Our Curriculum- Skills for a changing world
At Wayfinders, we have purposely chosen not to follow a traditional knowledge-based curriculum. In today’s world, young people have access to vast amounts of information at all times.
Our focus is on developing the skills to navigate that knowledge effectively, ensuring that learners approach information critically, creatively, and independently.
Why Skills Matter
Our curriculum is built around six core skills that prepare young people for the future:
Collaboration – Working effectively with others, sharing ideas, and learning from different perspectives.
Creativity – Generating original ideas, solving problems in innovative ways, and embracing curiosity.
Critical Thinking – Evaluating information, questioning assumptions, and making informed decisions.
Self-Awareness – Understanding strengths, limitations, and emotions to guide personal growth.
Goal Setting – Planning, prioritising, and achieving meaningful objectives.
Innovation – Applying skills and knowledge to create solutions for new challenges.
These skills allow learners to access knowledge with an open mind, verify its credibility, and use it purposefully, without the pressure of a fast-paced, purely fact-based curriculum. Helping them to be adaptable and prepare for a rapidly changing world and developing resilience to change.
How do you embed these skills?
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COLLABORATION
Example Activities: Group whittling projects, team ecological surveys
Subjects / Topics: Design & Technology, Environmental Studies
Skills Applied: Planning together, documenting results, measuring materials -
CREATIVITY
Example Activities: Songwriting, creating models, storytelling around fires
Subjects / Topics: Music, Art, Literacy
Skills Applied: Writing lyrics, composing narratives, interpreting patterns -
CRITICAL THINKING
Example Activities: Analysing fossils, questioning research sources
Subjects / Topics: Palaeontology, Science
Skills Applied: Research notes, interpreting data, measuring specimens -
INNOVATION
Example Activities: Designing new tools or games, problem-solving challenges
Subjects / Topics: Engineering, Environmental Design
Skills Applied: Sketching designs, calculating angles and materials -
SELF-AWARENESS
Example Activities: Reflection journals, mindful forest walks
Subjects / Topics: PSHE, Mindfulness
Skills Applied: Writing reflections, tracking personal growth -
GOAL SETTING
Example Activities: Planning a community project, setting milestones
Subjects / Topics: STEAM, Outdoor Learning, Social Studies
Skills Applied: Organising tasks, budgeting, measuring progress
Learning at the Right Pace
We deliberately design activities that allow students to slow down and reflect while developing these skills. As well as small ratios to allow every individual to move at the pace they need. For example:
Whittling: Students plan, focus, and problem-solve while carefully shaping wood. They learn patience, precision, creativity, and goal-setting in a hands-on, mindful environment.
Through such activities, skills are embedded in real-world contexts, making learning memorable, meaningful, and applicable beyond the classroom.
Freedom and Autonomy
A skills-based approach gives students freedom to dive deeply into subjects they are passionate about , often exploring topics that mainstream settings cannot accommodate.
A learner interested in palaeontology can engage with fossils, explore the natural world around them, and develop research and observation skills.
Someone passionate about music might focus on poetry, songwriting, and rhythm, strengthening literacy and self-expression.
A student drawn to architecture could explore geometry and angles through building projects, embedding numeracy in practical, creative ways.
Small class ratios (typically 5:1) ensure these skills are fully supported and integrated into every learning experience, allowing students to explore knowledge deeply while building the skills to apply it critically and creatively.
Literacy and Numeracy – Integrated, Contextual, and Purposeful
Literacy and numeracy remain central, but they are embedded into meaningful contexts:
Literacy: Writing project plans, reflecting in journals, creating songs or narratives.
Numeracy: Measuring for construction, calculating materials, mapping patterns in natural observations.
This approach ensures that students develop core academic skills while also gaining the broader abilities needed to thrive in life, work, and society.
Preparing for the Future
By focusing on skills, our curriculum equips young people to:
adapt to change
think critically
innovate confidently
All while maintaining control over their pace and learning journey. That way they leave Wayfinders not just with knowledge, but with the ability to use that knowledge wisely, creatively, and independently, prepared for any pathway they choose next.