Curriculum

A young person educated at Wakefield Independent School will have access to a broad and balanced curriculum that is relevant to individual needs. We offer the National Curriculum and a great deal more. The 'taught' curriculum as well as the extended curriculum, including: personal, social, health and economic education aims to prepare pupils for grasping opportunities, accepting the responsibility of adult life by developing a range of attributes: perseverance, resiliance and risk taking, so that pupils experience of School provides an effective preparation for the experiences of life in British society and the increasingly important global community. This includes: careers guidance and work experience weeks. We offer a wealth of enrichment opportunities to stretch the most able and awaken the curiosity of all. The curriculum is devised to be accessible to all, including those pupils with an EHCP and does not discriminate against pupils contrary to Part 6 of the Equality Act 2010.We include numerous educational visits, fieldtrips, weekly clubs and languages trips in our annual programme.

We ensure our curriculum intent:

Follows a spiral curriculum, which is knowledge based, and explored through skills that are revisited over time. This is to ensure that knowledge both substantitive and disciplinary is embedded into the long term memory.
Cultivates the habit of work and pride in achievement, whilst developing qualities of tolerance, altruism and understanding of others, both in school and within the wider global community, by insisting on these qualities in all aspects of School life, both within and beyond the classroom.
Enables a high self-esteem with regard to social and academic achievements.
Ensures classroom provision meets pupils' specific needs, with particular reference to values, attitudes and attributes, most notably the need to be 'empathetic, agile and hardworking'.
Develops an understanding of the rights of everyone to be an individual.
Promotes fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths.
Leads to a moral sense of responsibility for themselves and others, sound and courteous manners and the ability to be respectful of other people and their beliefs.
Provides opportunities to access cultural activities.
Enables effective communication through information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Leads to appropriate Academic Qualifications both written and oral.

We recognise that all students are individuals with a variety of strengths and develop at different speeds revealing their promise at varying stages. Our academic aim is for each pupil to develop a love of learning and achieve their personal best in an inspirational and distinctively child-centred learning environment. The manner in which the curriculum is presented allows the flexibility to work within these individual requirements. We endeavour at all times to make apropriate and individual adjustments to educate pupils according to need, so they all, including those with exceptional ability and those with particular learning needs, make progress in line with their academic potential. Students are monitored and recorded carefully through the School reporting and grading assessment procedures. This information is used to inform planning provided through departmental schemes of work. Children requiring an IEP will be identified, monitored and catered for. There will be regular opportunities for students and their parents to review personal progress and to consider the next stages in their development.

The teachers at Wakefield Independent School are well qualified and very dedicated, ensuring students achieve their personal best in an environment which supports their well-being, enabling them to feel happy and secure in their learning. We provide the 'Nest', our well-being hub, for children who want to access it.

The curriculum is reviewed each year as we continually strive to improve our provision to ensure our students are provided with the best possible learning environment.

Curriculum in Action

Our curriculum provides for the following subjects:

English, including English Literature and English Language;
Mathematics, Science- three separate sciences: Biology, Chemistry and Physics;
Art, Drama and Music;
History, Geography and Religious Education;
Design Technology and Textiles;
Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Computer Science;
Physical Education, Games and Sports Science;
Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education [PSHCE];
General Studies, SRE, Careers & Personal Development and Forest School.

SEN students are catered for by our Inclusion Lead and SENDCO. We are an outpost for YDN (Yorkshire Dyslexia Network)

Infant/Junior School Subjects

Foundation Stage

Seven areas of learning:

Personal, Social and Emotional Development;

Communication and Language;

Mathematics;

Literacy;

Understanding The World;

Physical Development;

Expressive Arts and Design

Key Stage 1 [Years 1 and 2]

Art & Craft