Curriculum statement - Intent

The students at Hilltop School are unique and very special individuals with a wide range of needs. Our ambition is that each one of them will ‘Be the best that they can be’.

We aim to achieve this by:

• Putting the needs of our students first;
• Working in partnership with families and professionals;
• Creating opportunities to achieve and enjoy;
•  Having a personalised curriculum;
• Developing our skilled and experienced staff;
• Treating all with care, respect and dignity;
• Being open, clear and honest;
• Developing practical life and social skills for a better future.

The curriculum at Hilltop needs to be bespoke to ensure it meet the needs of our very individual and unique students. It aims to develop students’ engagement, relevant skills and knowledge and prepare them for their future through motivating, interesting and appropriately challenging learning opportunities and experiences.

It is our intention that students will leave Hilltop School:

• with a good sense of well-being
• as independent as possible
• equipped to communicate their needs and feelings
• able to access and manage situations in their community
• with an understanding of the world around them
• knowing how to keep themselves and others safe
• achieving their academic potential.

These are the aspects that drive our curriculum provision.

In order to ensure engagement, motivation and personalisation the Hilltop curriculum takes account of students’ individual interests and areas of need. This is achieved through staff knowing students well and working closely with parents / carers and other agencies to determine EHCP targets which are relevant and personalised.

In order to ensure breadth and balance, the curriculum also incorporates the requirements of the EYFS framework, the National Curriculum and the Preparing for Adulthood outcomes.

Through the carefully constructed curriculum map, long term plans and skills, knowledge and understanding matrices, staff are able to plan learning opportunities and provide experiences that ensure students make good progress from their individual starting points. Every student’s learning journey will be unique to them and will consist of the provision and opportunities require to meet their EHCP outcomes and our wider school outcomes.

Our curriculum design ensures that students are able to develop skills, knowledge and understanding in:

Communication and interaction

Cognition and learning

Social, emotional mental health

Sensory and physical development

Preparing for Adulthood

PSHE

Functional maths and English

Understanding of the World (Science, history, geography, RE, ICT)

Expressive Arts and Design (Art & Design, Music, Drama, dance)

Curriculum Implementation 

The details of our EYFS curriculum provision can be found here. 

The curriculum for students in classes in KS1-KS4 at Hilltop comprises of the core curriculum (which is accessed by all students in these classes) supplemented by a bespoke curriculum (which is unique to every student). The bespoke curriculum comprises of therapeutic provision, Preparing for Adulthood provision, engagement provision, academic provision and restabilisation provision. The curriculum provision for each student will be based on their identified needs and will change according to their emerging needs.

The details of our Post 16 curriculum provision can be found here: 

A curriculum overview map can be found below.