In line with the development of the Curriculum For Wales, Portfield School has reviewed its curriculum arrangements to enable all pupils to access a wide range of stimulating learning experiences that have the four purposes at their core. Alongside this, given the broad range of needs of pupils at the school, staff recognise that the curriculum must be relevant to pupils’ individual needs and abilities, and there must be flexibility in order to ensure continued relevance for all pupils at the various stages of their time at the school. This means that not all pupils experience all aspects of the curriculum all of the time, but rather that a balance in the whole curriculum will be reflected in pupils’ individual experiences according to their individual needs and the various age-related stages of their school life.
For example, younger pupils and those with more complex needs support familiar routines in class by distributing items to their peers, fetching the equipment they need and clearing up after themselves after learning activities or at the end of break and meal times. Pupils in the foundation phase and key stage 2 develop their cooking skills from an early age by stirring and mixing ingredients and kneading the dough to make bread. Older pupils improve their understanding of the world of work through an extensive range of well-planned enterprise activities and work experience placements. For example, they learn to use carpentry tools at a joinery company to upcycle furniture, make bird boxes and wooden planters, and practise catering and customer service skills in a local café and charity shop.
Teachers place a particularly strong emphasis on curriculum and individual lesson planning in the development of pupils’ independence and life skills. They take care to ensure that lessons provide purposeful activities to promote the development of targets in pupils’ individual education plans (IEPs). There are strong links between the objectives in pupils’ statements, the setting of IEP targets and teachers’ planning. This applies equally to older, more able pupils completing work experience placements in preparation for leaving school, as it does to learners who develop the skills they need to support their learning and independence in ways that relate meaningfully to their own individual needs.
These processes link closely to the school’s arrangements for tracking and monitoring pupil progress. The school uses a wide range of assessments that are well matched to pupils’ needs and abilities. Leaders and teaching staff use the outcomes of these assessments expertly to ensure that their planning of the curriculum provides valuable learning experiences for nearly all pupils and they track and monitor pupils’ progress regularly.
The robust links between initial assessment, pupils’ personal targets and teachers’ planning provide nearly all pupils with worthwhile opportunities to make progress during their time at the school. Annual review meetings use person-centred approaches exceptionally well and the school supports pupils and parents extremely effectively to contribute fully to the process. This has significantly strengthened pupils’ involvement in their own learning, and is a powerful aspect of the school’s provision.
The school ensures that there are meaningful opportunities for pupils to contribute fully to the life of the school. There are well-established opportunities for all pupils to take part in the school council, eco committee, and the ‘Tech Team’. The school strongly promotes pupil involvement in other activities to develop their confidence and social skills, including drama activities, educational visits to develop team-building skills and access to sports events. As a result, most pupils improve their confidence during their time at the school.
These arrangements are complemented by the school’s robust and well-established personal and social education (PSE) programme, which is particularly effective in supporting pupils’ development of personal and social skills. Throughout the school day, staff deliver this programme skilfully. For example, they support pupils’ understanding about making healthy food choices, and the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and substance misuse. This approach promotes effectively the development of pupils’ skills for life, preparing them well as they progress through the school and towards adulthood.
