Curriculum
Curriculum Lead – Hannah Scott-Mullen
The Soundwell Context
At Soundwell, we recognise all our learners have experienced barriers to accessing mainstream schools, often as a result of SEND and/or social and emotional issues.
Through our curriculum, we aim to ensure pupils enjoy learning and develop a growth mindset. Through our inclusive, nurturing and innovative practice, pupils are able to make progress regardless of their starting point. They should leave the academy well-prepared for their next steps, not only in education and employment, but as successful adults able to become positive members of their local communities. Hence, our curriculum is built around Preparing for Adulthood’s four pathways: employment, education and training; independent living; friends, relationships and community; health. See the 'pathways to adulthood' tab for more information.
Pupils from years 3-8 are taught on a primary model, where they stay in class with the same pupils and staff all day, other than moving to specialist areas for PE, Outdoor Education, Art and Cooking. We know that transition between different spaces and staff increases the demands on pupils and can reduce their ability to engage with learning. From year 9, pupils remain in their tutor rooms and groups but are taught core subjects and PE by subject specialists in preparation for KS4. They are also introduced to mixing teaching groups and working with less familiar staff through our Wellbeing Wednesday session, where they choose an activity that will enhance their physical or mental wellbeing and promote community inclusion. Rotated throughout the year, these activities include cycling, gardening, board game club, Scratch coding, DT, dance, outdoor explorers.
Research has shown that all pupils benefit from trauma-sensitive strategies in school and at Soundwell, we begin every day with a 30-minute wellbeing session in tutor groups. Class teams organise individual or group activities that enable pupils to feel safe, which in turn enables them to feel connected to staff and peers. Only when we feel safe and connected can we be regulated and therefore ready and able to learn.
In addition to curriculum subjects, each class has one or two tutor periods a week as well as the morning wellbeing sessions to help pupils work towards individual skills and EHCP targets. Break times also form part of our social skills curriculum as pupils are supported to develop their abilities to play, interact and take turns.
Curriculum subjects
Phonics and Reading
Read Write Inc Phonics (RWI):
The Read Write Inc programme is an approach to synthetic phonics, providing a structured route for students to learn the sounds of the English language and how to blend them into words to become fluent readers who can focus on developing their comprehension. It includes comprehensive planning for daily phonics lessons and reading, spelling and writing activities. It also includes decodable storybooks and home readers.
Pupils are taught in small groups or in one to one sessions based on their current reading level. This ensures they are always challenged but never overwhelmed.
The program focuses on four key areas:
Speed Sounds: Children learn the 44 common sounds in the English language and the letters (graphemes) that represent them.
Word Reading: Using "Fred Talk," children learn to blend sounds together to read words.
Spelling: Children learn to segment words into their individual sounds to become confident writers.
Storybooks: We use decodable books that are perfectly matched to the sounds the children have already learned, ensuring they experience immediate success.
To support students in developing their literacy skills, we use That Reading Thing (TRT). This is an evidence-based, age-appropriate linguistic phonics programme specifically designed for teenagers. Unlike primary-level interventions, TRT uses a "speech-to-print" approach that respects the maturity of secondary students, helping them quickly build confidence in decoding complex, multi-syllabic words and improving overall reading accuracy.
Comprehension 1:1 Interventions:
Reading comprehension is around reading, understanding and making meaning from what has been read with a text. Our aim is to support the continued literacy development of our students, through an offer of a structured 1:1 intervention sessions, applying proven strategies to help students master the "Big Five" of reading: vocabulary, fluency, oral language, phonological awareness, and most importantly, comprehension.
Our goal is to turn every student into a "strategic reader" who can navigate complex information with ease and curiosity.
KS2 & KS3
Our core subjects are English, Maths, Science, Reading and PSHE, which incorporates careers and citizenship. Pupils across KS2 and KS3 also learn PE, Cooking, Outdoor Education, Art and speech and language therapy (SALT). In core subjects, we have invested in evidence-based spiral thematic curricula which support students to develop and retain their knowledge over time. These are adapted by subject leads and class teachers to meet learners' individual needs.
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KS4
In KS4, all pupils study Maths, English and Science and can gain Entry Level, GCSE and/or Functional Skills qualifications in these subjects. There are also a variety of BTEC qualifications on offer to students, such as Home Cooking and Workskills etc. All pupils also study PSHE, Careers, Reading and PE. With our small KS4 cohort, our current KS4 options programme is based on their individual interests and aspirations. New subjects will be added as our KS4 cohort grows. Currently, pupils have opted for: GCSE Physical Education; Bike Mechanics; Rocksteady Training in multi-trade construction skills; Art or Digital Media leading to an Arts Award; Duke of Edinburgh; BTEC Land Studies, Animal Care, Digital Skills and ICT. There are also additional certifications on offer through the AQA Unit Award Scheme. More information is available on the qualifications page.
| Subjects | |
|---|---|
| Mathematics (Entry Level, Functional Skills & GCSE) | BTEC Workskills |
| English Language (Entry Level, Functional Skills & GCSE) | BTEC Land-based Skills combined with the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Bronze/Silver Award. |
| Combined Science (iGCSE) | BTEC Applied Science (LV1 Introductory) |
| Art and Design (GCSE) | BTEC Digital Media |
| Health and Fitness (LV1/2 Technical Award) | BTEC Sport (LV1 Introductory) |
| Personal and Social Development (LV1 Award) | BTEC Homecooking Skills (LV1 & 2) |
| IT User Skills (Open Systems and Enterprise) (LV2) | Digital Skills (Century Tech/TLM) (Entry Level 3 and LV1) |
| Rocksteady Training in Multi-trade Construction Skills (LV1 & 2 Award; Ascentis) | AQA Unit Awards – various subjects/topics (E3 -L1). |