We have high aspirations for our pupils, and the curriculum in the sixth form really focuses on enhancing these functional and practical skills needed for independence in adulthood.
The Preparations for Adulthood Framework, PfA, informs all learning within the sixth form, ensuring that our young people are able to contribute to decisions about their own future. We prioritise supporting pupils to develop skills relating to social connections, independence and their own health, as well as readiness for work and life beyond school. The PfA framework penetrates all areas of the curriculum ensuring that all lessons and learning opportunities are focused on preparing our young people for life after Cloudesley.
The Sixth form offer is distinct to the rest of the school. As our pupils grow so does the curriculum, the way in which they experience the curriculum evolves to provide further choice and options and increased focus on self-directed learning.
Our Curriculum aims to provide students with meaningful and highly individualised learning opportunities that will equip them with the skills needed to continue to be life-long learners.
The curriculum splits learning into three areas
Core Subjects – English, Maths, Computing, PSHE, PE
Working Towards Work – Business and Enterprise, Independent living skills, Food preparation Catering and Hospitality, and Community engagement.
Enrichment opportunities, Health, Leisure and Community- Expressive and Creative Arts, Horticulture, Design and Technology, and Leisure.
This means that throughout the week learning opportunities are created to develop skills around the world of work and all the skills pupils might need for the world after Cloudesley. Pupils’ own wellbeing, opportunities for leisure and self-directed learning provide opportunities for pupils to explore their local community and become involved in it; doing all these things as independently as possible.
Pedagogical approaches remain consistent throughout the school, meaning that support around communication, use of AAC, and a focus on literacy skills remain at the heart of the day.
We work in partnerships with employers locally, ensuring that pupils get relevant, practical and transferable experiences of the world of work. Working with students and their individual aspirations, we aim to provide bespoke and motivating opportunities for work experience and Enterprise projects.
The learning that our pupils undertake and the progress that they make is all captured with nationally recognised accreditation- ASDAN. This gives all pupils currency that they can take with them into their next education placement, allowing them to build on all that they know, in their life-long learning journey.