Overview
The Fitzroy Academy offers an educational curriculum which is specifically tailored to the individual needs of the students we support. Our nurturing, safe environment offers a bespoke and personalised learning experience, that affords each student the opportunity to achieve academically, build positive relationships and reach their potential, regardless of their need and past experiences. All our students have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or Individual Development Plan (IDP). For our students, their stage of academic and social development upon entry to The Fitzroy Academy is below those expected of students of a similar age nationally, so our curriculum is personalised to the individual strengths, interests and needs of students. We assess our students’ individual needs and give them the opportunity to access a curriculum that works for them and provides them with opportunities to develop knowledge and skills that will support them with life-long learning, transitions, life beyond school into adulthood, and independence. Our highly experienced teachers engage students through developing their interests and providing meaningful learning experiences. The curriculum is founded on the principle that our students have different needs and therefore require a different approach to the curriculum. We seek alternative approaches in order to engage young people who may have become disillusioned with a more ‘conventional’ approach to learning.
The curriculum aims to:
- Develop confidence
- Increase independence
- Promote social skills
- Teach appropriate behaviour
- Improve communication
- Maximise progress in all relevant areas for our students
Our curriculum ensures all students receive experiences and opportunities to develop their knowledge and acquire new skills in ways that ensure learning is relevant. The curriculum promotes students’ holistic development through inclusion of functional and subject specific skills and knowledge in a range of practical contexts. Opportunities for sequences of repetition and practice and taking extra time to promote deep learning in a range of contexts, are essential to enable our students to extend and consolidate understanding over a longer period which then facilitates greater fluency, independence, and maintenance as well as the transference of skills to varied contexts (generalisation skills).