Ultimately, our aim is to help our students overcome barriers that have hitherto impeded their progress. By building self esteem and developing personalised programmes based on ability and needs as opposed to age, we will aim to raise aspirations and support our children as they learn how to make informed decisions as they begin to take responsibility for their own personal, social and academic development.  As such, we will need to develop, and continually monitor, individual programmes that will help them to build awareness of, and be able to access, the opportunities available to them.

The Wolf report  recommends that all young people should leave school or college with good Maths and English Skills and identifies GCSE qualifications as the preferred levels of achievement to aim for. The Government response to the Wolfe report states that young people must take the qualifications that are right for them, and that it is important that schools and colleges are free to choose whatever qualifications they identify as most appropriate for their individual student.

The focus needs to be on a broad and balanced curriculum, which the Government wants to be an academic core supplemented by a vocational element for the majority of students. However they acknowledge that the priority is for students to be able to take the qualifications that best meet their individual needs

Given that students attending Wizard Education will have already found it difficult to follow mainstream provisions, it is anticipated that there will be a  greater than average danger of further disengagement if the course of study is unrealistically matched to a student's abilities.  Disengagement or failure to secure a pass at GCSE in English and Maths for example leaves the student with no formal recognition of the standards they do manage to reach. By developing a pathway which offers staged qualifications recognising each level achieved but also integrating with local FE provisions and therefore facilitating transition onto post 16 programmes, not only are expectations of progression enhanced but self esteem and aspirations are raised.

Programmes of study at Wizard Education will therefore be developed for each individual with an academic core leading to GCSE in English, Maths, Science and ICT but include options to take Entry Level 3 or Functional Skills Level 1 and/or Level 2. Further, vocational qualifications will also be offered including Health and Safety and First Aid alongside essential social and behavioural development with, where possible, reinforcement through practical application and ongoing self and peer assessment. Again where possible, the emphasis will be on preparing for future employment and to facilitate this we will aim to develop more of a work environment than that of a traditional classroom.

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