New Horizons
About this course
What is it?
New Horizons is an activity-based curriculum resource which supports the delivery of PSHE, Citizenship and Careers Education. The activities also offer an opportunity to develop communication and numeracy skills in a life skills setting.
Addressing SEND areas of need
ASDAN has produced a series of guidance documents showing how components of our programmes and qualifications can meet the four broad areas of need outlined in the SEND code of practice. Download our free guide to addressing SEND areas of need using New Horizons.
Updated New Horizons materials
ASDAN has undertaken a full review of New Horizons to update its content and ensure it continues to positively impact and create meaningful outcomes for young people with diverse needs.
Changes have been made to the course materials, including the student book, tutor guidance and supporting resources. There is now eight sections per module to choose from with an additional option of KS2 (age 9–11) or KS3 (age 11–13) for Module 5: Relationships, changes and feelings.
Our New Horizons: changes for 2025 document outlines how the modules have been updated and developed following feedback from our members, as well as the titles of brand new sections created.
| Learner age | 9–13 |
| Level | Pre-Entry level (indicative), Entry level (indicative) |
| Key Stage | Key Stage 2, Key Stage 3 |
| Education setting | Special school, Community Education, EOTAS, Academy / Multi-academy trust, Independent school, Primary, Secondary |
| Regulated | Non-regulated course |
| Certification | Externally certificated, hard-copy only |
| Location | England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, International (including Channel Islands and Ireland) |
| UCAS points | No UCAS points available |
| Available on Equitas | No |
| Pathway | Independent Living |
Who is it for?
The programme has been developed for learners aged 9–13 who have a special educational need.
Progression to other ASDAN programmes
Progression routes are available via ASDAN’s suite of Preparing for Adulthood’s (PfA) programmes:
For those seeking a qualification outcome, New Horizons can be used to support the delivery of the Entry 1 qualifications in Personal Progress.
There is also scope for progression through:
Requirements
The New Horizons programme is learner-centred, offering structure and flexibility; it provides recognition for small steps in achievement.
Working with their tutor, the student completes a Module reflection in the New Horizons record book for each module they do, which will help them identify specific things they're good at, what they enjoyed, what they didn't enjoy and the skills they developed.
The final activity in each module is My chosen activity. This requires the learner, working with the tutor, to identify something new they would like to try on the topic of the module they are completing.
Levels of support are used to show how the learner has achieved the activity. They show individual progression and differentiation between learners:
- Experience recorded
- Gestural help
- No help
- Physical help
- Sensory experience
- Spoken/signed help
Additionally, there is an opportunity to record students' achievements by allocating a level or other descriptor to their work, as appropriate.
Modules
The activities are split into five modules:
- Personal
- Social
- Health
- Citizenship
- Relationships, changes and feelings
Each module contains a focused careers-related activity.
New Horizons Student Book
Download sample pages from the New Horizons student book.
Each student must have their own book.
Getting started
New to ASDAN?
Your first step is to become a member of ASDAN. Read more about our membership tiers and the benefits of being a member.
Already a member?
If you are on our Programmes Plus membership, you can get started by purchasing materials below. We highly recommend that someone from your centre attends one of our introductory training workshops or we also provide in-house training sessions.
You can upgrade your membership at any time under account settings.
ASDAN members area
You can manage your courses, learners, orders and account settings in the members’ area. This also contains all the essential documents, forms and updates that you will need to deliver your course.
Certification
After students' work has been internally moderated, centres must register candidates for external moderation, which is carried out at a regional moderation meeting or by post. ASDAN will issue certificates following successful external moderation.
Gold certification is available to learners who have successfully completed all modules. Silver certification is also available for learners who have completed one or more modules.
Become a member
Create a cohort
Once you are approved as an ASDAN member and have approval to deliver this course, you can create a cohort of learners in the members’ area. Specify a course coordinator, the expected completion date and the number of learners taking the course. Learners should be registered within 60 days of starting any ASDAN course and before any assessment takes place.
Resources
ASDAN provides a wide range of supporting resources, including course standards with guidance and assessment materials. All resources related to your course can be found on the course webpage.
Assessment
All ASDAN courses are assessed through portfolios or projects, instead of exams. Appropriate internal quality assurance (IQA) and external quality assurance (EQA) will take place according to the course and you will be guided on this by our team.
Professional development opportunities
Continued professional development (CPD) training opportunities are available for all ASDAN courses to support assessment and internal quality assurance (IQA).
Training is delivered by ASDAN experts, supporting your centre to run our courses successfully and develop and sustain expertise across your team. They provide an introduction to the course, along with guidance on processes, course delivery and moderation.
As an ASDAN member, you can also take part in ASDAN’s special interest groups. These are termly online sessions focusing on specific areas of practice, providing space for discussion, collaboration and networking between ASDAN members.
ASDAN training events are delivered by experts to enable your centre to successfully run our courses. They provide an introduction to the course, along with guidance on the processes involved, course delivery and moderation.
Costs
All costs shown below are per candidate, unless otherwise stated. Each learner will need their own copy of the student book.
Books purchased for New Horizons are valid for five years from the date of purchase.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| New Horizons student book | £13 |
| New Horizons tutor guidance | £20 |
| PfA skills sticker pack | £15 |
| Postal moderation (on demand, per portfolio) | £51 |
| Certification | £7.50 |
Products can be purchased below.
Products
Course resources
Programmes: record of questioning
Programmes: my photograph evidence (PDF version)
Please download a copy of this resource and open it in a PDF application (eg Adobe Acrobat) to upload your photographic evidence
Programmes: my photograph evidence (Word version)
Programmes: education staff witness statement
Programmes: non education staff witness statement
Programmes: formative observation checklist