Pyrland School is a comprehensive 11-16 school, taking students from Taunton and the surrounding villages. Being a school of faith, our students are encouraged by the words in John 10.10, in which Jesus said: “I have come in order that you may have life – life in all its fullness.” Our over-arching vision for the curriculum, encompassed in this verse, is one of human flourishing for all. It is one in which there is an expectation of excellence and academic rigour at all levels and embraces the spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, moral and social development of students.

As our students arrive with a wide range of experiences of primary education, our curriculum is designed to ensure that all students can achieve their personal best and develop their individual character. We do this by quickly identifying and then addressing the specific needs of each of our learners. Students come to Pyrland with a mix of prior abilities, from those who have exceeded age related expectations at KS2 to those who have not yet met the expected national standards. Thus, we aim to exceed the National Curriculum requirements at Key Stage 3 and provide our students with a rich and varied diet of academic and vocational qualifications, which are the cornerstone of educational success, at Key Stage 4.

Our curriculum has a strong focus on knowledge acquisition. Acquisition of knowledge allows our students to develop:

•  the communication and language skills needed to have successful interactions with others
• the listening skills required to respond fully, knowing the meanings of words and social cues
• a deeper understanding of subjects being taught by freeing more mental space to think about what they are encountering
• a vocabulary of words that will enable them to express themselves effectively

As literacy is at the centre of all that we do, we aim to foster a love of reading with our students at our school, which also allows them to develop empathy towards others whose lives are very different from their own socio-economic background and culture. Ultimately, we want our students to become well-rounded members of society and have the skills and attitude needed to lead a happy and healthy life. Our focus on careers education and social, moral, spiritual and cultural development through our wider curriculum offer ensures that our students have a much wider understanding of the world around them, which is important as the school has become much more culturally diverse over the last five years.

Our PSHE programme is fully compliant with the most recent RSE and health education statutory guidance. It ensures that our students are kept safe online and tackles contemporary issues such as identifying and tackling harmful sexualised behaviour, prejudicial attitudes and child-on-child abuse.