At Mill House School, our pupils have access to a broad and balanced curriculum.

We offer a broad and balanced secondary school curriculum; one that is highly personalised and closely tailored to each individual pupils’ levels of ability, interests and aspirations. Our curriculum consists of three cores strands: academic, social and emotional, and is delivered by well qualified and experienced practitioners operating in a safe, supportive and inspiring learning environment.

We timetable personal enrichment programmes, local trips and visits from external providers such as organic gardening, animal husbandry, visiting speakers and poets.

Mill House School continues to develop strong links with external providers, local community groups, businesses and professional associations to help pupils re-engage with, and foster, a love of lifelong learning.

Basic Skills

All of our pupils require support to develop their basic skills in English and maths. Alongside timetabled English and maths lessons, we also develop these key skills through bespoke intervention sessions, our extra curricular offer, mentoring sessions and Super Learning Days.

Many of our pupils need to develop their abilities to speak with confidence, use a wide vocabulary, speak in front of others and develop a wider love of reading for pleasure as well as learning.

Our basic skills are embedded in the wider curriculum with pupils practising how to use money for shopping and travel, weighing ingredients for healthy meals, reading recipes, reading bus timetables and news articles, problem solving when on educational visits, knowing how to complete application form and writing in real life contexts.

Reading

On entry to the school, pupils sit baseline assessment to ascertain pupils’ reading ages. Where pupils have missed a considerable amount of time from school, a phonetic and reading programme will be put into place. This programme is designed to foster a love of reading, to encourage reading for leisure and purpose, to develop confident readers and speakers, and enable pupils to read and understand unfamiliar texts.

Flexibility

Our flexible curriculum provides both choice and challenge and aims to develop emotional literacy and core subject knowledge whilst offering a wide range of accredited outcomes. There is a strong focus on the social and emotional aspects of learning through the delivery of a range of PHSE, RSE and personal development programmes.

Each subject area delivers the national curriculum programmes of study and ensures that they are personalised, and accessible, to all pupils within the school.

In addition to academic subjects studied, pupils are offered a wide range of enrichment and work-related learning experiences, designed to prepare them for further study and for life beyond formal education.

Building Resilience

We recognise the importance of building learning power and work hard to build students’ confidence, self-esteem, independent study habits and, most importantly, resilience; developing and supporting a culture of learning for life which enables pupils to recognise and respond positively to opportunities for personal and social growth.

Key Stages

Pupils are given access to each curriculum area which is adapted to the meet individual abilities and needs.

We prioritise the core subjects of English, mathematics and science. British values and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are at the heart of everything we do.

Key Stage 3

Classes are mostly organised by age. Pupils are provided with access to a full national curriculum alongside therapeutic interventions and enrichment activities.

Key stage three pupils have the opportunity to follow these curriculum areas:

Academic & Creative

• Art & Design
• English & English Literature
• Food Technology
• Humanities
• ICT
• Mathematics
• Physical Education
• Science

Personal Development and Character Education:

• PSHE, SMSC & RSE
• Speech, Language & Communication
• The Prince’s Trust Achieve Programme
• Animal Care
• Life Skills
• Outdoor Adventure
• Careers

Key Stage 4

Currently, Key Stage 4 pupils have the opportunity of studying:

Academic and Creative:

• Animal Care
• Art & Design
• English
• English Literature
• Food Technology
• History
• ICT
• Mathematics
• Science
• Animal Care

 

• Personal Development and Character Education:
• PSHE, SMSC & RSE
• Speech, Language & Communication
• The Prince’s Trust Achieve Programme
• Careers

Key Stage 5

At KS5, the school offers a range of pathways to meet the individual need of the pupils and continue to develop their life skills.

Our Post 16 curriculum is bespoke to each pupil and is underpinned by the principles of:

• A pathway to academic accreditation
• Fostering independence
• Developing key skills in literacy and numeracy
• Developing resilience to change and new situations
• Readiness to work (whether paid or voluntary)
• Physical Health
• Emotional Health and Wellbeing
• Developing healthy and safe relationships
• Becoming an active citizen

Opportunities for Accreditation

All pupils will follow an accreditation in English and maths with the intention of sitting formal examinations at the end of Key Stage 4 and 5. Depending on the ability of each pupil, and their option choices, they will be entered for other accreditation or examination opportunities at the end of Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 as appropriate.

As a new school, we have no academic data for 2020-2021 academic year.

Admissions

Once a place has been confirmed, and prior to the arrival of the young person, key data and information will be forwarded the EHCP Team  and school secretary. This information will include education, social and medical history, attendance, safeguarding issues and involvement of other agencies. Education, Health and Care plan needs will provide further information relating to current attainment as a minimum in core subjects.

On admission to the school, each pupil will complete a full baseline assessment. Data from this assessment will be distributed to education staff.  The baseline data is used to set realistic targets for progress across the curriculum and will help to highlight the key learning needs of the young person. The targets form a key part of individual plans including education plans, behaviour plans, positive handling plans and individual risk assessments.

SEN

Where a pupil has an Education, Health and Care Plan, provision will be put in place to meet the requirements of that plan, alongside our broad and balanced curriculum.

EAL

Where a pupil has English as an Additional Language, upon admission, they will be assessed to determine any ongoing support required so that they can access our curriculum. Pupils may have bespoke programmes put in place as required.

Teaching groups

Pupils are taught in small groups, and on an individual basis depending on the needs of each pupil. This approach allows teachers to match curriculum-based tasks to the ability and interest of individual pupils.

The Wider Curriculum

Our wider curriculum offer has been developed to support our pupils to address the barriers to their learning and with their emotional wellbeing in mind. Where pupils have an EHCP, this is closely linked to their targets for life. All pupils will be developing skills and knowledge required to be successful adults in their community, improving their independent skills and equipping them with the basic numeracy and literacy skills to access the next stage of their life into training, education or work.

Extra-Curricular Activities

The school offers at lunchtimes a range of activities which support our pupils to develop further in the areas of communication, health and wellbeing, physical health and independence. Our pupils can engage with caring for animals, cooking, board games, discussion groups.

Provision of Relationships and Sex Education

We have consulted with our stakeholders on the provision of RSE curriculum in the Autumn Term and received positive views. This part of the curriculum is centred around helping our pupils to understand what constitutes safe and healthy relationships, whilst giving pupils a safe space to discuss things of concern to them. Topics areas such as understanding about consent, safe practice, respectful relationships and managing friendships online underpin this area of the curriculum.

Personal Development including PSHE, RSE and SMSC

Through our academic and wider curriculum, we aim to teach pupils about tolerance, respect, self-esteem, confidence, resilience, independence, community, RSE, SMSC, how to keep mentally and physically healthy, healthy relationships, preparation for modern day Britain, opportunity of equality, respecting difference, developing talents and interests and preparation for future success in education or training.