Employability – Big Idea

• A curriculum which meets statutory requirements and prepares students for external accreditation.
• Inspire a curiosity and fascination about the world of world and links with personal goals and aspirations
• A curriculum with links to real life context for students to help with their ability to understand employability options such as supported internships or volunteering.
• A program of study that is based on an enquiry approach: What is this job like? How do I feel about it? What aspects do I/don’t I like, and why? What is my pathway? How can I achieve my employability goals?

The development of key employability skills such as timekeeping; following health and safety guidelines; responsibilities in the workplace; teamwork and communication.

Subject Links

• ICT e.g. photography, video or audio clips relating to businesses and job opportunities;
• Science and maths through STEM awareness.
• English- preparation for work e.g. C.V. writing.

Progress

• Each unit/aspect broken down to mini steps. Allows student to develop both a breadth and depth of knowledge.
• Curriculum can be personalised to the individual and allow them to pick up from where they left off.
• This also allows misconceptions to be addressed and deep learning to take place as students, particularly those with autism, may have difficulty generalising.

A system of assessment for learning that builds from experiential to support to independence.

Content and Sequencing

• Links to real life context for students to develop their understanding of the skills and behaviours that are required in the workplace.
• Specified autism impact identified in all units.
• Students have access to impartial employability advice with provider access to school to discuss potential courses and apprenticeships.
• Students able to make progress with units across different stages linked wherever possible.
• Students in same class can be set appropriately challenging targets within the same broad subject area.
• Flexible approach taken by staff to ensure appropriate level of challenge to engage, inspire and motivate all students regardless of current ability.
• Students baselined according to assessments of previous knowledge at the beginning of topics, alongside previous levels of progress and teacher judgement.
• Flexible approach taken by staff to ensure appropriate level of challenge to engage, inspire and motivate all students regardless of current ability.
• Enables content to be different but skills can be constantly refined and built upon.

Our Setting

• Lessons delivered by autism professionals.
• EHCP outcomes placed at the centre of all learning.
• Flexible and dynamic approach allows teacher to meet the needs of all students without the restriction of having to get through the curriculum.
• Established practice, proven to work in research, lived and breathed everyday by all staff i.e. use of routines, visuals, pecs, TEACCH
• Support available from wider therapy team.

Support

• Careers Connect partnership working.
• Working towards Careers Quality Standard.
• National Curriculum available to all staff.
• Continuous review of other suitable resources e.g. Equals.
• N.W. Learning Partnership membership to develop wider professional networks. Development of links with local mainstream schools.
• Ongoing CPD opportunities to develop both subject and autism specificity skills and knowledge of staff at all levels.