In the Skills for Further Education Pathway, the emphasis is on developing the necessary English, Maths and IT skills to access a higher level college course. This is for our cohort who are more academic, but who require a little extra time to achieve the grades necessary for applying to a college course. Those students who are not socially or emotionally ready to attend a local post-16 college can stay with us for another two years in our Sixth Form where they will follow a more academic curriculum, as well as benefiting from the greater freedom and responsibility the Sixth Form provides. Alongside this, the students develop travel and independence skills as well as volunteering around the school and in the local community.
Skills for Further Education: Lower School
The Lower School Further Education Pathway curriculum has been carefully structured to enable students to grow and achieve as individuals who define themselves by their strengths and achievements. In this Pathway, our Lower School students start to develop the skills they will need later in their school career in order to gain accreditations.
Carew Academy offers all of its Lower School students a core suite of curriculum subjects that provide a solid foundation of learning and experiences that are meaningful and relevant in 21st century Britain. In addition, through our Enrichment programme, we offer a range of additional curriculum subjects and experiences that contextualise classroom concepts in the real world, enabling them to develop into rounded individuals. This ensures that students move through Carew Academy as confident young people who define themselves by their strengths rather than their weaknesses.
Subject Weighting in the Lower School Skills for Further Education Pathway
| Subject | Lessons per week |
| Literacy | 4 |
| Numeracy | 4 |
| Science | 2 |
| Food Studies (Year 7 in a block, not weekly) |
2 |
| PSHE | 2 |
| Art | 1 |
| Drama | 1 |
| Music | 1 |
| PE | 1 |
| Enrichment | 8 |
| Assembly | 1 |
Some of the enrichment options we offer are:
| Handwriting | Circuits | Craft | Cycling |
| Unihoc | First Aid | Travel Training | Friendship Time |
| Board games | Animal care | Sensory | Carew Music Band |
| Dance | Jewellery | Deadly 60 | Spanish |
| Games Review | Fun Science | Bug Art | Outdoor Explorers |
While the core curriculum aims to provide students with a solid foundation and a flavour of different subjects, Enrichment sessions are focused on supporting students to identify areas of strength and interest, and use this as a vehicle to develop their academic, social and independent skills. Enrichment runs during three afternoons each week. Students take part in a different session each day and have either a communication or skills based target for each one, depending on the activity. Students are supported by staff to review and reflect upon their targets at the end of each session. This supports students to take ownership of their learning, begin to dictate the direction of their learning and build a series of achievements. This will help to ensure that when students transition into the Middle School, they have a clear sense of what they enjoy and of their areas of strength, allowing them to make more informed decisions about their futures.
Skills for Further Education (SfFE): Middle School
Students remain in their registration group for the majority of the working day and are supported by the same team of Teaching Assistants. The Middle School work in different groups for their Options lessons.
There are specialist learning opportunities for students in the Middle School with Food Studies, Physical Education and PSHE.
During the Middle School, students begin to be taught by subject specialist teachers to ensure stretch and challenge. During this time, students in the SfFE Pathway begin to prepare for accreditations, as well as beginning to consider their learning journey beyond Carew Academy.
Middle School SfFE students are also allocated two periods of Tutor Time throughout the day. This ensures that Form Tutors have regular contact with students and their parents and can offer support, including pastoral care. Students are also allocated a Targets lesson each week with their Form Tutor. This allows tutors to work individually with students to focus on their personal targets. During these sessions, students will also be developing their careers-based skills through project work.
Students within the Middle School across all pathways are encouraged to participate in 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 that know them best.
Throughout the Middle School curriculum, staff actively promote the core British Values of democracy and rule of law through not only the curriculum itself but also through a carefully-devised programme of assemblies. Assemblies are taken in Pathways. The Skills for Further Education assemblies are led by Mrs Cooper, the lead for this Pathway. Mrs Cooper focuses on key skills, such as collaborative working, interpersonal skills, resilience and perseverance. The development of students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is also key to the planning of these assemblies.
Subject Weighting in the Middle School Skills for FE Pathway
| Subject | Lessons per week |
| English | 5 |
| Maths | 5 |
| Science | 2 |
| Food Studies | 2 |
| RSE | 2 |
| PE | 2 |
| Options | 6 |
| Computing | 2 |
| Humanities | 2 |
| Tutor Time | 1 |
| Assembly | 1 |
Skills for Further Education: Upper School
The Upper School Carew Academy curriculum has been carefully structured to provide a curriculum that is broad, balanced and engaging. We focus on the individual needs of each student and the teaching in this pathway is aimed towards to ensuring our students are all ready to sit accreditations, as well as fully prepared to face life after Carew.
Subject Weighting in the Upper School Skills for FE Pathway
| Subject | Accreditation | Lessons per Week: |
| English
|
GCSE / Functional Skills | 5 |
| Maths
|
GCSE / Functional Skills | 5 |
| Science
|
GCSE | 3 |
| ICT
|
GCSE | 2 |
| RSE and PSHE
|
Entry Level 2 – 3 | 2 |
| Humanities
|
Level 1 | 2 |
| Options A
|
Various | 4 |
| Options B
|
Various | 4 |
| PE
|
N/A | 2 |
| Targets
|
N/A | 1 |
| Assembly
|
N/A | 1 |
There are two groups of ‘Options’ subjects for pupils to choose from:
| Option A | Accreditation | Option B | Accreditation |
| Art | GCSE | Art | Entry Level |
| Computing | Level 1 | Computing | Level 1 |
| Drama | BTEC Level 1 | Photography | GCSE |
| Duke of Edinburgh | Bronze / Silver / Gold | Duke of Edinburgh | Bronze / Silver / Gold |
| Biology | GCSE | Geography | BTEC |
| Dance | BTEC Level 1 | Photography | GCSE |
| Food Studies | BTEC Level 1 | ||
| Photography | GCSE | ||
| PE | BTEC Level 1 / GCSE |
Students can choose one from each group. These are all interesting and attractive subjects, most of which have a strong practical emphasis and all are accredited. Our students have a wide range of choice about what they learn. This means that they can develop their particular talents in an enjoyable and highly personalised curriculum.
