Primary Provision
We work with small groups of children from the Mendip area of Somerset, who have social, emotional and mental health needs (SEMH).
We are a small nurture provision that aims to understand and meet both the personal and learning needs of all pupils, enabling them to develop socially and emotionally, and to engage positively in learning. The aim is always to build positive relationships and equip children for the next stage in their learning, whether that is another mainstream school or a special school.
Primary Curriculum Policy Statement 2024-2025
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Impact |
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Every pupil admitted to The Tor School (primary classroom) has been on a unique educational journey. We are committed to being a positive and stabilizing setting that bridges to continued education, whether that be another mainstream or a specialist setting. Pupils are with us for varying amounts of time: some individuals will have a short time with us, while others can remain for longer depending on the availability of provision. We recognise that our pupils are at that point in time unable to succeed in a mainstream school. It is thus crucial that we are providing a truly ‘alternative provision’ to mainstream schools in order to meet our pupils’ needs. Tor School’s offer goes beyond what a mainstream school can provide by tailoring a personalised curriculum for each pupil and by intensively addressing each pupil’s underlying SEMH needs. Our curriculum therefore needs to be flexible, personalized and designed to enable pupils to progress to the next stage on their educational journey. Our aim is to provide a curriculum that enables each child to shine: to nurture their individual talents and raise aspirations. The curriculum is designed to: · Re-engage all pupils as learners · Enhance the self-perception of pupils as learners · Inspire and motivate pupils, fostering a curiosity to learn · Enable all pupils to make progress from their individual starting points and to have success in learning underpinned by a focus on developing pupils’ social development, emotional wellbeing and mental health · Focus on developing pupil’s social, emotional and mental health · Have a strong curriculum focus on the facilitating subjects of English and Mathematics · Allow pupils to explore subjects beyond the core curriculum in a thematic approach · Support all pupils to lead healthy and safe lifestyles · Support all pupils to leas healthy and safe lifestyles · Support all pupils to develop the skills, behaviours and attitudes that will enable them to reintegrate to and be successful in the next phase of their education In depth understanding of attachment theory, trauma informed practice, child development and neuroscience underpins and informs all aspects of The Tor’s primary department. Using this evidenced based research and theory ensures the greatest outcomes for our learners. The principles that underpin our pedagogy and all curriculum learning are: · The relationships are key · Children’s learning is understood developmentally · The classroom provides a symbolic secure base creating the sense of safety to enable pupils to explore and learn · All behaviour is communication · The importance of transition in children’s lives |
We will have pupils from state-maintained schools and academies, who have experienced very different curriculums before joining us, and who may return or move on to another setting with a different curriculum. Our classroom may have mixed ages of children, many of whom are not working at age related expectations. It is therefore crucially important that our curriculum is flexible enough to enable us to meet a range of needs. An induction process ensures prior information is shared involving previous school and parent/carers. Each pupil who enters will be assessed on entry. Pupils complete baseline assessments in Maths and English, allowing staff to develop a personalized curriculum that fills any gaps they have in prior learning, and allows them to move at their own pace, whatever their starting point. Using the National Curriculum as a starting point we operate a rolling programme of themes indication which topic is taught each term. Foundation subjects and, where appropriate, core subjects are taught under these themes |
The primary measure of the impact of our curriculum will be student achievement and attainment. Our assessment policy contains the detail of how we assess pupils. We will further evaluate the impact of our curriculum in the following ways:
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Primary Curriculum Overview
Tor School Primary Curriculum Overview Primary Curriculum Overview - Maths Primary Curriculum Overview - English
The booklet below has been developed to introduce new primary pupils to Tor School:
Welcome to Tor School
welcome to tor school booklet 2024 2025.pdf