Frank Wise School

At Frank Wise School we believe that one of the central aims of the educational opportunities we deliver is to enable the children who arrive at the school to leave as young adults who are as independent as possible.

To help achieve this it is essential to recognise that irrespective of the pupil’s level of ability, the provision available throughout the school as they become older needs to reflect their changing age. This is achieved in a number of ways, such as ensuring that the work provided is age appropriate in terms of both the learning contexts and the resources used, that social areas are designed to reflect changing interests and social dynamics and that the curriculum provided adapts to the changes in emphasis and priority.

Within all Key Stages the curriculum is designed to reflect the priorities of specific age groups, whilst maintaining a core provision (see Frank Wise School Curriculum Framework) and the curriculum for the Griffiths Centre at Frank Wise School is no exception. As children become young adults and make the significant step from a Pre-16 to a Post-16 model of education our curriculum is designed to reflect this change.

Therefore there is a shift in emphasis away from a more linear pupil progression model based upon the teaching and generalisation of concepts, towards a model of education which recognises the pupil’s existing skills and provides carefully structured ways of further enabling them to be applied in functional, everyday contexts.

We consider this to be a move from a concept based model of education towards a context based one in which knowledge at all levels of ability will be more widely applied to everyday situations. In doing this we are aiming to utilise the final element of the student’s statutory educational entitlement, to prepare them as best we can to become active participants in, and contributors to society and achieve the highest degree of personal independence.

To externally communicate this work we provide all students with a range of tools to articulate their capability, focussing on their personal progress, personal social development and preparation for adulthood, including employment.