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A study of curriculum development in a new special school
Author(s) -
Maddison Anne
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
british journal of special education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.349
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1467-8578
pISSN - 0952-3383
DOI - 10.1111/1467-8527.00233
Subject(s) - milestone , curriculum , context (archaeology) , curriculum development , pedagogy , work (physics) , quality (philosophy) , inclusion (mineral) , medical education , mathematics education , sociology , psychology , medicine , engineering , social science , mechanical engineering , paleontology , philosophy , archaeology , epistemology , biology , history
Anne Maddison is deputy headteacher, with responsibility for curriculum, at the Milestone School, a special school created recently after the amalgamation of three smaller schools. In this article, she describes the development of an outcomes‐based curriculum for pupils with a range of learning difficulties aged from two to 16 years. Anne Maddison sets out the rationale for her work in the context of a need to promote shared approaches to teaching and learning at this newly formed school. The curriculum development project described here was evaluated using questionnaires, interviews and the analysis of documents and practice as part of a case study in school‐based enquiry. Anne Maddison used the outcomes of these processes as part of her Doctor of Education (EdD): Educational Leadership course at Lincoln University. Since this article was written, the Milestone School has undergone its first Ofsted inspection. The report noted that teaching at the school is ‘of very high quality’ and the curriculum ‘is very good’. Inspectors noted that ‘the planning of schemes of work, which are being developed with different subjects being focused on each year, is exemplary, with clear outcomes for pupils of different abilities’. While Anne Maddison’s article details the experience of one school, her analysis may be of interest to other school managers, teachers, governors or advisers who are seeking to promote the development of a more inclusive curriculum.