The Green Room Baccalaureate
At GRC our curriculum offers a holistic approach to education offering every student a broad, balanced and inspiring educational journey that celebrates core learning, personal development and personal project work in equal measure. Our intent is to develop resilient, independent, reflective learners who can think critically, act kindly and drive positive change in their communities and beyond. By engaging with all elements of this curriculum, students will be awarded a new leavers award after two years at GRC called The Green Room Baccalaureate. This award has been accredited by the National Baccalaureate Trust, a group of schools and forward-thinking educationalists which was set up to explore the possibility of establishing a broader means of recognising the full range of student achievement via a baccalaureate-style curriculum and qualifications framework for England.
Our baccalaureate award embeds the ROCCIT Competencies as well as our school values and is designed to ensure every young person at GRC is equipped with the essential skills for life, learning and work.
The Green Room Baccalaureate’s Core Learning and Personal Development programmes allow students to engage in diverse learning experiences that foster academic and personal growth. They consist of a range of school-directed courses as well as trips, work encounters and work experience placements:
Phenomenon Based Learning (PBL) - In PBL students are introduced to a variety of real-world phenomena which are explored and used as starting points for their own learning paths. Students are free to take their paths in any direction they choose and free to express their learning in any format they choose. In this way PBL is an interdisciplinary subject with student choice and voice at its heart. It is rooted in our unbounded curiosity for the world around us. Along their paths students will develop skills as they complete projects, learn new ways of looking at the everyday, enhance their creativity and produce work that is both personal to them and engages with the real world.
4D - In 4th Dimension, students choose from a variety of lessons that step outside the traditional curriculum. Inspired by staff passions, 4D offers a chance to explore unique interests, build new skills, develop knowledge and also to strengthen relationships between students and staff, as everyone shares in each other’s fascinations.
Preparing for Adulthood (PFA) - Preparing for Adulthood is all about helping students feel confident and ready for the next chapter of their life. PFA sessions provide the tools and knowledge students need to lead a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life. We explore everything from looking after your emotional and physical well-being to understanding money, travel, and how to live more independently. It’s practical, supportive, and tailored to help students make a smooth and successful transition into adult life.
Maths & Numeracy - Sessions are designed to meet students’ individual needs, focusing on both practical maths skills and formal qualifications.
Time to Learn - Offers flexibility and self directed growth as students have the freedom to explore their personal interests, whether it’s working towards online qualifications, improving fitness or a new hobby.
Question Time - Curious minds thrive here! Question Time helps students sharpen their literacy skills by exploring questions they’ve always wanted to ask. By delving into various topics, students learn how to access and understand information while developing critical thinking for adulthood.
GR Think - Focuses on critical thinking, communication and literacy skills through projects and discussions on diverse issues and topics like Collective Learning, Heroism and The News Media. Students work on projects designed to challenge their understanding and foster essential life skills and a love of learning.
English - Lessons are tailored to each student’s goals, whether they’re aiming for a qualification or improving literacy. These classes strengthen reading, writing and communication skills.
Market Garden - Students get their hands dirty and learn about the food cycle, growing food for our kitchen and selling the produce at markets in the local community, developing both practical and entrepreneurial skills.
Practical Skills - Students learn to use basic tools and apply them in small projects, developing practical skills for home maintenance or trade-related tasks, while building hands-on abilities for the future.
Creative - Students explore creative and entrepreneurial projects, working solo or in groups. They design and sell products, considering target audiences and marketing strategies, with guidance from staff.
Therapy - Considered a key part of the educational process, therapy helps students achieve balance and perspective. Our therapists offer weekly one-to-one sessions to support students in exploring emotions, family dynamics and past experiences in a safe and creative environment. Sessions may also include family interventions if needed.
Swan Elders - Twice a term, a member of The Swan community visits to share their life stories, careers or passions, providing a unique opportunity to hear from people with a wide range of experiences, broadening students’ horizons and inspiring them to pursue their own interests. These sessions provide invaluable insight into different career paths and develop some understanding of resilience, discipline and persistence that go into successful and meaningful careers.
GCSE Extension - For students working on GCSEs, we offer an additional hour of focused study. This time is dedicated to practising exam questions and refining knowledge in preparation for their GCSE exams.
Personal Online Portfolios (POP) - This forms part of the Personal Project element of the Green Room Baccalaureate. All of our students create a digital portfolio of their time at GRC, using our own Google sites template. Students will be expected to upload work to their portfolio and reflect on their experiences. Building this portfolio will be a genuine reflection of their personal learning journey with GRC and a powerful tool to help them recognise their progress and evidence it to others. The portfolios capture their core learning, personal project work, experiences and trips and work readiness (CVs, professional certificates etc). Creation of this portfolio is incorporated into all areas of the timetable and there is additional time for students to work on it semi-independently at the end of each week. Student’s POPs serve as a lasting record to share with future employers or educational institutions.
The Big Picture - Students explore real-life social situations as a group. By discussing various scenarios, students learn from each other and develop the social awareness and understanding needed for everyday life.
Enterprise - Students explore the world of business, developing employability skills and teamwork by participating in a college run retail project in the local community. They engage in projects and challenging assignments that incorporate the soft skills employers value. Students learn about market research and its application in enterprise, as well as practical skills like calculating costs and profits in a real retail experience.
Cookery - Students learn to work safely and efficiently in a professional kitchen environment. They can collaborate with our college chef to prepare meals for their peers or focus on their individual culinary projects.
Reading Plus - A personalised, adaptive literacy programme that enhances reading fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, stamina and motivation. Each student receives a customised plan tailored to their interests and reading needs, making this a truly unique and engaging learning experience. Students have 30 minutes of timetabled Reading Plus each week and can log in from anywhere at any time to continue their progress.
Century AI - Century is an adaptive online learning platform designed to deliver differentiated provision for every student. Century’s content includes English & Maths GCSE and functional skills courses, as well as a range of other topics and courses including Science, Geography and Digital Skills. Century breaks content down into micro-lessons known as ‘nuggets’. It constantly checks student understanding, identifies individual strengths and weaknesses and strategically revisits concepts at optimal intervals to strengthen retention. At GRC we use Century to enhance our English & Maths provision and believe it can empower all learners, including those with SEND, to make sustained progress and retain knowledge for the long term.
Check In - Every student has a weekly 15-minute one-to-one meeting with a staff member to discuss progress, behaviour, targets and career goals including work experience and paid opportunities. These scheduled sessions provide consistent, personalised support and guidance.
Source to Sea
Students take direct action by helping protect our oceans and beaches. In September, we join thousands across the UK to collect and record litter in the Great British Beach Clean. The effort doesn’t end there — students will continue this work each week in the local community, contributing valuable data through daily litter picks to support the Marine Conservation Society’s vital mission.Students learn how their actions can help protect the environment, both on a local and national level.
EPQ - The Extended Project Qualification is a Level 3 qualification that teaches students to independently conduct a research project. Students choose a topic, conduct in-depth research and write a 5,000-word project. This qualification enhances research and writing skills preparing students for higher education and future careers.
Baking - Our lessons allow students to explore cakes, bread, brownies, and icing. In these hands-on sessions, they develop baking skills while creating delicious treats, complementing the savory focus of our Cookery classes. The bakes the students create are sold during EPIC Thursday to the general public, encouraging them to focus on quality and presentation.
Careers and Employability: Sessions are students led with guidance on careers, employability and next destinations. Students engage in practical activities and steps leading to potential next destinations including designing their own CVs, taking part in mock interviews, attending Careers/job fairs etc. Students are encouraged to lead their own careers and employability journey, taking ownership of their bespoke next steps.
Work Experience
Work experience is a key part of every student’s journey with us. We believe that learning extends beyond the classroom, and our programme is designed to give students the skills, confidence, and independence they need for their next steps.
We work in partnership with a wide range of local businesses and charities, forming a strong work experience community. Placements are carefully tailored to each student, taking the form of regular rotations or one-off opportunities, depending on their needs and aspirations.
Alongside external placements, we also run a number of internal work experiences within the college. One highlight is EPIC Thursday, where students take on every role involved in running The Swan Pub for the day. From welcoming customers to preparing food and managing responsibilities, students gain hands-on experience in teamwork, organisation, and communication.
These experiences help our students to grow in confidence, develop essential workplace skills, and prepare for adulthood in meaningful and practical ways.