Our Curriculum
- Our Curriculum
Our Vision
At Shape House Doncaster, we believe every young person deserves the opportunity to thrive. Through a practical, outdoor, and creative curriculum, we support children and young people to develop confidence, resilience, independence, and the skills they need for life, learning, and future employment.
We Promote:
- Health and Wellbeing
- Positive Relationships
- Community and Belonging
- Independence
- Life Skills
- Preparation for the World of Work
We Believe:
- Young people should have a voice in their learning.
- Positive relationships are the foundation of progress.
- Achievement should be recognised and celebrated.
- Learning should be meaningful, engaging, and accessible.
- Every young person can succeed when provided with the right support.
Our Approach:
All staff are trained in Trauma-Informed Practice and low-arousal approaches. These principles underpin our ethos, policies, and day-to-day practice, creating a safe, supportive environment where learners feel valued, understood, and empowered.
For many of our learners, Shape House is the first place where they feel successful, understood, and excited about learning again.
Learning at Shape House
Our life skills-based curriculum is delivered through high-quality outdoor experiences, creative arts, and practical learning opportunities. Learners are encouraged to make choices about their learning, helping them develop confidence, motivation, and ownership of their progress.
Curriculum Strands
- Activity Days
- Arts & Crafts
- Cooking
- Enterprise
- Music
- Nature & Wellbeing
- Outdoor Adventures
- Theatre Craft
Young people also take part in STEAM activities (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths), helping them develop creativity, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills in engaging and hands-on ways.
Through these experiences, we support our learners to:
- Build confidence and self-esteem
- Develop positive relationships and social skills
- Improve their emotional wellbeing and understanding of themselves
- Become more independent
- Learn practical skills for everyday life
- Feel connected to their community
- Explore future education and employment opportunities
By giving young people opportunities to make choices, try new experiences, and celebrate success, we help them develop the skills, confidence, and resilience they need for the next stage of their journey—and for life beyond Shape House.
Our 8 Strands
Activity Days & Forest School
As part of our curriculum offer, children and young people are given the opportunity to access an area of The Mosaic Reserve at Austerfield that is being developed and maintained by Shape House Staff and learners.
We have at least three offsite activities days per term. Our learners are provided with opportunities to use the skills they have developed at Shape House in a beautiful woodland environment.
Children and young people can explore the reserve with our certified Children’s Mindful Walking Guide. Noticing and learning about the environment and themselves while discovering how we manage our impact on the natural world.
Forest School activities are exciting and fun! Being out in nature is great for both mental and physical health.
For more information about our offsite activity days, click the link below
Click Here for More Information
Arts & Crafts
These sessions have a weekly theme allowing our learners to tap into their creative sides. They are encouraged to explore each theme and to evaluate and adapt their creations using prior or newly acquired knowledge and skills alongside Shape House Learning Partners.
All sessions are practical / hands on, and our learners are encouraged to share their thoughts and feelings about what they are doing and to have pride in their work.
The themes all have real world applications for careers or leisure time.
Cooking
This strand explores different ways of cooking. The aim is to equip our learners with the skills to make simple snacks for themselves to being more creative and planning and cooking a more complex meal.
They learn about food hygiene, health and safety in the kitchen and how to plan, budget for and where they can buy different ingredients.
Our Life Skills kitchen is designed to support learning with lots of opportunities to develop independent living skills and use a range of equipment and appliances.
Enterprise
These sessions are based around enabling our learners to feel comfortable in thinking about their futures. The projects are hands on and can be individual or group based, depending on what the learners decide to do! Typical skills involved will be around planning the project, sourcing resources, budgeting and marketing their final product.
Enterprise may involve some crafting, woodwork or using the 3D Printers to design and make something personalised. These sessions will take place in our workshop and art learning spaces.
Music
This strand of our curriculum appeals to everyone’s inner rock or pop star! Who hasn’t dreamed of being in a band?! We give our learners to try different instruments – guitar, bass, keyboards and drums. They can learn individually, with the end goal of playing music together as a band! Our staff are either classically trained or experienced rock musicians and bring a fun approach to the sessions.
Nature & Wellbeing
Being in nature has a positive effect on both our physical and mental wellbeing. Our Forest School Lead has extensive experience of working in the outdoors with children and young people with SEND and is a member of The Therapeutic Forest Approved Practitioner Network. These sessions are therapeutic in nature and are delivered at a slower pace, allowing for conversation while focusing on the skills based practical element.
These sessions may take place in our outdoor space at Shape House, or offsite at our learning space at Austerfield Study Centre.
Outdoor Adventures
These sessions are designed to promote engagement with others. Our learners are presented with a challenge or problem to solve. They must use their knowledge and communication skills to achieve the desired outcomes.
Theatre Craft
These sessions allow our learners to explore all aspects of the theatre! Acting, music, dance, directing, making props and running the lights or sound. All this in our dedicated performing arts space.
Our staff have vast experience of performing and working in theatres in both a voluntary and professional capacity and are enthusiastic to pass on their knowledge.
STEAM Challenge Days
Science, Technology, English/Engineering, Arts, Maths
STEAM Days involve practical activities that require problem solving, teamwork and communication, and among other things are designed to challenge thinking.
Our learners are encouraged to work together to complete the activities. Through this they learn that the process is important not just the outcome and will hopefully build some resilience along the way.
Check out our Tiktok Page to see some STEAM Challenges in Action
Example Timetable
What a week might look like…
Learning Aspirations
Positive outcomes are at the very heart of our offer, we want every child or young person to take ownership of their journey and rediscover the joy of education.
At Shape House we believe every learner can say:
I can…
Communicate confidently
Listen with compassion
Lead others fairly
Think positively
Be proud of my achievements
Think creatively
Find solutions
Work well with others
Be part of a community
Plan for my future
EHCP Outcomes
If a child or young person has an EHCP, we will work with school to monitor progress against appropriate outcomes written in Section E.
During their time with us, Shape House will contribute to agreed outcomes as part of a wider provision plan.