The core goal at Lotus Academy is for pupils to develop personally, achieve academically and prepare for adulthood.

Lotus Academy aims to provide a high quality, meaningful education for all pupils regardless of their starting point.  We aim to engage and motivate pupils who have previously found school to be a challenge, though a calm and safe learning environment which places pupil well-being and achievement at its core.  We empower pupils to believe in a better future for themselves through a strong culture of high expectations for all pupils to achieve and progress

By learning to develop their communication skills, build healthy relationships, develop independence and build resilience, pupils are able to make positive decisions about their futures and realise their potential to become positive and successful members of the community.

The Lotus Academy curriculum is broad and balanced and allows pupils to experience a wide range of learning.  The curriculum is designed to be engaging in order to develop a love for learning, which has often been lost in our pupils.  As well as subject based learning, our curriculum also includes SEMH based learning in order for pupils to be able to overcome their barriers.

Reading and writing are a core focus across the curriculum as these skills have often been particularly difficult for pupils in the past and can be a barrier to other learning.  We enable pupils to see that they can achieve in these areas and are relentless in our pursuit of success and independence in these areas of the curriculum.

Curriculum aims:

• Provide a broad and balanced education for all pupils which is coherently planned and sequenced
• Provide pupils with the skills and knowledge for future learning and employment
• Enable pupils to achieve their potential
• Empower pupils to feel confident and that they are able to succeed
• Support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
• Support pupils’ physical development, health and well being
• Promote a love of learning
• Ensure all pupils have equal access to the curriculum – meet the needs of all learners
• High expectations for all pupils with appropriate levels of challenge and support
• Have high ambition for all pupils and encourage social mobility
• Develop the communication skills of all pupils so that they are able to communicate their wants and needs
• Develop pupils’ independence
• Develop pupils’ confidence, resilience and self-worth
• Deliver strong academic outcomes with a focus on core subjects, whilst maintain a broad and balanced curriculum

Skill development

At Lotus Academy, we have identified four focus areas that underpin everything that we do to enable our pupils to thrive.  These four areas are a focus across the entire curriculum.

Communication – pupils are supported to develop their communication skills in order to enable them to regulate and self-manage, instead of relying on behaviour as a means to communicate issues.  Communication is also a core skill to enable pupils to be successful in life and in employment and so all opportunities to develop these skills are utilised, including a core focus on Oracy as a timetabled lesson.

Healthy relationships – pupils at Lotus Academy struggle with their relationships, which can be a barrier to their success. Healthy relationships are taught and modelled, so that pupils develop respect for themselves and others to enable them to have positive and meaningful relationships.

Independence – pupils develop their independence both in terms of self-management and also in terms of their learning and decision making.  They are empowered to take control of their own lives and make positive decisions for themselves.

Resilience – pupils at Lotus Academy often arrive with low confidence and self-worth.  Resilience is developed in pupils, with a constant focus on progression, not perfection, in order for them to be able to move on and be successful in spite of past issues or mistakes.

Primary

The primary curriculum at Lotus Academy is organised through a combination of discrete subjects and curriculum units which cover History, Geography, Art and DT.  Units of work are mapped over a 2 year cycle (year 3 / 4 and year 5 / 6).  Pupils also access swimming over the course of the year which is timetabled alongside P4A, so that pupils access either swimming or P4A at different points throughout the year.  The primary curriculum follows an adaptation of the National Curriculum with a ‘stage not age’ approach. 

In year 3 and 4, learning features elements of the Early Years curriculum to fill in the gaps of the developmental milestones that pupils are missing, focusing around co and self-regulation and social skills.  This is done through elements of continuous provision and play based learning.  (Pupils who continue to need to access this in year 5 and 6 are able to do so on an individual basis through personalised plans.  This offer may be needed for pupils who join the school in year 5 or 6.)  The main focus in year 3 and 4 is to enable pupils to develop a love of learning, a sense of responsibility, independence and the ability to develop and maintain healthy relationships.  Pupils have access to sensory circuit every morning and at different transition points throughout the day on an individual basis.  This continues into year 5 and 6, with an increase in time spent on formal learning.  Pupils develop a love of reading through a focus on developing a reading rich environment with high quality texts.  Pupils develop a love of writing through engaging experiences and lessons which focus around pupil ownership of their work with an authentic audience.  Pupils often join the school disillusioned with learning, particularly reading and writing, so the core aim remains to be to promote a love of learning that will continue through the school.  The Read, Write, Inc phonics scheme is used to support pupils to develop early reading skills and Essential Writing is used for English lessons.

Middle School

The curriculum in middle school is organised through discrete subjects, with History and Geography taught through a topic. Units of work are mapped over a 2 year cycle.  The curriculum in Middle School follows an adaptation of the National Curriculum with a ‘stage not age’ approach.  The model in Middle School consists of a blend of primary / secondary organisation to support the transition to KS4.  Pupils will spend at least one third of the week with their class teacher, with the rest of the lessons taught by other teachers / subject specialists.  In Middle School, pupils are prepared through formal learning for their KS4 transition, where they will access external accreditation.  Pupils are challenged through individual learning targets.  Pupils continue to develop their independence, confidence and are also actively support to develop their resilience with more difficult tasks.  Pupils in Middle School are able to access different interventions such as sensory circuit, music therapy, DJ and counselling.

Upper School

Vocational

Pupils on the vocational pathway have a mix of academic and practical / vocational lessons.  In this class, there is a core focus on life skills and personal development, to allow pupils to develop the skills that they need in order to be successful in the next stage of their education.  Pupils take a range of qualifications in this class, such as Entry Levels or GCSEs, which are decided upon on an individual basis.  Pupils are continually under review to ensure they are on the correct pathway and that we are maximising their achievements both academically and personally with an appropriate balance.  Some pupils in this class have personalised timetables and Alternative Provision, meaning that learning is within a much smaller group to suit the needs of these pupils.  Pupils also have the opportunity to study art on an individual basis.

The lessons that are taught in the vocational group are:

Reading (phonics / fluency) x 5

Maths x 4 (GCSE / Entry Level)

English x 4 (GCSE / Core skills)

Science x 2 (GCSE)

Young Enterprise x 2

Duke of Edinburgh x 3

P4A x 1

PSHE (to include RSE, RE and careers) x 2

PE x 2

Cooking x 3

A small number of pupils in this group also have the opportunity to take GCSE PE

Formal

Pupils on the formal pathway are those pupils more suited to formal learning and who are ready to take a range of qualifications.  The pupils in this class will take 5 GCSEs over 2 years and these are reviewed with each cohort to suit the needs of the cohort.  There is a also a focus on preparing pupils for the next stage of their education.  Pupils are continually under review to ensure they are on the correct pathway and that we are maximising their achievements both academically and personally with an appropriate balance.  Some pupils in this class have Alternative Provision to offer alternative learning and options.  Pupils also have the opportunity to study art on an individual basis.

The lessons that are taught in the formal group are:

Reading (phonics / fluency) x 5

Maths x 4 (GCSE)

English x 4 (GCSE)

Science x 4 (GCSE)

Citizenship / Sociology x 4 (GCSE)

P4A x 1

PSHE (to include RSE, RE and careers) x 2

PE x 2

Cooking x 2 (Enrichment)

A small number of pupils in this group also have the opportunity to take GCSE PE

For more information about our curriculum, please contact Holly Whitehead (Deputy Head):

Tel:              0114 245 6305

Email:        hwhitehead@nexusmat.org