Paragon
CURRICULUM ETHOS
At Paragon, we aim to create a nurturing, inclusive environment that inspires students to develop confidence, resilience, and a lifelong engagement with learning English. Our programme supports students who are new to English or developing early proficiency, enabling them to communicate effectively, participate fully in school life, and access the wider curriculum with growing independence.
The Paragon curriculum is ambitious yet supportive. It combines structured, systematic language instruction with immersive, practical experiences that develop the four key skills—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—alongside grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure. By integrating themes from core subjects such as English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities, and PSHE, students develop academic language in context, preparing them for successful transition into mainstream lessons.
We place great importance on personal, social, and cultural development. Through collaborative tasks, presentations, project-based learning, and exposure to British culture and school routines, students learn to interact respectfully and confidently in a new educational setting. These experiences foster curiosity, empathy, and an understanding of diverse ways of life, helping students grow as culturally aware and adaptable learners.
By focusing on both linguistic proficiency and holistic development, the Paragon programme equips students with the skills, knowledge, and self-assurance they need to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Our ethos ensures that every student—regardless of background or prior experience—can develop the resilience, confidence, and competence required to succeed in mainstream education and beyond.
The Paragon Curriculum in Summary
The Paragon Project is a six-week accelerated English programme designed to meet the needs of students who are new to English or developing early proficiency. The primary aim is to provide a structured, immersive, and highly supportive learning environment that equips students with the essential linguistic, academic, and cultural foundations necessary for successful integration into mainstream education. The curriculum adopts an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on key themes from core subjects such as English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities, and PSHE. This alignment enables students to develop academic vocabulary and thematic familiarity that supports later access to subject-specific learning. The programme explicitly develops the four key language skills—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—while providing systematic instruction in grammar, tense formation, sentence structure, and extended writing.
An All-Through Curriculum
The Paragon Project is intentionally designed as an all-through curriculum that builds seamlessly on the linguistic, cognitive, and social foundations established in primary education. Because our students arrive from multiple educational systems and with different levels of exposure to formal literacy instruction, they join the programme at varying points in their phonics learning. The curriculum therefore begins by assessing individual starting points and providing targeted support that bridges gaps and secures essential early literacy foundations. Paragon revisits key primary finishing points—such as phonological awareness, high-frequency vocabulary, simple sentence construction, and early reading fluency—while extending these into the more complex academic language and secondary-ready skills required for Key Stage 3. Early units draw on familiar contexts such as family, school life, and daily routines, enabling students to consolidate core language structures. As proficiency develops, lessons introduce secondary-aligned topics from Science, Humanities, English, and Maths, ensuring students acquire the academic vocabulary and conceptual understanding needed across subjects. Through consistent routines, explicit study skills, and scaffolded independence, Paragon mirrors expectations across both primary and secondary phases, supporting a coherent educational journey for all learners.
Diversity and Inclusion in the Paragon Curriculum
The Paragon Project is committed to designing a curriculum that recognises, values, and celebrates the diverse backgrounds of our students. Our cohort includes but is not limited to learners from Romania, Ukraine, Eritrea, Somalia, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Poland, China, Vietnam, and Iran. To ensure inclusivity, we have developed a bespoke scheme of work that reflects students’ languages, cultures, and lived experiences while providing the skills to access mainstream education confidently.
The curriculum incorporates greetings, daily routines, hobbies, likes and dislikes, and transport systems from students’ own countries, alongside structured opportunities to translate between languages and discuss rules, norms, and common misconceptions. This approach validates students’ identities, promotes engagement, and supports the development of both linguistic and cultural competence. Students are encouraged to share their experiences, compare practices across cultures, and reflect on similarities and differences in meaningful ways.
Cultural celebration and awareness are embedded throughout the programme. Students explore Black Excellence during Black History Month, celebrate women and empowerment on Mother’s Day, and participate in Culture Day, where traditions, food, fashion, and music from their communities are shared. Activities such as teacher interviews, presentations, and collaborative projects strengthen understanding of diversity and promote empathy and respect. By recognising and celebrating students’ experiences and differences, Paragon encourages curiosity, open-mindedness, and social cohesion. The inclusive curriculum ensures every learner feels represented, empowered, and equipped to engage meaningfully with their peers and the wider school community, while also accelerating language acquisition and supporting successful integration into mainstream education.
Cultural Capital and Enrichment in the Paragon Curriculum
Cultural Capital is embedded throughout the Paragon programme to support students’ confidence, independence, and integration into school life. Students are introduced to key aspects of British culture, routines, and school expectations through thematic lessons, collaborative tasks, and real-world language activities. Enrichment opportunities, such as project-based learning, visits to the library, participation in whole-school events, and guided exploration of local history and landmarks, help students connect classroom learning.
Literacy and Oracy in the Paragon Curriculum
Students undertake a comprehensive baseline assessment upon entry, measuring their proficiency across listening, speaking, reading, and writing. These data inform the personalised learning pathways delivered via Learning Village and guide teacher intervention. Students undertake a comprehensive baseline assessment upon entry, measuring their proficiency across listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Weekly formative assessments monitor ongoing progress. These include:
- Independent writing tasks
- Multiple-choice quizzes aligned with whole-school assessment protocols
- A speaking component delivered through a structured VIVA-style oral examination
