We Give Them Wings, Our Herons Will Fly: Our Curriculum Reform Journey
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Information about the school
Heronsbridge is a residential special school maintained by Bridgend local authority. The school provides education for pupils aged 3 to 19 years. Nearly all pupils attend on a day basis. There are currently 266 pupils on on roll with 240 members of staff. Many pupils have either a statement of special needs or a local authority individual development plan (IDP). Pupils at the school have a range of needs, including profound and multiple difficulties (PMLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD) and autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). The school is organised into departments, primary, secondary, post-16, and a centre for pupils across the age range that have a primary diagnosis of autism and complex needs. Forty-one per cent of pupils receive free school meals. Attendance rates are around 91%.
The school has a well-established vision, ‘We give them wings, our Herons will fly’, and strong values, which are shared by all staff and stakeholders. These firmly place the pupils at the core of all that happens at the school. ‘Together we can’ is deeply embedded in everything that occurs across the school. The school is a Rights Respecting School, an Investors in People Platinum school and Investors in Families Diamond school. As a result, all staff have high expectations and aspirations for all pupils.
Context and background to the effective or innovative practice
Since 2016 the school was a curriculum pioneer rand has subsequently both trialled and refined its curriculum reform journey. It has done this by embedding model of enquiry, reflecting on the needs of pupils and making reference to and aligning its work with Welsh Government guidance and legislation, including the aspirations in Our National Mission: high standards and aspirations for all.
It all began with translating the four purposes into what they look like for pupils, ensuring that they were at the heart of everything the school does.
Description of nature of strategy or activity
The school’s curriculum design started by creating an enquiry group tasked with the question “How do we embed the 4 purposes in Heronsbridge?” Heron avatars were created, embodying the four purposes and the vision for the curriculum. Pupils helped to develop a pupil-friendly version, used in lessons to embed their understanding.
The school developed a four year cycle of topics that had enough scope and excitement to span the whole school (4-19). Pupil curriculum workshops finely tuned this topic plan, as pupils said what they would like to learn. Feedback from parent and governor workshops informed the school that they approved of the proposals and had “trust in the school improvement processes”.
Each termly topic was mapped, ensuring breadth and coverage of AOLEs, What matters statements and cross curricular skills. Mapping progression within the topics ensured that each topic sustains high levels of motivation and engagement of learners as they progress through the school.
Working across the four departments, AOLE teacher groups meet termly to produce topic advice for the whole school. Learners benefit from an experience, skills and knowledge model of progression, which recognises that the richness of the learning experience is crucial for engagement in learning. This is an ongoing process and one which continues to evolve, with the desired outcome to create planning that is developmental across experience, skills and knowledge and also meeting learner profiles. Cross curricular themed enquiry groups were created to develop these themes and teachers meet termly to provide advice.
Individual pupil progress is mapped via learning journeys, which are drawn from summative assessment and person centred planning meetings. Teachers evidence termly progress against each of the five action plan targets to compile an individual learning journey, where appropriate, pupils self-assess.
The schools as learning organisations model underpins all of the school improvement processes. The school’s rich enquiry ethos drives its curriculum, creating buy in and subsidiarity. Professional learning runs succinctly with the school improvement plan, ensuring that staff are well equipped to fully meet the various needs of learners.
What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?
Through tracking, the school is able to demonstrate that pupils continue to make strong progress, not only from their starting points, but also compared to historical learning profile norms. The school uses a ‘Brilliant Blue and On The Way Orange’ marking and assessment in learning strategy, which supports pupils to become aware of their progress. Where they are able, some pupils self-assess and a few peer assess. The pupils are happy, have a positive outlook on learning and are well prepared for their next steps in life.
How have you shared your good practice?
Research, collaboration and co-construction have played a crucial part of the curriculum journey and have informed design at every step. Teachers and the senior leadership team work with staff from cluster schools to develop progression maps and interdisciplinary ways of working. The school has found network meetings particularly helpful and informative. Senior leaders are members of the of the All-Wales Special School Progression and Assessment Network, where cross-consortia work on progression and assessment in special schools is being developed. Senior leaders have have participated in designing a progression map programme to support practitioners across the central south consortium region.