PREPARING FOR ADULTHOOD – Curriculum Rationale
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Preparing for adulthood encompasses the ethos that young people with SEND should have equal life chances as they move into adulthood. This should include paid employment and higher education, housing options and independent living, good health, friends, relationships, community inclusion and choice and control over their lives and support.
The Preparing for Adulthood outcomes are based on what disabled young people say is important to them. Ultimately, young people want to have full lives with choices about their future and control of their support; at The Oaks, this is at the heart of our school. We want our pupils to leave the Oaks fully prepared to excel in adulthood, reaching their full, individual potential.
In order for young people with SEND to achieve these goals, preparing for adulthood would start from the earliest years. Therefore, this subject is taught from Years 7 to 10. Pupils from Years 7 to10 access the Skills Builder Universal Framework.
It has never been more important to build a set of essential skills to succeed in life for our children and young people: the ability to creatively solve problems, to self-manage, to communicate effectively, and to work well with others. These are skills that are needed to do almost anything well. The need for these skills is clear, but there is still a gap – too many children and young people do not build these skills to the level they need, and so miss out on opportunities to thrive in other parts of their lives. Too often this is an area where terminology is confused and confusing. The Skills Builder Partnership aims to define a consistent, universal approach to these essential skills. The essential skills are defined as: Listening, Speaking, Problem Solving, Creativity, Staying Positive, Aiming High, Leadership and Teamwork.
KS3 Curriculum
In Year 7, pupils with moderate and severe learning difficulties will complete three projects in one Preparing for Adulthood lesson a week.
| Term | Project Name | Overview of Project | Skills developed and applied |
| Autumn | Doing Good | In this project, learners build Listening, Problem Solving and Teamwork skills as they consider: How can we help people in need? They learn how charities help people and identify a charity they’d like to raise money for, before setting up and running an event to raise money for their chosen charity. | Listening, Problem Solving, Teamwork.
(Steps 0-1) |
| Spring | Free to be me | In this project, learners build Speaking, Aiming High and Leadership skills as they consider: What are their superhero talents? They celebrate their own special talents by transforming themselves into superheroes! | Speaking, Aiming High, Leadership.
(Steps 0-1) |
| Summer | Go Explore | In this project, learners build Problem Solving, Creativity and Staying Positive skills as they consider: What do you treasure? They reflect on what makes their learning environment special and what they treasure! Learners design, plan, and lead their own ‘Explorer Treasure Hunt’. | Problem solving, Creativity, Staying Positive.
(Steps 0-1) |
| Term | Project Name | Overview of Project | Skills developed and applied |
| Autumn | Making Changes | In this project, learners build Listening, Problem Solving and Staying Positive skills as they consider: How can we help our community to be healthy? They research, create and launch a campaign to encourage others to be healthy. | Listening, Problem Solving, Staying Positive.
(Steps 2-3) |
| Spring | Trash to Treasure | In this project, learners build Speaking, Creativity and Leadership skills as they consider: How can we develop an environmentally-friendly product? They design, build and pitch a new toy made from recycled materials. | Speaking, Creativity, Leadership.
(Steps 2-3) |
| Summer | Food Glorious Food | In this project, learners build Aiming High, Leadership and Teamwork skills as they consider: How can we celebrate food? They explore food preparation and kitchens creating food demonstrations and recipe pages to share at a food fair. | Aiming High, Leadership, Teamwork.
(Steps 2-3) |
In Year 8, pupils with moderate and severe learning difficulties will complete three projects in one Preparing for Adulthood lesson a week.
In Year 9, pupils with moderate and severe learning difficulties will complete three projects in one Preparing for Adulthood lesson a week.
| Term | Project Name | Overview of Project | Skills developed and applied |
| Autumn | Brilliant Books | In this project, learners build Listening, Problem Solving and Aiming High skills as they consider: How can we inspire young people to read more? They promote reading in their local community by developing a reading reward scheme and redesigning a reading area. | Listening, Problem Solving, Aiming High.
(Steps 3-4) |
| Spring | Number Crunching | In this project, learners build Speaking, Problem Solving and Staying Positive skills as they consider: How can we create a product that people will love? They research, design and pitch a brand-new confectionery product. | Speaking, Problem Solving, Staying Positive.
(Steps 3-4) |
| Summer | Design Company | Learners apply Creativity, Leadership and Teamwork skills. Discovering the colourful world of graphic design, learners design their own logo for a product. As graphic designers, students will learn how to use text and image to portray brand identity, develop a prototype and sell their designs. | Creativity, Leadership, Teamwork.
(Steps 3-4) |
KS4 Curriculum
In Year 10, pupils with moderate and severe learning difficulties will complete three projects in one Preparing for Adulthood lesson a week.
| Term | Project Name | Overview of Project | Skills developed and applied |
| Autumn | Legal Eagles | In this project, learners build Listening, Speaking and Teamwork skills as they consider: How do laws help to create a fair society? They explore different legal professions and take one of three criminal cases to trial: cyberbullying, theft or vandalism. | Listening, Speaking, Teamwork.
(Steps 5-6) |
| Spring | Construction Counts | In this project, learners build Problem Solving, Creativity and Aiming High skills as they consider: What makes a community successful? They plan a new development for their community, including community research, architecture, engineering and construction. | Problem Solving, Creativity, Staying Positive.
(Steps 5-6) |
| Summer | Big Business Challenge | In this project, learners build Staying Positive, Aiming High and Leadership skills as they consider: How can businesses make a positive contribution to the community? They develop a small business venture that provides a helpful service to their community. | Staying Positive, Aiming High, Leadership.
(Steps 5-6) |
Every term will culminate in the opportunity for our pupils in Years 7 to 10 to showcase their achievements, as well as host events for their peers, parents, carers and members of the community.
The Preparing for Adulthood curriculum also benefits from working hand-in-hand with the Careers curriculum; in Key Stage 3, learners will develop and apply the same skills in Preparing for Adulthood lessons as they do in Careers lessons, ensuring pupils feel more confident to attempt self-scaffolding when applying the knowledge gained.
Curriculum Objectives:
- All pupils will explore the importance good health
- All pupils will explore the skills needed for employment and employment opportunities
- All pupils will explore how to be a up-standing citizen, how to be a proactive member of their local community and how to maintain positive relationships
- All pupils will explore knowledge and skills required for independent living
