How can a SEND school offer every child a truly ambitious curriculum?

A curriculum built for every learner

QEII Silver Jubilee School serves around 140 children and young people aged 2 to 19, all of whom have profound and complex learning needs. Finding a curriculum framework that is ambitious for this range of pupils, rather than one that simply accommodates them, has been a long-standing priority for the school. Seven years ago, the team chose Cornerstones, and the reasons behind that choice remain just as relevant today.

The curriculum’s combination of creative, project-based learning and a grounding in quality texts gives teachers a structure that can be adapted without being diluted. The school’s leadership reflects on what has made the partnership last.

We have been using Cornerstones for several years now, and I'm delighted that the hard work of our students has been recognised. We find that our school really benefits from the Cornerstones Curriculum, as it is creative and pinned on quality texts.

Learning that pupils can hold onto

One of the recurring questions in SEND education is how to make abstract content tangible. At QEII, the answer often lies in the visual and the physical, in giving pupils something they can look at, touch, or revisit. The Blood Heart project is one example of how well-chosen imagery and clear visual support can make complex subject matter accessible without simplifying it. A pupil who worked through the project put it simply.

I liked the Blood Heart project; all the pictures helped me to understand.

Hands-on making is another thread that runs through the curriculum. When pupils in another project were asked to build a model island, the activity gave a concrete shape to ideas that had existed only in discussion. For one pupil, seeing that shift from conversation to creation was what made the learning stick.

Making the model island was great. It meant I could see what we had talked about come to life.

Pride and a sense of achievement

Recognising progress matters deeply in a school where milestones can be hard-won. When pupils receive acknowledgement of their efforts, the effect extends well beyond the classroom. One pupil, speaking after being recognised for their work, captured something that many parents and teachers at the school will recognise immediately.

I was really proud of myself. I will show my certificate to my grandparents and put it in my portfolio.

Summary

For headteachers leading SEND schools, the question of curriculum ambition rarely goes away. The temptation is to manage expectations downward, to treat a rich, knowledge-led curriculum as something designed for other schools. QEII Silver Jubilee School’s seven-year experience with Cornerstones suggests a different approach is possible. A curriculum that is creative, rooted in quality texts, and built around concrete, meaningful activities can reach pupils that a more conventional framework might leave behind.

What comes through most clearly in the school’s story is not a single transformation, but a steady, sustained confidence that every child deserves to be curious, to make things, to feel proud of what they have done.