Ercall Wood Academy

Life Skills

We plan a purposeful Life Skills curriculum that aids the creation of respectful, well-rounded students who are prepared to enter society when they leave us.  We want to prepare them for the complexities of modern life, helping them to understand and critically assess any situation they may face in the future.  Our young people are interested in the world around them and the issues that affect them including drugs, gang culture, deprivation, relationships and many more. We have a responsibility to our students to not only provide them with accurate knowledge on these topics, as they often receive inaccurate information about issues from peers, the internet and possibly their families, but to also equip them with the skills to problem solve and keep them safe, healthy and happy.  Some students will have received intense and detailed PSHE education prior to arriving at Ercall Wood Academy, while some will have been exposed to very little, so we must create an environment where everyone is able to develop their knowledge, confidence and skills in a safe environment. It is important that we help our students develop their self-expression so they are able to express their thoughts positively and clearly; setting them up for their future as global citizens. We also want students to build resilience, to be active within their community and have the tools to make a positive difference, always believing in themselves and having high aspirations.

The curriculum is designed to ensure that content is delivered in an age-appropriate way, that it progressively builds upon components of knowledge and gives students the greatest chance of students knowing more, being able to do more and remembering more. There is synergy with the intent of our curriculum as a whole and with the aims of our overall Personal Development /Life Skills programme.

We use the learning intentions recommended by the PSHCE Association to ensure full curriculum coverage but also to ensure that learning is suitable for the age and stage of all learners.

Our Tutor Time programme has a ‘PSHCE enhance’ component which means we can extend learning, support retrieval practice and respond to local and national events.

Our assembly programme also supports our overall values and aims.

Our Curriculum has three strands:

• Health and Wellbeing
• Living in the Wider World
• Relationships

We also have bespoke units focussed on

• Computing
• KS4 Religious Education

In order to tailor our programme to the needs of the community, we have added additional elements based on the strategic safeguarding priorities for Telford and Wrekin including:

1. Exploitation
2. Neglect
3. Domestic Violence and Abuse

The design of our curriculum also covers Department for Education requirements found within;

• Statutory RSE guidance
• Online Safety teaching requirements
• The Prevent Agenda
• Careers Information, Advice and Guidance

You can view our Overall Curriculum Map by clicking on the Life Skills and Associated PD Framework.

Our Programme aims to build the following skills: