Curriculum Overview

Our students drive how our curriculum is designed!

Our curriculum is designed to:

Help pupils understand themselves, stay safe online and offline and develop healthy habits.
Build friendships, help others and feel a sense of belonging.
Explore cultures, protect our planet, experience the world beyond the school environment.
Solve problems, express ideas, engage, participate, have a go!
Develop confident communication skills, gain life independence, explore future pathways, and prepare for adulthood.

We have three curriculum pathways

Pupils in the Navigator Pathway thrive when learning is immersive, multi-sensory, and highly structured. They process best with rhythmic repetition, processing pauses, and built-in movement within a focused, sensory-regulated environment.

Pupils in the Explorer Pathway thrive when learning balances scaffolding with hands-on, interactive experiences. They excel through doing, socialising, and using a supportive framework as a springboard to grow their independence.

Pupils in the Adventurer Pathway thrive when challenged by practical application, reasoning, and real-world tasks. They excel when taking ownership of complex concepts, with adult support shifting from direction to guidance.

Please click on the three pathway icons to the right to find out more.

We have a thematic curriculum:

At Riverbank, we use a thematic curriculum. This means that instead of teaching subjects like Maths, Science, and English in separate, isolated blocks, all of our subjects are connected to central, engaging themes.
By weaving different subjects together under one main theme, we make learning much more meaningful and accessible for our students.

We have three main curriculum areas:

Language and Literacy
Sensory, Physical and Health.
Relationships and the Wider World.

We implement broad and ambitious subjects that branch across our pathways themes and key stages

Each individual class at Riverbank is typically organised by key stage, with mixed-year groups in each class. We have a three-year rolling curriculum cycle for key stage three, a two-year rolling cycle for key stage four, and a three-year rolling cycle for key stage five. Students develop knowledge and skills over each cycle through different themes, topics, subjects, and experiences.

The order in which topics and experiences are covered is deliberately planned and sequenced with the intention of helping students know more and remember more over time.

Across each pathway and key stage, all schemes of learning clearly outline the skills and knowledge we want students to learn and remember.

The knowledge and skills outlined in our schemes of learning always lead back to our aims which strengthen the connectivity and purpose of our curriculum.

By clicking on the subject icons you will discover more information on how each individual subject is implemented across our pathways.

If you would like to know more information on what we teach in Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and/or you would like to feedback on our RSE programme, please click on the green icons.

Every half term, we post on instagram and text a weblink to all our parents and carers so they can see what their child is learning. We call this our One-Stop Curriculum Shop! Please click on the shop icon for more information.

All pupils carry a backpack of skills!

Every Riverbank pupil carries a metaphorical "backpack" containing six personal "I can" statements that we actively teach, practise, and evidence. We use the backpack imagery because these are essential skills each pupil carries with them everywhere, across every subject, into every lesson, and out into the world.

Every backpack always contains a reading, writing, and maths "I can" statement, tailored to the pupil's current needs.

The remaining three statements are uniquely chosen based on what the pupil needs next, whether that means securing foundational skills or stretching into new ambitions.

What difference is our curriculum making?

Purposeful Qualifications

ALL Riverbank students across all Pathways achieve qualifications that are aspirational and purposeful. Over the last two years, this includes aGCSE grades for English, Maths, Science and Art, Functional Skills, ASDAN Life Skill Challenges and Bespoke AQA Awarding Units. The key progress headlines from our 2019-2026 reports reflect wonderful progress outcomes. CLICK HERE

Across KS4 and KS5 our students achieve over 200 different types of qualifications. Our external verification reports are consistently complementary to the school’s curriculum delivery and assessment.

Positive Destinations

In the last four years, 100% of Riverbank leavers achieved a positive destination, with 100% of leavers on average accessing Independance and Employment-based qualifications including, vocational, work experience and internship programmes. Each year, we identify a number of previous students that have secured employment and/or started an internship programme which reflects the long-term impact of learning at Riverbank Academy! Students from Riverbank that enter employment are currently 4.8% higher than the local area (this does not include students in internship programmes). CLICK HERE

Active Citizens

Our students are fantastic ambassadors at both local and national levels. Inclusion is at the heart of our school; while every pupil actively participates and thrives in our annual Sports Day, ten of our students also had the unique opportunity to travel to Paris for the Change Makers Project, promoting Sports Leadership alongside the Olympic Games.

Equal leadership shines through our Navigator pupils, who take center stage in our local community. They have successfully planned and delivered highly inclusive, impactful events, including Riverbank’s Got Talent and Friendship Mornings.

20%-25% of students every year attend a residential trip where the application of their functional communication, skills and knowledge is applied successfully and in a variety of contexts and we are one of very few schools in Coventry where students achieve the Silver DofE award CLICK HERE

Being Visible and Having a Voice!

At our school, student voice isn't just valued, it is visible, active, and powerful. In June 2026 our Explorer Pathway pupils embarked on a brilliant educational expedition to Spain.

This international visit was a fantastic opportunity for our pupils to collaborate directly with a partner school in Spain on projects that truly matter. Acting as global citizens, they put their voices into action by discussing key Sustainable Development Goals:

Every year around 100 students have their artwork displayed in a local gallery to celebrate their abilities and creativity. Our pupils have performed in a variety of public places including the Albany Theatre, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry Cathedral, and our local Train Station! Audience sizes ranged from 100-300 people. The performances celebrated their confidence, resilience, communication, and talents!

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