Our Classes

Contact information
🇲🇼 Malawi – Ryan Mason – ryan.mason@abbotsleaschool.co.uk
🇨🇽 Christmas Island – Colm Wray – colm.wray@abbotsleaschool.co.uk
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Our Curriculum

Students who transition into, and become part of our Key Stage 5 provision from Key Stage 4, continue to gain academic qualifications through the Functional Skills route in English, Mathematics and ICT, if appropriate. However, the primary focus of Key Stage 5 is to support the continued Development of Life Skills, independence and self-advocacy in readiness to transition from Abbot’s Lea School to adulthood at their earliest opportunity. Our students complete a range of activities to help them identify their desired next destination and to work towards it.

Students have the opportunity to undertake a Supported Internship within Key Stage 5, if they wish to. This allows the students to embed themselves within an employer for a minimum of six months, gaining the skills needed to undertake a range of different roles. Alongside their working pattern, students also engage in accredited learning through completing Functional Skills qualifications in English, Mathematics and ICT. This allows each Supported Intern to complete a hands-on and bespoke experience of work-based learning and fulfilling a job role, whilst continuing to gain academic qualifications.

All students within Key Stage 5 will also experience college taster activities, college visits, work experience days and a range of community visits, using public transport where appropriate to further enhance their ability to travel independently.

In Key Stage 5, students complete 3 Functional Skills qualifications, each of which are accredited by Open Awards.

These qualifications are:
• Functional Skills English (Entry Level 1 to Level 2)
• Functional Skills Maths (Entry Level 1 to Level 2)
• Functional Skills ICT (Entry Level 1 to Level 2)
We also have a clear and strategic focus on supporting each student’s transition from Abbot’s Lea School to their next desired, meaningful destination. To support this, students participate in a range of activities to support their life skill development, their independence and their transition out of Abbot’s Lea School. These activities include Transition development and support, Travel Training development and support, Employability skill development and Therapeutic and Life Skill development and support.

All activities are designed to give our students the confidence and focus to successfully transition out of Abbot’s Lea School into their next meaningful destination.

The KS5 curriculum has been organised into the following themes to support our student’s transition:
• Team Building
• Exploring My Options
• My Plan
• My Independence
• Employability Projects
• Academic Boost
• Exploring and Developing my Personalised Wellbeing Toolkit
• Appropriate Communication
• Self-Management
• Personalised Interventions
• Next steps and transition
• Learning from the Alumni
• Completing an Application
• Interview Techniques
• Preparing to Leave
• Celebration Events
All of these activities are designed to best prepare our students to transition successfully to their next destination. Through participating in these activities, they will be equipped with positive experiences that develop their independence and enable them to work toward a personalised plan to enhance their school experience and achieve a successful transition.

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