School Curriculum

These values will shape our students into becoming: 

• Exceptional
• Innovative
• Resilient
• Aspirational
• Themselves
• Successful

Curriculum Intent

Our 'Ethos' at Pewsey Vale School is to provide a supportive and challenging learning environment where all students are empowered to succeed. We are passionate about ensuring that every child has access to the best opportunities which will help them achieve and prepare them for their future. Our school community works together to ensure that all students reach their full potential in their academic and personal development.

We believe that teaching must engage students and be challenging in a way that encourages them to take risks and endeavour to break through their perceived barriers. Our teachers have high expectations and students are supported in reaching these. We want our students to be resilient, creative and successful individuals. We strongly believe in a holistic approach to education where a sense of belonging is at the forefront of our school’s vision. As a small school, we can facilitate this where every student is an individual. Our staff know each young person and their families very well; they encourage everyone to develop and flourish in all areas of school life and beyond.

Through bespoke collaboration with a range of partners and other organisations, we endeavour to raise our students’ aspirations and significantly increase the opportunities available to them throughout their schooling and beyond. We endeavour to:

Secure developments and achievements

• Provide opportunities for students’ personal development
• Allow students to achieve their personal best

Prepare students for “life beyond Pewsey Vale”

• Challenge, motivate, inspire and lead to a lifelong interest in learning
• Prepare students for further education whether academic or vocational and for the world of work

Promote active community involvement

• Ensure students are prepared for life in modern Britain
• Offer a wide range of quality extra-curricular opportunities for personal development
• Involve working with the community to promote local, national and global awareness

Curriculum Implementation

Through Transition

Our transition programme enables us to develop strong relationships and personal knowledge of all our students. Being a small school enables us to quickly get to know individuals and create a supportive ethos. Members of the Senior Leadership Team and the pastoral team visit all our primary schools to meet with parents and students. Our Special Needs Coordinator (SENDCO) meets with teachers and senior leaders to discuss the needs of identified students. Students identified as more vulnerable are given bespoke transition with individual/small group visits. We send comprehensive paperwork to primary schools, parents and carers to ensure that the views of all parties are considered and that information can be triangulated to provide the best support.

Students start their familiarisation with the school in Year 5 where we run open days for all primaries. Students have the opportunity to visit for the day where they start thinking about their Super North Stars (big dreams goals and ambitions). This is supported by our offer for the students to attend our annual careers fair and futures event. Throughout the day they experience a range of subjects to familiarise them with the school and to instil confidence. In Year 6 students have a transition day in Term 6 where they spend the day meeting their tutor and experiencing lessons.

Our students arrive in Year 7 feeling confident and secure having already had the experience of working together in their new environment. Tutors have already had the opportunity to get to know the students and their parents as part of the transition programme.

On entry to Pewsey Vale School, all students undergo baseline testing to support our intervention strategies and internal data tracking. This enables us to quickly identify any students in need of additional assistance.

Through Nurture Provision

Nurture provision is provided for a group of our more vulnerable students in all-year groups. The subjects followed will be tailored to individual needs but come in the main from the core academic offer for all children but with more intensive support. Nurture provision is not a permanent, full-time provision but is based on an integrated model of in-class support and small group withdrawal enabling students to spend as much time as possible in mainstream lessons.

Support staff work alongside mainstream teachers to enable students to access the full curriculum.

Through Enrichment and Capital Culture

We believe learning outside the classroom is as essential to students’ development as learning within the classroom, and so ensure our students experience a wealth of extra-curricular opportunities.

The school has a range of enrichment opportunities to complement the taught curriculum in subjects. Students are offered opportunities to extend their learning through a range of clubs, and visits both abroad and in the UK. As well as performances, exhibitions and the opportunity to represent the school as part of a team. We are committed to ensuring that all learners are able to take part in the enrichment programme regardless of finances, ensuring that we are closing gaps in social mobility for our most deprived learners.

Through Teaching, Learning & Assessment

As part of Acorn Education Trust, our curriculum is alligned with the other secondary schools and contextually adpated for the students in our school. In Key Stage 3, students study a broad and balanced range of subjects which builds cummulative knowledge to fully prepare our learners to begin Key Stage 4 courses in Year 10. All students are exposed to a full broad curriculum with students choosing their Key Stage 4 options in the summer term of Year 9. There is no shortening of the curriculum offered to any student in Key Stage 3.

In Key Stage 4, a traditional core of English, Maths, Science, Humanities and Languages is complimented by a wide range of options, including the Arts, Sports, Design and Technology subjects alongside some vocational courses.

For a very small number of students, we offer alternative provisions through bespoke packages. This is coordinated by the SEN Department.

At Pewsey Vale School, we run a two-week timetable of 5 lessons per day. Students have a full allocation of lessons and subjects across the week, these are then spread out to allow for a different diet of learning each day.

The allocation of lessons across the school is as follows.

Home Learning

We continue to use the Acorn daily subject homework schedule for KS3

Key Stage 4 homework is set weekly in each subject and should build on previous learning or prepare students for the following lesson.