Our Curriculum

Curriculum Statement

At Benton Dene School we aim to deliver a broad and balanced and ambitious curriculum that inspires, challenges and motivates our pupils to learn. We want to prepare our pupils for their future, supporting them to become naturally inquisitive in the world around them.
.Communication, reading, writing and maths are key threads throughout the curriculum, underpinning all other learning.
Our curriculum offer is delivered through either a formal or semi-formal approach depending on the needs of individual pupils. Both approaches have National Curriculum guidance as a starting point for a wide and varied learning experience for our children. Our formal approach is followed by the majority of our pupils, while our semi-formal approach may include sensory work and exploration, for example and is typically followed by our core ASD pupils and those with sensory needs. Whichever approach a pupil access, we enrich it by our strong ethos based on respect for ourselves and others, equality and a sense of wonder at the world we live in. We are committed to developing the whole child. Our pupils will have the opportunity to be creative, to be physically active and to be academically challenged. We are continually reviewing, adapting and improving the curriculum we
offer to our children.
The curriculum at Benton Dene School is evolving according to the needs of our pupils and to the aspirations of the staff and community.

 Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2

Our Primary Department caters for pupils from year 1 to year 6, aged 5-11 years old. We offer a
highly differentiated curriculum covering all National Curriculum subjects;
English, Maths, Science, Design and Technology, History, Geography, Art and Design, Music, Physical Education, Computing and Modern Foreign Languages (where appropriate).
We have a strong emphasis on ensuring pupils develop their basic skills in English and Maths and dedicated lessons for functional and social communication which we embed across the curriculum.
Additional bespoke opportunities to develop skills are available including access to rebound therapy, TACPAC, support for social and emotional difficulties. We work as a large multi-disciplinary team including occupational therapists and speech and language therapists to ensure pupils achieve the desired outcomes within their Education, Health and Care Plan. Our pupils learn via 1:1 and small group teaching and learning. All pupils have Individual Pupil Progress Plan targets and pupils are assessed by a variety of formative assessment opportunities culminating in our termly, summative assessments.