“Leaders have created a broad, rich, personalised curriculum with a good balance of academic and vocational qualifications, including GCSEs.”
Ofsted March 2020
Curriculum Overview
Learning at The Haven School focusses on educational achievement within a therapeutically informed environment. It stimulates and encourages a desire in pupils to achieve their potential free from stress and anxiety. This empowers students to develop positive learning behaviours enabling them to achieve their potential.
At The Haven we believe in delivering a broad and balanced curriculum so that students have experience of a wide range of subjects and topics for as long as possible to promote a broad range of knowledge and skills. This allows students to discover and pursue their own particular interests and passions. A combination of teaching skills and knowledge, the technical and the non-technical, the academic with the creative and the challenge with the accessible ensures our curriculum has balance.
The programme that students follow at The Haven is bespoke to their needs and is informed by their Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). Each student has an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) that ensures their curriculum allows them to achieve individual goals and the outcomes required on their EHCP.
Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) threads through the whole curriculum at The Haven. All students are encouraged to access this through a variety of means including during assemblies, form times, Skill Building sessions and Key Worker sessions. (Please refer to the PSHE policy for further information.) English, Maths, Science and Computing are fundamental core subjects which Key Stage 3 and 4 study as part of their bespoke programme. Other GCSE subjects are available to study through the partnership with our co-located high school. The curriculum is enriched with foundation subjects such as the creative arts, humanities and technology alongside offsite activities such as Bushcraft, farming, animal care and outdoor education. In addition, we value learning experiences outside of the classroom which are used to enhance learning through visits and trips.
Accredited Courses
All students at The Haven work towards nationally standardised summative assessments. Depending on ability these are at Functional Skills Level and/or GCSE Level. GCSEs currently being offered in-house are English, maths, chemistry and biology. Other subjects are available to study through the partnership with our co-located high school. In Science students can also do entry level qualifications (single or double) and the Crest award. In addition, students can achieve a range of ASDAN courses including; Sport and Fitness, Foodwise, Animal Care and PSD. Outdoor Education qualifications include British Trampolining, Canoeing, Swimming and Climbing. During Bushcraft sessions students have the opportunity to achieve the John Muir award. Opportunities to develop specific vocational skills are available to students through a local college provider. These include hairdressing and childcare.