Alternative Pathway

“Children who learn together, learn to live and work together”

What is the Alternative Pathway?
We provide an integrated approach to learning that creates opportunities for learners through providing a teaching and learning environment personalised to their requirements. At Nexus, as educators, we acknowledge that our learners need preparing for society so we aim to provide a formal academic curriculum integrated with a social life skills curriculum.

Without the ability to communicate and self regulate around others, opportunities for a life vocation can be very limited. Being integrated into a mainstream environment with all the resources that accompanies this in a 5 star International school, our learners receive  the opportunities that are essential to prepare them for an active life as part of society.

Nexus Alternative Pathway provides a holistic environment which allows learners to progress at the appropriate level, both in small group lessons and with their peers in the mainstream. Each child receives a personalised timetable which builds upon their individual learning levels whilst also providing engaging and vocational subjects to develop both social and life skills.



Overall Aims:
We enable our learners to become:

• Become independent young adults
• To transfer skills learnt into the real world
• To be more flexible thinkers
• To be self advocates
• Have good understanding of well being and can take action to ensure this independently

Who can access the Alternative Pathway?
We primarily provide for our learners who are transitioning from primary into secondary but we also hold a small quantity of places for external applicants. These learners would typically be:

• Learners who are not fully accessing the current secondary curriculum at middle school or iGCSE
• Learners who have challenges with social and emotional communication and need the modelling and guidance to learn these skills to become success young adults and function in society effectively
• Learners who find self organisation and regulation challenging and would normally required regular assistance from another adult

*External applicants will require supporting documentation from their previous school or qualified professionals and undergo the required assessment procedures

What we offer:
The Alternative Pathway provides for learners of most levels from moderate to mild learning difficulties to those learners who can access iGCSE with more intensive support for self regulation. We take each child’s application as an individual case and create a personalised curriculum that  builds on their strengths and preferred styles of learning. We use a variety of assessment techniques and systems whilst providing specialist international teachers and therapists who share a wealth of knowledge and experience.


 
Alternative Pathway Curriculums:

• Provides learning at the appropriate level
• Identified learning styles are planned for within all AP curriculum areas
• Builds curriculum content around engaging factors which are meaningful to the learner
• Provides sensory learning spaces which promote self regulation and independence 

Our integrated provision with mainstream curriculums :

• Ensures interaction and collaboration with other learners of different abilities
• Gives access to the resources required for specific secondary school curriculums
• Promotes our learners to be Independent and organised in their everyday activities.

Qualifications and Accreditation
Accredited courses are offered from year 10 to year 13 and are based upon a personalised programme which suites the skills and needs of each individual learner. We aim to prepare our learners with the knowledge and skills to move on from Nexus to further education or the workforce equipped with accreditation that will allow them to develop these interests and skills further.
 

Middle School AP Program (Key Stage 3) (Year 7-9)	Upper School AP Program (Year 10-13)
Core	Core
Core Literacy	IGCSE (all subjects) in mainstream with support if required and student is accepted as able to achieve the required knowledge level
Core Maths	IGCSE for Maths, Science, English & Humanities in small group lessons
Life Skills Program	ASDAN Bronze Silver Gold Award Level 1 - Cross curricular subjects
Speech and Language - Social Thinking	Literacy for business (Level 1)
Creativity	ASDAN Life Science (short course) Level 1
Life Science	Wider Key Skills (Level 1&2)
Gross and Fine Motor Skills	Employability (Level 1&2)
Additional if accessible or required to gain a baseline level (and mainstream timetable allows)	Sports Award (Level 1)
PSD Target Session	International Award (IA) (Bronze/Silver/Gold)
Gross and Fine Motor Skill (including Zumba, Yoga and meditation & mindfullness)	Other Options (Unaccredited although may have accreditation through specialist provides) Gross Motor Skills Speech & Language Social Thinking Cooking Voluntary Work Placement Voice Coaching Sessions Creativity Open Water | Advanced Diver Climbing Kayaking Music Working Memory Skills
Memory Skills
Climbing / Kayaking / Diving
Voice Coach Lessons
Domestic Life Skills
Mainstream lessons that are accessible

Moving on after Nexus:
With the growth of the Alternative Pathway we aim to establish links with Further Educational facilities around that world and ensure that if a learner chooses to continue their education, an  appropriate course and level is established to ensure engagement and progression.
 
Our expatriate teaching cohort provides Nexus with many links to appropriate facilities and recommendations according to the learners needs. Parents and learners are supported fully when making choices and decisions about which faculty areas is appropriate.

The Alternative Pathway will develop a transition program designed to prepare each learner for change. We will also communicate with other educational providers upon the progression and attainment of each learner individually.

How would this benefit your child
Nexus International School was the first international school in Malaysia to design a specific comprehensive secondary program that thoroughly integrates a personalised education program with mainstream education for learners who have moderate to mild learning needs. Nexus recognise that currently people with learning difficulties become adults and are at risk of becoming isolated within society. Through careful and supported exposure, modelling and guidance, we promote our learners to be an active and valued part of our school community so that they have the skill set to practise and transfer these skills into adult life.

Timetable
Each year timetables are established from the mainstream timetable with the aim to primarily integrate a learner into mainstream subjects where they can access either on an academic or social level as agreed with parents. Alongside this we provide the Alternative Pathway Curriculum.

Each learner receives an individually personalised timetable with the appropriate support established through a holistic review and assessment procedure.

Typical Middle School Timetable
Blue - Alternative Pathway Curriculum
White - Mainstream Curriculum