Personalised Learning Curriculum (PLC)
Our Aims:
- The placement provides the need of each student
- Wherever possible, to provide a pathway return to the main school setting
Personalised Learning Curriculum is an educational provision for pupils who are unable to access mainstream education for several different reasons, or who are unsuited to the mainstream provision on offer.
Oakfield School recognises that there is a need to ensure that our curriculum is inclusive and accessible, providing opportunities for all students to succeed. In addition, we recognise the need to offer the type of provision that allows some pupils to achieve their potential outside of what is accessible in the main building at Oakfield School.
To facilitate this individual learning pathway, Oakfield School offers a personalised timetable based upon wider curriculum activities. Students undertake Maths and English at the start of each day, on the school site but away from the main building, and then spend the remainder of the school day on tasks which are designed to help them to build social and interpersonal skills, resilience, team work and self-regulation.
Reasons why we might offer a Personalised Curriculum
Pupils will be referred to PLC on the basis that this provision is more appropriate for them than the main Oakfield School setting. Some reasons might be:
- The pupil’s strengths are not being developed through the national curriculum. The PLC recognises that pupils have different strengths and weaknesses and that mainstream education is not suitable for some. The emphasis helping with core life skills may be necessary before longer periods of academic learning can be achieved.
- Pupils may be new to Oakfield School. They may have experiences in other academic settings which proved to be unsuccessful and may need a “soft entry” back to full time academic studies
- The pupil has not been attending school regularly and need to re-engage with a full school timetable via a wider curriculum, before gradually increasing the amount of academic studies
The activities undertaken on PLC are very varied. Often, the cohort is divided between two activities to ensure that students are offered the right experiences for them. Recent activities have included fishing, country walks, sporting activities, gaming centres and museums. The group regularly visits local care homes to play games with the residents.
Referral Process
- A referral application is made by a member of the Oakfield leadership team
- Parent/carer will be fully involved in the process and any decisions are taken.
- Pupils who are referred to PLC will remain on roll with Oakfield School. The school remains ultimately responsible for the pupil, and the offer of the PLC shows a commitment by the school to an inclusive approach to the pupil’s education.
- Oakfield School will set up a meeting involving all relevant parties, including parents/carers and others as appropriate prior to commencement of the placement
- For the first two weeks, students have a reduced timetable on PLC in order to get to know the staff and peer group
The school’s Deputy Headteacher will oversee the provision in conjunction with the PLC lead staff
Students on PLC placements will undertake National Curriculum work in English and Maths, including relevant Key Stage 4 coursework and examinations