CURRICULUM POLICY

KS3, KS4 and Post-16 | Academic Year 2026/27

Status: This policy replaces the previous March 2023 Curriculum Policy and reflects SV Academy's current provision and the regulatory framework in force for the 2026/27 academic year.

1. Statement of Intent

SV Academy provides a broad, balanced, ambitious and inclusive curriculum that is appropriate to the ages, needs, aptitudes and starting points of its pupils and students. As an independent alternative provision, SV Academy recognises that many learners arrive after disrupted education, low attendance, unmet needs or previous difficulties engaging with learning. The curriculum is therefore designed to rebuild confidence and participation while maintaining high expectations for academic, vocational and personal development.

The curriculum aims to ensure that learners acquire new knowledge, develop secure foundational skills, make good progress from their starting points and are prepared successfully for the next stage of education, training or employment. It combines academic learning, personal development, careers preparation, creative and vocational opportunities, enrichment and targeted intervention.

SV Academy values respect, inclusion, ambition, independence, responsibility and achievement. The curriculum promotes fundamental British values, respect for the protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010, and the knowledge and behaviours learners need to participate positively in modern British society.

2. Aims

• Provide a broad and balanced curriculum with appropriate breadth across linguistic, mathematical, scientific, technological, human and social, physical, aesthetic and creative education.

• Secure strong literacy, communication, reading, writing, numeracy and digital skills as foundations for future learning.

• Plan learning in a logical sequence with clear end points so that learners build knowledge and skills over time.

• Use baseline information and ongoing assessment to identify gaps, adapt teaching and provide timely intervention.

• Maintain ambitious expectations for learners with SEND, disadvantaged learners and those whose prior education has been disrupted.

• Provide meaningful PSHE, RSE, careers education and preparation for adult life.

• Offer appropriate academic, vocational and creative qualifications and pathways which reflect learners' needs, interests, prior attainment and intended destinations.

• Promote attendance, engagement, resilience, confidence, cultural capital and positive attitudes to learning.

• Prepare learners for successful transition or reintegration, further education, apprenticeships, employment or other appropriate next steps.

3. Statutory and Regulatory Framework

SV Academy is a Department for Education registered independent school. The curriculum is planned and implemented with regard to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014, as amended, and the Department for Education Independent School Standards guidance updated in April 2026.

The Independent School Standards require suitable written curriculum policies, plans and schemes of work; appropriate breadth for pupils of compulsory school age; speaking, listening, literacy and numeracy; PSHE; accurate and impartial careers guidance for secondary-age pupils; a suitable programme for pupils above compulsory school age; effective preparation for life in British society; and teaching that enables pupils to acquire new knowledge and make good progress according to their ability.

This policy also has regard, where relevant, to current statutory and national guidance including Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (effective from 1 September 2026), the Equality Act 2010, Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026, DfE alternative provision guidance, current 16 to 19 study programme and funding requirements, and Ofsted's current inspection framework and toolkit for non-association independent schools.

4. Curriculum Principles

• Breadth: learners receive experience across the areas required by the Independent School Standards and are not unnecessarily restricted to a narrow curriculum.

• Ambition: learners are expected to achieve well from their individual starting points, including where there are significant gaps in prior learning.

• Sequencing: curriculum plans identify what learners should know, remember and be able to do, and learning is ordered so that new knowledge builds on prior learning.

• Personalisation: reasonable adaptations are made for SEND, literacy needs, prior attainment, attendance history and the intended placement or destination, without lowering expectations unnecessarily.

• Relevance: learning connects to real life, employment, further education and learners' interests while preserving academic rigour.

• Continuity: where learners are commissioned by another school or local authority, SV Academy works with the commissioner to support continuity, accreditation and transition.

• Safeguarding and inclusion: curriculum content is taught in a safe, age-appropriate, factual and inclusive manner and supports pupils' wellbeing and understanding of risk.

5. Curriculum Entitlement and Breadth

For pupils of compulsory school age, SV Academy ensures that curriculum planning provides experience in the areas below. The precise subjects and qualifications used to deliver these areas may vary according to year group, placement length, learner need and the Academy's published curriculum offer.

6. Curriculum Design, Planning and Sequencing

Subject and programme plans identify intended end points and the essential knowledge, concepts and skills learners should secure. Schemes of work are sequenced so that teaching builds progressively on prior knowledge. Where a learner joins part-way through a programme, staff use available information and assessment to identify the most important gaps and agree a realistic pathway.

• Curriculum maps and schemes of work which show progression and expected outcomes.

• Baseline and diagnostic assessment, including literacy and numeracy where appropriate.

• Clear learning objectives and planned opportunities for retrieval, practice and application.

• Adaptation for learners with SEND, English as an additional language or significant gaps in prior learning.

• Planned assessment points and use of assessment information to refine teaching.

• Links to qualifications, awarding-body requirements and controlled assessment requirements where applicable.

• Regular review by leaders to ensure curriculum breadth, sequencing, quality and suitability.

7. Assessment, Baseline and Progress

Assessment is used to understand learners' starting points, check understanding, identify misconceptions and gaps, adapt teaching and evaluate progress. Assessment is proportionate and should support learning rather than create unnecessary workload.

• Information from the home school, local authority, previous setting, EHCP, ILP and prior attainment is considered on entry where available.

• Diagnostic or baseline assessment is used where necessary, including in English, mathematics and reading.

• Teachers use formative assessment routinely during teaching and summative assessment at planned points.

• Progress data is reviewed by leaders and used to plan intervention, curriculum adaptation and additional support.

• Learners and parents/carers are provided with appropriate information about progress and next steps.

• For accredited courses, internal assessment and quality assurance follow awarding-body requirements.

8. Literacy, Reading, Communication and Numeracy

SV Academy gives high priority to literacy, reading, speaking, listening, writing and numeracy because weaknesses in these areas can be a major barrier to accessing the wider curriculum and future employment. Learners who have not secured the necessary foundations receive targeted support appropriate to their age and starting point.

Reading is promoted across the curriculum. Staff model subject-specific vocabulary, explicitly teach unfamiliar language, support comprehension and provide appropriate interventions for learners who need to improve accuracy, fluency or understanding. Numeracy is reinforced both in mathematics and through relevant applications in vocational, scientific, technological and everyday-life contexts.

9. Key Stage 3 Curriculum

The KS3 curriculum is designed to provide a broad and balanced education for pupils in Years 7 to 9 while rebuilding engagement, strengthening core knowledge and preparing pupils for the demands of KS4. The current published offer includes English, mathematics, science, history, geography, Spanish, art, music, physical education and PSHE. The precise timetable may be adapted to the needs of a cohort or individual placement while maintaining appropriate breadth.

KS3 teaching combines explicit instruction, independent and collaborative learning, practical and creative activity, technology-enhanced learning and targeted intervention. Regular assessment is used to identify areas for support and to inform transition planning.

Where a pupil is placed at SV Academy for a short-term intervention or reintegration programme, curriculum priorities are agreed with the commissioning school or local authority so that essential learning is maintained and return to the home school is supported. Transition information is shared appropriately to reduce discontinuity in learning.

10. Key Stage 4 Curriculum

At KS4, the curriculum is designed to secure core academic skills, appropriate qualifications and successful progression to post-16 education or training. English, mathematics and science remain central to the curriculum. The wider offer may include GCSE, Functional Skills, BTEC or other approved academic, technical, creative and vocational qualifications, subject to learner need, accreditation availability and the point at which a learner joins SV Academy.

SV Academy's published KS4 offer includes English, mathematics and science alongside options and specialist learning such as computer science, music technology, drama, media and related creative subjects. Work-related or vocational learning may also form part of an individual programme where appropriate.

Because learners may join during KS4, leaders consider prior study, examination entry deadlines, controlled assessment requirements and realistic progression routes. Late admission does not automatically result in a reduced level of ambition; instead, the Academy identifies the best route for the learner to secure meaningful qualifications and progression.

11. Post-16 Curriculum

SV Academy provides a separate Post-16 study programme for learners aged 16 to 19. Programmes are designed around each student's starting point, intended destination and support needs, and combine substantial qualification activity with English and mathematics where required, personal development, careers guidance, employability and preparation for progression.

The current Post-16 offer includes creative media and technology programmes, with other programmes offered according to the Academy's approved curriculum and recruitment cycle. For students who have not achieved GCSE grade 4 or above in English and/or mathematics, SV Academy follows the current 16 to 19 maths and English condition of funding and enrols students on an appropriate approved qualification according to prior attainment and individual circumstances.

Post-16 students are supported to develop independence, communication, employability, resilience and the behaviours needed to sustain further education, training or employment. Programmes include appropriate opportunities for work-related learning, employer engagement or workplace experience where available and suitable.

12. PSHE, RSE and Personal Development

PSHE is provided for all pupils and reflects SV Academy's aims and ethos. It promotes respect for other people with particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010. The programme includes age-appropriate learning about physical and mental wellbeing, relationships, personal safety, online safety, financial capability, healthy lifestyles, risk, consent, rights and responsibilities, and preparation for adult life.

Secondary-age pupils receive Relationships and Sex Education in accordance with the Independent School Standards and the revised DfE statutory guidance effective from 1 September 2026. SV Academy maintains a separate RSE policy, consults parents when that policy is created or revised, and applies statutory arrangements concerning withdrawal from sex education.

Personal development is not confined to discrete lessons. It is reinforced through assemblies, tutorials, enrichment, careers activity, pastoral work, safeguarding education, curriculum subjects and the Academy's wider culture.

13. Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance

SV Academy provides secondary-age pupils with accurate, up-to-date and impartial careers guidance that enables informed choices about a broad range of options and encourages learners to fulfil their potential. Careers education is embedded within the curriculum and personal development programme rather than treated as a one-off activity.

• Learning about further and higher education, apprenticeships, technical and vocational routes and employment.

• Linking curriculum learning to careers and labour-market information.

• Encounters with employers, employees, training providers and education providers where appropriate.

• Workplace experiences or work-related learning where suitable.

• Personalised guidance which avoids stereotypes and raises aspirations.

• Transition planning and destinations tracking, including support for learners at risk of becoming NEET.

SV Academy uses the Gatsby Benchmarks as a framework for developing and evaluating its careers programme where appropriate to the school and Post-16 setting.

14. SEND, Inclusion and Reasonable Adjustments

SV Academy has high expectations for learners with SEND and other barriers to learning. Curriculum planning takes account of available EHCPs, support plans, referral information, professional advice and the learner's current presentation. Reasonable adjustments and adaptations are made so that learners can access ambitious learning and demonstrate what they know and can do.

• Appropriate scaffolding, chunking, visual supports, assistive technology and alternative methods of recording.

• Adapted resources without unnecessarily reducing the intended curriculum content.

• Targeted literacy, numeracy, communication, SEMH or study-skills intervention.

• Additional processing time, structured routines and planned sensory or regulation support where required.

• Close liaison between teachers, pastoral staff, the SENCO and external professionals.

• Regular review of whether support is enabling the learner to make progress and become more independent.

15. Cultural Capital, Enrichment and British Values

SV Academy broadens learners' experiences through enrichment, visits, visitors, creative and sporting opportunities, cultural experiences, discussion of current issues and engagement with the wider community. These experiences are planned to build knowledge, confidence, interests and participation, particularly for learners whose previous opportunities may have been limited.

The curriculum promotes democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. Teaching is politically impartial and does not undermine fundamental British values. Learners are encouraged to discuss different views respectfully, understand the distinction between fact and opinion and develop the knowledge needed to participate responsibly in society.

16. Safeguarding Through the Curriculum

Safeguarding is reinforced through the taught and wider curriculum. Learners receive age-appropriate education about online safety, healthy and unhealthy relationships, consent, exploitation, harassment, bullying, radicalisation, substance misuse, personal safety and how to seek help. Curriculum content is planned and delivered in a way that is sensitive to learners' experiences and does not create avoidable distress.

Staff remain alert to disclosures or concerns arising during lessons and follow the Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy and reporting procedures. External speakers and resources are checked for suitability, safeguarding and age appropriateness.

17. Teaching, Learning and Quality Assurance

Leaders monitor the quality and impact of the curriculum through a combination of curriculum review, lesson visits, work scrutiny, assessment information, learner voice, staff discussion, qualification outcomes and destination information. Quality assurance focuses on whether curriculum plans are implemented effectively and whether learners know more, remember more and can do more over time.

• Staff receive appropriate subject, safeguarding, SEND and pedagogical professional development.

• Leaders identify where subject knowledge, resources or curriculum sequencing need strengthening and take action promptly.

• Awarding-body requirements are followed for accredited provision, including internal verification where required.

• Curriculum review considers participation and outcomes for different groups, including SEND and disadvantaged learners.

• Curriculum decisions take account of workload and avoid unnecessary assessment or documentation that does not improve learning.

18. Transition, Reintegration and Commissioning

SV Academy works with commissioning schools, local authorities, parents/carers and other professionals to ensure placements have clear educational aims and appropriate transition arrangements. Where a pupil is expected to return to mainstream education, curriculum and pastoral information is shared appropriately to support reintegration. Where the next step is Post-16 education, training or employment, planning focuses on qualifications, readiness, careers guidance and a sustained positive destination.

19. Responsibilities

20. Monitoring, Evaluation and Review

The Senior Leadership Team reviews the implementation and impact of the curriculum throughout the academic year. Formal review includes curriculum breadth, learner progress, qualification outcomes, attendance and engagement, personal development, learner and stakeholder feedback, destination information and any changes to statutory or regulatory requirements.

This policy will be reviewed at least annually and earlier where there is a material change to the Academy's registered provision, curriculum offer, qualifications, statutory guidance, Independent School Standards or Post-16 funding requirements.

21. Related Policies and Key Reference Documents

• SV Academy Teaching, Learning and Assessment Policy

• SV Academy Special Educational Needs / Inclusion arrangements and Individual Learning Plans

• SV Academy Relationships and Sex Education Policy

• SV Academy Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance programme

• SV Academy Behaviour, Rewards and Sanctions Policy

• SV Academy Attendance Policy

• SV Academy Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy

• SV Academy Examinations, Quality Assurance, Malpractice and Appeals policies

• DfE: Independent School Standards guidance (April 2026)

• DfE: Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education statutory guidance (effective 1 September 2026)

• DfE: Alternative provision statutory guidance

• DfE: 16 to 19 funding and maths and English condition of funding guidance for 2026/27

• Ofsted: Non-association independent school inspection toolkit and operating guide for use from September 2026

Policy reviewed and revised: September 2026
Next scheduled review: September 2027