QUEST plays a significant role within the Manor Green curriculum. Each week, every class will go on a QUEST for at least a whole morning into the community. We use the local community as an extension of our classrooms to provide context to our learning. It is an excellent way of developing the academic, social and independence skills for all of our students.
Jen Barker
QUEST Co-Ordinator & EVC
The 5 pillars of QUEST are:-
Questioning- developing curious learners that are inquisitive about the world around them.
Understanding Health- identifying places that support our health and increasing opportunities for physical activity.
Employability- accessing a wide range of places that provide potential employment or volunteering opportunities for adult life.
Social Communication & Etiquette- learning how to safely access all areas of the local community within social behavioral norms.
Travel Training- building the confidence and ability to uses different methods of public transport independently.
Being confident in the community is an invaluable skill for our young people to develop. Cross curricular opportunities are taken wherever suitable to cement learning from all areas of the curriculum. Handling money in shops and cafés for example, gives real life numeracy practice. Reading signs and menus give literacy for life opportunities. Whilst a lot of time is spent in the local community, classes also travel further afield to National Trust venues, beaches and places of interest to widen the experiences for our young people.
Opportunities for careers education are taken under the Employability pillar of QUEST. Throughout the curriculum, students look to develop the key skills of the Skillbuilder programme. Opportunities for employment will look different for all of our young people and the learning opportunities taken are equally as diverse. Some students will begin by learning and identifying the jobs of those in the community that can help us. For some pathways this will progress into investigating paid work or employment opportunities in a wide range of organisations. The exposure to these opportunities in Key Stage 3, will help frame and support potential Work Experience placements further into Key Stage 4 and 5.
The impact of the QUEST curriculum is extremely positive. Students learn the skills that are relevant to developing their own independence in the outside world. The students at Manor Green have such a wide range of abilities and needs. Development in this area of the curriculum, as in all areas, is unique to individuals. Progress made in QUEST is life changing for some of our young people and their families, promoting a greater deal of independence towards adulthood and opening up a wider range of opportunities for all.