What We Do

The curriculum that we offer has been refined over many years to be as engaging, diverse and inclusive as possible, helping students from a variety of educational backgrounds to reach their potential, leaving us well prepared for the challenges of future education and work. The programme of study for each student is determined after analysing their education history, and documentation such as an EHCP, or Educational Psychologist reports, and crucially also after meeting the student themselves, getting to know them and exploring their ambitions and interests. Using all this important information, our curriculum team devises a personalised programme of study from our broad library of subjects and qualifications.

We prioritise Numeracy, Literacy, Creativity, PSHE and Science for the majority of students, as these core subjects are most conducive to opening doors to future study. Beyond this, what we offer will depend on the needs of the individual. For students joining us at KS3 or below we offer a range of project-based schemes of work covering Humanities, Arts and Creativity. For KS4 we have strong GCSE and Functional Skills curricula designed to maximise exam performance no matter what point in the academic year a student joins us. We are also proud to offer a sector-leading range of vocational BTEC courses, from Animal Care, to Cooking, Music, Hair and Beauty, Digital IT, Business Enterprise and many more.

Within their first two weeks at TCW, students are given Baseline Assessments to determine their working levels and any gaps in their subject knowledge. These insights allow us to further tweak the curricula and planned teaching approaches, providing an even more bespoke student experience. From KS1-3 these Baselines are project based, while for KS4-5, they are more closely aligned to exam papers, though they are not usually taken under test conditions.

From this point onwards, at the end of every half term, students undergo half termly, topic-based assessments to keep an accurate measure of their progress. Where students are anxious about being assessed, this process is done with sensitivity and discretion. Alongside these regular assessments, teachers keep daily notes within a confidential database, recording the level of understanding of each topic and the relative success of each lesson.

A summary of these insights and data is presented in a half termly report to parents / carers and professionals. As well as giving an in-depth overview of a student’s progress within each subject and assessment results, the half-termly report provides scores for effort and soft skills: Working With Others, Confidence, Resilience and Communication. Finally, the IEP targets, based on the student’s EHCP (where applicable), are also reviewed. At the end of each academic year, a special report provides a careful analysis of all 3 terms.

As we conduct lessons across a variety of locations, it's important that we pay special attention to the recording of student attendance and punctuality. In order to maintain accurate and detailed records, we have created a bespoke web-based app for recording and tracking student lesson times. All teachers, whether they are working in a student’s home, a library, a TCW Hub or elsewhere, will check their student in and out of lessons using this app. They will also record other key information, such as the level of engagement and behaviour. All data is overseen in real time by our Central Office team, who respond immediately to absences and provide support and advice to teachers where necessary.

Students are given half termly attendance and punctuality targets, as part of their Half Termly Reports. These are regularly reviewed through weekly Personal Development Sessions, where students are encouraged to set goals and learn the skills needed to overcome personal challenges. From our Central Office, the trends in student data are analysed, so that pre-emptive interventions can be put in place where necessary. We often work with students who have long standing attendance difficulties, individualised plans are created for these students to be able to remove the obstacles present for them to engage in meaningful and valuable education.

We believe in taking a non-judgemental and compassionate approach to behaviour management, which addresses a behaviour’s underlying causes, as well as the consequences. Students are given ongoing pastoral support, through Weekly Personal Development Sessions and (where needed) therapeutic support from our Counsellors. This provides the opportunity to reflect on their behaviour and the impact of their actions on other people, targeting areas of development which are worked on over time. Over time, this helps to develop students’ resilience and emotional intelligence, so they are motivated to change. If a behaviour incident occurs, we follow a guided process of reflection, which encourages accountability and improvement. This behaviour management approach has been graded Outstanding by Ofsted, who commented that behaviour in class was "exceptional" and that students are supported in improving their social skills and teamwork.

Staff are trained to focus on primary behaviours, giving fair and consistent feedback and sanctions. Clear boundaries are laid out when a student starts work with us, they are discussed and agreed upon prior to starting work, so that students understand them and feel a sense of investment. Where further attention is needed, we set up individualised behaviour contracts, which students and teachers negotiate together based on their shared aims and agreed consequences. We have the flexibility to move students’ education between our Hubs, or onto an individual basis, if needed. This can give students the time they need to consider the impact of their decisions and to work in a calmer, less distracting environment.

We believe that health and happiness are essential for learning. This is why we have an entire department dedicated to the wellbeing of students and teachers, exploring innovative ways to make our school the most nurturing and supportive environment it can be. Some of our key wellbeing measures include weekly Personal Development sessions; therapeutic support from our School Counsellors; a wellbeing focused PSHE programme.

Personal Development Sessions are a chance for students to set goals, develop career plans and cover targeted PSHE programmes like anger management or behaviour plans. The sessions are led by a member of our student support team, who closely monitor their student’s progress both academically and in terms of their motivation and confidence. This allows any potential obstacles to be identified early and where necessary, a counselling or interventions programme be put in place. The Student Support Team work in partnership with their students’ families, acting as their advocates during educational meetings, ensuring that the right level of support is available at home, as well as at school.

Students also have the option of receiving therapeutic support from a trained counsellor. Counselling can help students work through any personal challenges, learn to regulate their emotions and deal with the stresses that life throws at them. Though this is not an alternative to clinical mental health treatment, it is a lifeline to all those needing extra support with their wellbeing and an opportunity to overcome long wait lists or high thresholds for external support. Sessions take place in dedicated counselling rooms, designed to be peaceful sanctuaries from the outside world. Remote counselling support is also an option.

Further to the above measures, we have designed an enriching, modern PSHE curriculum to help students learn the skills needed to look after their health and wellbeing, celebrate their personal identity and navigate the challenges of social life. PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education), is included in every student’s curriculum, and constitutes an important part of our school’s wellbeing programme.

In addition to taking part in our training programme, teachers are formally observed on a regular basis and assessed against our "Teacher's Standards" quality control measures. Although we take the quality of our work very seriously, we believe that the best teaching happens when staff have the freedom, support and encouragement to be creative and try new things in their lessons. Our mentoring and quality control systems are designed to help teachers refine their craft, improving exponentially over time. Learning never ends, as we say to our students.

Our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion is an important part of our identity as a school. We believe that all young people should feel free to celebrate their own identity and those of others in the community. This is why our Diversity and Inclusion Committee, made up of teachers, support staff and Senior Leadership, strives continually to find new ways to champion diversity across all aspects of our work.

We have designed a curriculum befitting the culturally rich community that we serve. Across many subjects, we introduce diverse historical and contemporary figures - such as Scientists, Mathematicians or Writers, and use them as segues into new topics. This allows students to find role models they can identify with, and understand the contributions made to our society by all types of people. Within our PSHE scheme of work, we have created the “Diversity, Prejudice and Discrimination” topic, which examines some of the uncomfortable, but important factors at play in diverse societies - a vital preparation for navigating adult life. For English lessons, we have chosen a broad range of texts written by writers from diverse racial backgrounds, from the LGBTQ+ community, as well as neurodiverse writers and those with disabilities. To mirror the values championed in our curriculum, we are strongly committed to maintaining a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives within our staff body.

We are committed to LGBTQ+ equality and ensuring that everyone is included, respected and empowered. We aim to create a learning environment that is free from harassment and discrimination, regardless of sex, gender, identity, sexual orientation or gender expression. We are currently working towards The Rainbow Flag Award, a national quality assurance framework focussing on positive LGBTQ+ inclusion and visibility, and hope to have achieved completion of the award by the end of 2022.