Lifeskills

 At Castledon School, our commitment is to equip students for a successful and fulfilling future through our comprehensive Life skills curriculum. Our curriculum is meticulously designed to empower students with essential life skills crucial for personal growth, independence, and overall well-being.

Key Stage 1 -3

Students receive one life skills lesson per week which covers emotional, social and community skills. Students have the opportunity to practise these skills both in the classroom and out in the community. These skills cover a range of topics including, road safety, emergency services, stranger danger, building positive peer relationships, personal hygiene, mental health etc. Alongside life skills lessons, students receive one cooking lesson per week in which they will prepare and cook a range of dishes, learn about healthy eating, how to be safe in the kitchen and how to keep the kitchen clean and hygienic.

Students that follow the life skills pathway across these key stages, will cover all aspects of the curriculum at an appropriate level for their needs. They will access the curriculum content more frequently to encourage a higher level of independence. Students on this pathway will cover many practical life skills tasks such as washing clothes, cooking, cleaning, visiting the shops, handling money etc. We aim to provide our students with as many real-life opportunities as possible to aid their independent living skills as they grow into adulthood. 

Key Stage 4 & 5

For our older students life skills lessons develop and build on the skills learned in the earlier phases. In addition to this students will learn more about financial services including having the opportunity to open a bank account and apply for forms of identification to assist them when applying for jobs or further education.

Students continue to have a blend of practical and theory lessons around personal hygiene, safety and hygiene in the home, budgeting, understanding benefits and housing, staying safe online and taking responsibility for their own health. Students following the life skills pathway have additional practical cooking sessions which include visiting the shops to buy ingredients for meals that they have planned.

Students have the opportunity to build upon their travel training skills as they are supported to work towards independently using the public bus to travel to and from the local gym where they use the facilities alongside members of the public, expanding the opportunity to practise their social and communication skills. Students also have the opportunity to complete their bike ability to learn to cycle safely within the local community.

Unlocking Potential

Developing life skills extends far beyond the designated lessons for all Castledon students. They are an integral part of our pledge to ‘unlock potential’ by growing skills for independence. Staff are committed to embedding this in every aspect of school life - from arriving at school, to regularly accessing the community, during social times, in the lunch hall, managing conflict, at work placements and progressing to many students enjoying the opportunity to go off-site at lunchtime in the sixth form. 

Health and well-being are a priority and we aim to give all pupils the tools to manage these as independently as possible as well as knowing where and how to access support if and when they need it.