Empowering every learner: Adapting a knowledge-rich curriculum for students with a wide range of needs at Maplewell Hall School

Kasia Glinka, Associate Headteacher, Maplewell Hall School, UK Rebecca Ryman, Assistant Headteacher, Maplewell Hall School, UK Context and rationale Maplewell Hall School is a specialist setting catering to students with a wide range of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including communication and interaction difficulties, cognition and learning challenges, and social, emotional and mental health needs. Many of our students arrive with a history of disrupted education and low prior attainment, yet they also bring strengths, interests and a capacity for academic achievement when appropriately supported. In response to national policy developments, including the Ofsted education inspection framework (2019) and the Department for Education’s SEND Review (DfE, 2022), we recognised a sector-wide shift towards higher expectations and increased access to academic pathways for students with SEND. The SEND green paper (DfE, 2022) particularly emphasised the need for m