Curriculum Support

Head of Department

Mrs S Lunn – SENDCO

Email – slunn@redbridgeschool.co.uk

KS3 & KS4 Subject Intent

The Curriculum Support department is based on the principle that for some students, additional explicit teaching of literacy and/or numeracy skills is needed to support the development of reading, and/or spelling, and/or writing and/or numeracy skills – transferable skills not only needed to access the school curriculum but to equip students with life-long literacy and numeracy skills.

A range of programmes have been developed by the department (for KS3 and KS4) in response to significant delay in identified literacy and numeracy needs. A rigorous assessment process identifies gaps and ensures students are working on the correct programme and at the correct level within this programme.

Programmes are highly structured, sequential, cumulative and multi-sensory. Personalisation is key and regular reviews ensure students progress along or, if needed, move into a different programme of work.

Small groups ensure a high level of teacher/student interaction throughout lessons. On-going assessment, positive feedback, reinforcement and over-learning underpin all lessons – challenge intertwined at appropriate moments. Students know they are making progress due to the cumulative, continuous assessment that takes place. Success is orchestrated so that students build confidence, self-esteem, and resilience and do not feel threatened to have a go at those skills they have struggled with – often for many years.

A number of bespoke groups run to address need in particular subject areas. In addition,

Access Arrangements are applied for and become formalised for KS4 qualifications. This ensures that students can show what they know and can do, meeting the particular needs of the student without affecting the integrity of the assessment.

Curriculum Implementation

Reading A/Spelling A

Students following this programme of work have a significant delay in their reading, spelling and writing skills. To develop reading skills, students will focus on letter sounds, decoding of regular and irregular spelled words, sentence reading and reading of short books. To develop spelling skills, sound-letter/s correspondence, regularly spelled words and high frequency irregularly spelled words will be a focus. To develop writing skills, handwriting skills will be a focus as well as use of writing to communicate meaning through simple sentence writing with accurate use of grammar and selected punctuation.

Lessons are taught in “tracks”. Each lesson is made up of several tracks including work on more than one skill, pattern or rule. A track can extend over several weeks and this allows skills to be taught gradually, giving students the time to acquire mastery. In this way, lessons are structured, sequential, cumulative and step by step with skills constantly reinforced by opportunities for repetition and over-learning. All of this – for transferable use across the curriculum

If you would like more detail as to why your child has been placed on this programme or at what level they are working at within this programme, please contact slunn@redbridgeschool.co.uk

Reading B/Writing 1

The focus for students following this programme of work will be the development of reading and writing skills for transferable use across the curriculum. As students on this programme have weak decoding skills, they will work on the decoding of written text with a view to developing accuracy, speed and comprehension. To develop written communication skills, students will be placed at the appropriate level within our Writing 1 programme. Accurate grammar and use of selected punctuation will be the focus in sentence and short paragraph writing.

Lessons are taught in “tracks”. Each lesson is made up of several tracks including work on more than one skill, pattern or rule. A track can extend over several weeks and this allows skills to be taught gradually, giving students the time to acquire mastery. In this way, lessons are structured, sequential, cumulative and step by step with skills constantly reinforced by opportunities for repetition and over-learning.

If you would like more detail as to why your child has been placed on this programme or at what level they are working at within this programme, please contact slunn@redbridgeschool.co.uk

Spelling B/Writing 1

The focus for students following this programme of work will be the development of spelling and writing skills as well as the development of reading comprehension skills for transferable use across the curriculum. Some students will enter this programme having worked on previous programmes and some students will begin their additional support here.  To develop spelling skills, patterns of regularly spelled sound combinations, patterns not universally generalised and irregularly spelled words will be a focus. To develop written communication skills, students will be placed at the appropriate level within our Writing 1 programme. Accurate grammar and use of selected punctuation, sentence and short paragraph writing will be the focus. Reading comprehension skills will be developed through the reading of short fiction and non-fiction books to engage interest.

Lessons are taught in “tracks”. Each lesson is made up of several tracks including work on more than one skill, pattern or rule. A track can extend over several weeks and this allows skills to be taught gradually, giving students the time to acquire mastery. In this way, lessons are structured, sequential, cumulative and step by step with skills constantly reinforced by opportunities for repetition and over-learning.

If you would like more detail as to why your child has been placed on this programme or at what level they are working at within this programme, please contact slunn@redbridgeschool.co.uk

Spelling C/Writing 2

The focus for students following this programme of work will be the development of spelling and writing skills as well as the development of reading comprehension skills for transferable use across the curriculum. This programme of work is at a higher level than Spelling B/Writing 1. Some students will enter this programme having worked on previous programmes and some students will begin their additional support here.  To develop spelling skills, sound and sound pattern to letter/s correspondence, morphographic generalisations and high frequency irregularly spelled words are a focus. To develop written communication skills, students will be placed at the appropriate level within our Writing 2 programme.  Students will be developing grammar and punctuation, sentence and paragraph writing skills at a higher level than Writing 1. Delays in reading comprehension skills will be addressed through the reading of short fiction and non-fiction books to engage interest.

Lessons are taught in “tracks”. Each lesson is made up of several tracks including work on more than one skill, pattern or rule. A track can extend over several weeks and this allows skills to be taught gradually, giving students the time to acquire mastery. In this way, lessons are structured, sequential, cumulative and step by step with skills constantly reinforced by opportunities for repetition and over-learning.

If you would like more detail as to why your child has been placed on this programme or at what level they are working at within this programme, please contact slunn@redbridgeschool.co.uk

Reading Plus

The focus for students following this programme of work will be the development of spelling and writing skills as well as the development of reading comprehension skills for transferable use across the curriculum. This programme of work is at a higher level than Spelling B/Writing 1. Some students will enter this programme having worked on previous programmes and some students will begin their additional support here.  To develop spelling skills, sound and sound pattern to letter/s correspondence, morphographic generalisations and high frequency irregularly spelled words are a focus. To develop written communication skills, students will be placed at the appropriate level within our Writing 2 programme.  Students will be developing grammar and punctuation, sentence and paragraph writing skills at a higher level than Writing 1. Delays in reading comprehension skills will be addressed through the reading of short fiction and non-fiction books to engage interest.

Lessons are taught in “tracks”. Each lesson is made up of several tracks including work on more than one skill, pattern or rule. A track can extend over several weeks and this allows skills to be taught gradually, giving students the time to acquire mastery. In this way, lessons are structured, sequential, cumulative and step by step with skills constantly reinforced by opportunities for repetition and over-learning.

If you would like more detail as to why your child has been placed on this programme or at what level they are working at within this programme, please contact slunn@redbridgeschool.co.uk

Bookworks

The focus for students following this programme of work is the development of reading fluency and comprehension skills. Students are either below or low average (compared to students of their age) when assessed for reading comprehension.

Bookworks is for Year 7 students and runs in some of our tutor times. Students will be in a group of no more than 5 students. They will work with an adult and develop their reading fluency and comprehension using topical news stories (which also develop cultural literacy) as well as group reading and questioning.  

If you would like more detail as to why your child has been placed on this programme, please contact slunn@redbridgeschool.co.uk

Lessons are taught in “tracks”. Each lesson is made up of several tracks including work on more than one skill, pattern or rule. A track can extend over several weeks and this allows skills to be taught gradually, giving students the time to acquire mastery. In this way, lessons are structured, sequential, cumulative and step by step with skills constantly reinforced by opportunities for repetition and over-learning.

If you would like more detail as to why your child has been placed on this programme or at what level they are working at within this programme, please contact slunn@redbridgeschool.co.uk

Superspell

The focus for students following this programme of work is the development of spelling skills. Students have been assessed as either below or low average. 

This is a computer-based programme and runs in some of our tutor times. Some students will enter having worked on previous programmes and some students will begin their additional support here. There is a sequential development of spelling skills ranging from simple 3-letter words to harder multi-syllabic words. Following a pre-test highlighting problematic spelling patterns, the student will work through their individualised word lists and activities to develop their spelling skill. 

If you would like more detail as to why your child has been placed on this programme, please contact slunn@redbridgeschool.co.uk

Numeracy C

Students following this programme of work have a significant delay in their numeracy skills and so, the development of these numeracy skills as well as skills for transferable use across the curriculum especially in their maths lessons will be the focus. Times tables skills, adding, subtracting, multiplication, understanding simple fractions, understanding place value, estimating size of numbers including numbers above 4 digits, using money, telling the time and other life skills such as estimating distances will be addressed. Students will be placed at the appropriate level within the Numeracy C programme.

Lessons are taught in “tracks”. Each lesson is made up of number skills, transfer of skills from their maths lessons and literacy reinforcement of key words giving students the time to acquire mastery. In this way, lessons are structured, sequential, cumulative and step by step with skills constantly reinforced by opportunities for repetition and over-learning.

If you would like more detail as to why your child has been placed on this programme or at what level they are working at within this programme, please contact slunn@redbridgeschool.co.uk

Resource Lessons

Hearing impaired learners generally demonstrate significantly less vocabulary and world knowledge than their hearing peers. One strategy to address this is the use of a Resource lesson for some students who are part of our Hearing Impaired Resource, Gaps identified in lessons and follow-up work will mean that time is given to address language delays, enrich word knowledge and cultural literacy. Language assessments are also used diagnostically to address particular language gaps and to support students with their oral and written communication skills.

If you would like more detail, please contact slunn@redbridgeschool.co.uk

Access Arrangements

For some students, the use of Access Arrangements ensures that they are able to demonstrate what they know and can do. These arrangements become formalised in KS4. Communication with the student, class teacher and parents as well as the formal applications to exam boards means that these arrangements are in place for final exams. Teaching and support staff liaise with the students, SENCO and Exams Officer and use classwork, assessments and mock exams to fine tune arrangements to match need. In this way, barriers are removed and through their normal way of working, the student will be empowered to confidently access their assessment.

If you would like more detail, please contact slunn@redbridgeschool.co.uk

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