Students at Carew Academy will follow one of three different curriculum Pathways: Skills for Life, Skills for Work or Skills for Further Education. All three of our curricula have been carefully structured to be broad, balanced and engaging, focusing on the individual needs of each student.

Both the Skills for Work and the Skills for Further Education Pathways are split into Lower, Middle and Upper School within the curriculum. The curriculum ages are generally, but not exclusively, as follows: Lower School: Years 3-7 (age 7-12), Middle School: Years 8 & 9 (age 12-14) and Upper School: Years 10 & 11 (age 14-16). Students are sometimes placed out of their curriculum age year group in order to best support them in terms of their academic needs and suitability of peer group.

All students remain with their registration group and class Teaching Assistants for the majority of the day, however, students will move for specialist lessons and for their Options subjects. There are two periods of Tutor Time allocated each day, one first thing in the morning and one in the afternoon, just before students go home. This ensures that Form Tutors have regular contact with students and their parents and can offer support, including pastoral care.

In both the Skills for Work and Skills for Further Education Pathways, in Years 3-7, the curriculum is themed. Throughout the Skills for Life Pathway this thematic approach is adopted for all years. This facilitates even more cross-curricular links, allowing students to be really well immersed in the theme around them.

Across each Pathway curriculum, staff actively promote the core British Values of Democracy, Rule of Law, Respect and Tolerance and Individual Liberty.  Not only through the curriculum itself but through a carefully devised programme of assemblies. Assemblies are taken in Pathways by a member of the Leadership Team and focus on our core values; Ambition, Independence, Resilience and Caring alongside the development of students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding.

Students within each Pathway are encouraged to participate in trips and residential experiences. These provide students with opportunities to develop skills such as team building and communication, as well as nurturing their self-confidence in a safe and secure environment with familiar adults who know them best.