At Pinewood we know that each of our pupils are individuals and learn in a range of ways. 

We believe that for our pupils to; “Be the best you can be”, we need to instil the following values:

BRAVE, HAPPY, INDEPENDENT and KIND

Happy: Enjoying positive and healthy relationships with other people, being proud of who you are and what you have achieved

Brave: Trying new things, persevering when things are hard, speaking out when something isn’t right, giving an opinion, talking about your feelings, representing the school at events

Independent: Taking on responsibility, making decisions, taking risks, knowing what support you need

Kind: Helping others and yourself, celebrating each other’s successes, celebrating difference, respecting others, following the school code of conduct, looking after the school building and grounds and community spaces

Whilst at school all pupils learn strategies to recognise their emotions and self-regulate, with some pupils benefitting from more bespoke individualised programmes. The underpinning principles of metacognition (“learning to learn”) along with self-regulation, help our pupils to learn more efficiently and more effectively, and so they are able to make more progress.

Our curriculum provides opportunities for physical and mental development interwoven with necessary subject specific knowledge and skills. 

Our formal curriculum is balanced, broadly based and works to support and further develop the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) skills that are essential for young people’s individual development, as well as the development of society as a whole. 

Understanding the wider world and cultural values are explored in assemblies, taught explicitly in PSHE & RSE and embedded in cross curriculum lessons. Significant social, historical and cultural events are recognised throughout the school year, helping our pupils to become more globally aware. Our pupils also participate in fundraising efforts for a range of charities. This promotes pupils’ empathy and provides them with an opportunity to gain a wider understanding of their impact on the world around them.

• Pathways

We have four different pathways that our pupils can access when they come to the end of their time within the  ‘Artists’ Department:

• Inspirations (Yrs, 8/9) & Sports Stars (Yrs. 10/11)
• Comedians
• Scientists
• Musicians

Across each Department, our Department Leads (DLs) ensure that the curriculum is delivered in ways that reflect the learning profiles of their cohort. 

Within each subject area it is important that the knowledge and skills are relevant to our pupils as well as ambitious, sequenced and joined up over time from lower school to upper school. It is imperative that our pupils’ learning journeys are progressive and build on prior learning whilst working towards identifiable destinations.

Phonics and reading are paramount in order for pupils to access the curriculum. We aim to support each pupil so that they leave Pinewood functionally literate. Our whole school phonics programme is ‘Smart Kids’, a systematic synthetic phonics teaching programme validated by the Department for Education (DfE). All classroom based staff have received training in phonics delivery from an external advisor. Improving Literacy skills gives pupils a solid base to build on as they move through the school. We want to promote an environment where reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information, opens up the world to our learners.

Our Numeracy curriculum has been developed with the support of Herts for Learning (HfL) and is designed to ensure that all students access the curriculum at appropriate starting points which then allows them to work through the learning pathway in a systematic way. 

We continue to work on the development of the curriculum to ensure it is up to date and relevant so that pupils have the necessary functional maths skills for real life situations.

Our thematic curriculum across Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8 & 9), guarantees consistency across Departments. Our curriculum plans allow staff to develop resources and demonstrate appropriate practice to meet the needs of the different cohorts of students.  

Staff work collaboratively to plan activities linked to the topics to enrich and embed learning opportunities, for example, off site visits or visitors coming into our school.

This thematic approach ensures that all students receive broad and balanced learning experiences. 

In Key Stage 4 (KS 4) our pupils engage with a range of accredited courses with links to life-long learning and opportunities. Our Work Related Learning (WRL) modules draw most of their certification from different ASDAN routes, such as ASDAN PSD, ASDAN TI and ASDAN Life Challenges, this ensures that we meet the needs of our different cohorts of pupils whilst also ensuring that content is relevant and appropriate in an ever changing world. Some of our pupils also follow OCR and WJEC programmes (English and Science). These accreditations enhance our curriculum whilst providing further opportunities to formally celebrate our pupils’ successes across different subjects.

Practical learning and opportunities to apply knowledge and skills to real-life situations are highly encouraged and supported. Our pupils often need to see and experience first hand the relevance of their classroom lessons. Our local community provides a wealth of opportunities for Pinewood pupils to put into practice what they have learnt and been taught.

‘Progress means a student knowing more and remembering more’. Our pupils “want to learn” and :talk enthusiastically about how their teachers help them understand things” (Ofsted, October 2023).  This love of learning is demonstrated in their ability to talk about their learning to peers, staff and visitors. 

 During learning walks and lesson observations students are able to talk about prior and current learning and draw links between them to show they have some understanding of how their learning is being sequenced.  In some cases students are also able to talk about the next steps in their learning.  They are able to apply their knowledge to real life situations and therefore understand the purpose of what they are being taught.

Students are currently assessed to determine their progress through the curriculum and the acquisition of knowledge and skills to inform planning.  Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) objectives are used alongside the core measures of academic progress, not just at key points during the academic year but throughout their learning journeys.

They are ready for their next steps to their chosen Post 16 provision through our well established careers programme.

Our pupils have shown they are able to apply their classroom learning to real-life situations. 

We firmly believe that our whole school curriculum ensures that our pupils leave us at the end of Year 11, being the best they can be and as prepared and equipped as possible, with knowledge, life skills and emotional awareness, ready for life after Pinewood. 

Our pupils are happy, they are brave, they are independent and they are kind.