Vale School Curriculum Overview

The Vale School Curriculum is designed and tailored carefully to meet the needs of our children. We have thought carefully about the intent for our curriculum to offer our students the opportunity to put children first and ensure that every moment matters.

Curriculum Pathways: 

Vale School offers children and young people four carefully planned pathways which operate in a spiral curriculum allowing children to access learning at a level that is appropriate to their stage of learning. Each pathway is ambitious in its expectations of children and young peoples’ capacity to make progress, be happy and to prepare for fulfilling and purposeful adulthoods. 

Each of our pathways delivers a broad curriculum consisting of a balance between academic (national curriculum) programme of study, life skills and preparing for work and adulthood. Each pathway recognises the needs of the child as expressed in their EHCPs and seeks to support the child to grow to their full potential.  

Children in all pathways have equal access to resources, therapies, support and enrichment opportunities. Children move between pathways when appropriate and we always have the highest aspirations for our students. All pathways focus on child-centred, personalised learning and practitioners work closely with pupils’ support network to plan for the needs of each learner. 

Features of all Pathways: 

• Yearly cycle – centrally planned 

• Medium term planning – centrally planned (what skills/knowledge will pupils learn?) 

• Short term planning – individual learning intentions with signposted stretch and support adjustments. 

• Learning captured using Trackable and books, dependent on pathway and needs of pupils. 

• Two assessments per week for each pupil uploaded to Trackable / completed in books in the Functional Pathway. 

• Dedicated time each day to focus on pre-phonics, phonics and reading (PPPR). 

Please see the diagram below for more information about which subjects are covered in each pathway.

Please also see the long term plan for this academic year:

Primary Long Term Plan '25-'26

Secondary Long Term Plan '25-'26

For more information about the curriculum, please contact the student's class teacher in the first instance as they will be able to discuss the specific curriculum followed by their class, that is appropriate and tailored to the student's needs. Alternatively, contact Tom Collier, Deputy Headteacher on the email address below.

Parents have the right to withdraw students from the all or part of the teaching of Religious Education. To discuss teaching of Religious Education please contact the Deputy Headteacher in charge of curriculum, Tom Collier, using the information below. 

Tom Collier Deputy Headteacher Email