Curriculum Content

At Uplands School we have three core subjects:

Maths
Literacy
PSHCE and RSE

Key Stage 3/4

Pre-formal pathway - Learners following this curriculum pathway are broadly working at a level equivalent to M1-M3b of the adult pre-entry curriculum and are those students who are not ready for subject specific learning.

The curriculum for pre-formal learners is broadly based on Education Scotland’s ‘Milestones: Supporting learners with complex additional support needs’ and the EYFS statutory framework (2021). The curriculum areas for pre-formal learners underpin and lead into the subjects that students follow through the other pathways to provide an engaging context for lessons through which the appropriate knowledge for each learner can be delivered in a sequenced way and so learning can take place at greater or lesser depth within their personalised plans.

Within the semi-formal and formal pathways, young people will have opportunities to develop knowledge in a range of subject specific areas. At Uplands School, these are:

Key skills (maths, reading, writing, communication and IT).
Knowledge and understanding of the world (Art, Music, Religious Education and Knowledge and Understanding of the world).
Independent Living (Personal Social Health and Citizenship Education and Relationships and Sex Education and Leisure and Exercise).
Skills for Adult Life (Daily living skills and skills for adulthood).

The Curriculum closely links with learning towards the four areas of need as defined in the SEND Code of Practice (2015) which supports knowledge acquisition towards the following areas:

Cognition and learning: functional skills for everyday living and the workplace
Communication and interaction: expressing views, needs and preferences. Forming and maintaining mutually rewarding relationships. Effective communication in a range of contexts.
Social emotional and mental health: being happy and healthy, making informed choices, community participation and forming and maintaining healthy relationships.
Physical and sensory: functional fine and gross motor and self-regulation skills to be able to enjoy independence and be safe.

Key skills’ aims are:

To develop and acquire the functional skills in literacy and maths needed to support young people to progress onto the next stage of their educational journey.
To develop a young person's understanding of the wider world to broaden their cultural experiences and gain cultural capital to develop skills for life

Knowledge and understanding of the world’s aims are:

To enable our young people to predict and make informed conclusions through scientific experiments – exploring the world around them.
To equip young people with a knowledge and understanding of their local community, the natural world and built environments.
To develop an understanding of different faiths, beliefs and celebrations.
To provide young people with opportunities to acquire cultural capital, explore and experiment with different mediums of art, and learn about the history of art, culture and the works of different artists.For young people to build on their choice making, fine and gross motor skills, creative expression and emotional understanding through different genres, composers and visiting musicians.

Independent Living’s aims are:

To equip young people with the skills and opportunities to build positive relationships and contribute to their wider community.
To educate young people in all aspects of keeping safe and explore their rights and responsibilities as citizens of the UK.
To teach young people about the changes they go through when developing into an adult.

Skills for Adult Life’s aims are:

To provide appropriate and differentiated opportunities to develop the necessary work-related skills in order for young people to be able to play an active part in their community.
To foster a sense of responsibility for completion of routine work-related learning tasks.
To develop both independence and interdependence skills.

Key Stage 5 (Sixth Form)

Each of our students in the 6th form will have a programme of study built to meet their individual needs and Personal Learning Goals, which are broadly in line with one of 3 distinct pathways (pre-formal, informal and semi-formal).

We aim to ensure that by getting to know a young person’s skills and aspirations we can make sure that:

Each pathway provides a curriculum that is broad, has depth, is relevant to both life outcomes and student needs and is intended to prepare students for the next stage in their life.
Each pathway is intended to develop knowledge and skills as well as personal qualities and personal well-being.
All learning is enhanced by a robust qualification structure – underpinned by principles of progression and then tailored to each student.
Each pathway leads to a destination which builds on prior learning.

The curriculum builds on Preparation for Adulthood planning that starts at Year 9. Students also further develop their career aspirations and work-related learning skills, through internal and/or external work placements, as appropriate. Students on all three pathways enhance their learning through gaining qualifications from the Qualification and Credit Framework through the OCR Life and Living Skills Qualification, including literacy and maths qualifications. OCR Qualifications are available at Entry Level One, Entry Level Two and Entry Level Three. This is a credit based qualification from the Qualifications and Credit Framework that develops skills, knowledge and understanding. This qualification, which is divided into units, has been designed to encourage progression through its own structure. Students may progress upwards or laterally through the accumulation of units in a broad range of life and learning areas. The qualification is very flexible and students who have spikey profiles (strengths and needs that vary and mean learning can be inconsistent and at different rates) may, through the rules of combination achieve an overall level through taking units at different levels.

Students are also given increased choice in the sixth form through the ‘Options’ programme in order to prepare them for their next phase of education/employment. Examples include the arts, textiles, sport, horticulture, catering and multimedia (see KS5 Curriculum Options Booklet for further information). Students work through accreditation at an appropriate level, from pre-entry to Entry Level 3, through the ASDAN Lifeskills Challenge and Trinity College’s Art Awards programmes.

The pre-formal pathway suits learners with profound and multiple learning disabilities broadly working at a level equivalent to M1-M3b of the adult pre-entry curriculum and are those students who are not ready for subject specific learning. The aims of this Pathway are to develop communication, the ability to engage with people, objects and the environment, self-advocacy and making a valued contribution to society. At Key Stage 5, students on the pre-formal curriculum pathway continue to follow Equals curriculum for pre-formal learners.

Outcome and Progression:
Students leaving this pathway should be able to engage with the world around them with support, contribute to the local community through social and community enterprise activity, make choices and indicate preferences in relation to elements of their EHCP. This might be in areas such as living arrangements, personal care arrangements, friendship and leisure opportunities. Students may progress to further education, supported living, social enterprise groups or person centred packages.

Within the informal and semi-formal pathways, young people will have opportunities to develop their communication, independence and life skills further through focusing on the four areas of Preparation for Adulthood within a functional skills curriculum:

Further Education and Employment
Friends, Relationships and Community Participation
Good Health
Independent Living

The informal pathway suits learners with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and/or complex learning needs working between Milestone four and five in the adult curriculum and aims to develop communication, life, social and work-related skills and the ability to manage sensory integration needs.

Outcome and Progression:
Students leaving this pathway should be able to engage with the world around them more independently, be more able to use coping strategies to cope with a sensory world and be able to tolerate working alongside others. They should be able to contribute to the local community through social enterprise activity, make choices and indicate preferences in relation to elements of their EHCP such as living arrangements, support, friendship and leisure opportunities. Students may progress to further education, supported living and to social enterprise/work groups.

The semi-formal pathway suits learners with severe/moderate learning needs working between Milestone six and Entry Level 3 in the adult curriculum and aims to develop personal, social communication, life and work skills.

Outcome and progression:
Students leaving this pathway should be able to use a range of skills such as literacy and maths, communication and ICT to engage with the world around them with increased independence. They should be able to contribute to the local community through work or social enterprise activity. They should be able to demonstrate a level of self-advocacy in relation to elements of their Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) such as living arrangements, support, friendship and leisure opportunities. Students may progress to further education, work opportunities, supported living and to social enterprise/work groups. Generally, students will work towards outcomes similar to the following which will be personalised according to their own needs.

Careers & work-related learning

Work related learning supports our students to apply their knowledge and skills in real life situations in order to prepare them for adulthood; supporting them to have the knowledge of the world they need to make choices and develop their independence. At Key Stages 4 and 5, the work-related opportunities and work experience placements our students attend are intrinsic within our curriculum and an area very much enjoyed by all of our young people. Please visit the careers section of our website for more information on Uplands School's careers programme and the Gatsby Benchmarks.

If you would like more information about the curriculum or how to support your child with their learning at home, please make an appointment with your child's teacher who will be able to help.