Recovery and Reconnections
Our Curriculum Approach
'Catch-up is placed on a level playing field alongside students rebuilding relationships, regaining confidence and trust, healing their identity and sense of belonging, and reflecting on their existing experience and skills' - Louise Robson
Statement of Intent
At Appleton Thorn, we have put the child's well-being at the front of our thinking. We understand that our children will have had varying experiences during this time. Not only are we mindful of academic loss, but also loss of structure, routine, friendship, opportunity and freedom that may have occured. Providing opportunities in school for healing and recovery will be our main priority.
We have adopted the 5 lever approach as recommended by Professor Barry Carpenter.
Lever 1: Relationships – we can’t expect our students to return joyfully, and many of the relationships that were thriving, may need to be invested in and restored. We need to plan for this to happen, not assume that it will. Reach out to greet them, use the relationships we build to cushion the discomfort of returning.
Lever 2: Community – we must recognise that curriculum will have been based in the community for a long period of time. We need to listen to what has happened in this time, understand the needs of our community and engage them in the transitioning of learning back into school.
Lever 3: Transparent Curriculum – all of our students will feel like they have lost time in learning and we must show them how we are addressing these gaps, consulting and co-constructing with our students to heal this sense of loss.
Lever 4: Metacognition – in different environments, students will have been learning in different ways. It is vital that we make the skills for learning in a school environment explicit to our students to reskill and rebuild their confidence as learners.
Lever 5: Space – to be, to rediscover self, and to find their voice on learning in this issue. It is only natural that we all work at an incredible pace to make sure this group of learners are not disadvantaged against their peers, providing opportunity and exploration alongside the intensity of our expectations.
How will we help the children who need it?
Bridging the Gap
Examples of linking to past learning to where children need to be:
How to support struggling pupils returning after COVID Closure
