The pupils referred to Gloucester House have complex, multi-faceted needs including significant trauma, adverse childhood experience, learning complexities and gaps in learning. Gloucester House recognises that, because of this, the curriculum on offer needs to be personalised, holistic and trauma informed.
Gloucester House curriculum aims to provide a model of integrated practice for working with children with SEMH (Social Emotional and Mental Health) needs.
Pupils are almost always operating at academic levels below age related expectations on entry, even when standardised tests may place them as at or above age related cognitive functioning. There are many gaps in learning which we identify through initial assessment procedures and address through the curriculum, classroom approaches and specific academic and mental health interventions. For some pupils there are also additional learning needs and specific diagnoses such as ODD, ADHD, ASC or attachment difficulties.
Our Curriculum places great value in helping all pupils to make good progress in their academic skills. We recognise that, to achieve this, it is of fundamental importance to; raise pupils’ self-esteem, improve their attitudes and behaviour towards learning and to develop their view of themselves as competent and capable learners who can achieve.
By the time children leave Gloucester House we aim for all our pupils to have made significant progress in their academic and behavioural progress. We address functional progress in learning behaviour and self-regulation. We also aim for more stability in home life and peer relationships. We strive to develop capacity in our pupils to have access to as ordinary opportunities as possible in their adult lives.
Gloucester House curriculum is designed to:
- Support and develop pupils’ behaviour for learning, concept of themselves and their self-esteem as learners.
- Provide a framework to meet their individual needs and to develop their strengths.
- Develop pupils’ academic skills and knowledge.
- Develop pupils’ social skills.
- Develop pupils’ capacity to function and learn in a group.
- Develop pupils’ emotional self-insight and their emotional literacy.
- Develop pupils’ empathy and understanding of their impact on one another and on the world around them.
- Celebrate and promote diversity, equality and inclusion.
- Develop pupils’ capacity to achieve and to contribute as British and global citizens.
- Develop pupils’ sense of empowerment in their capacity to achieve and make changes that positively impact them and the world around them.
- Give pupils the opportunity to develop their individual needs and capacity for wider learning.
- Provide a space that provides nurture, compassion and understanding that is non-judgemental.
- Ensure holistic needs are met through partnership work, interventions and support to families and networks.