Curriculum map

 

 

Our curriculum is based on a Quality of Life focused framework.

 

Intent

The key principles and purpose of our curriculum:

•    To equip pupils with portable skills for life, living and work.
•    To be adaptive and responsive to individual needs, strengths and interests. 
•    To be skill and context based
•    To focus on developing the key skills of communication, cognition, independence, physical development and self-care, all transferrable skills that equip pupils for life beyond the school.
•    Underpinning all we do are the EHCP Outcomes.
•    Ultimately, we want all of our pupils to be the best they can be.

 

Implementation

Our curriculum design is based on cognitive science and autism research and provides:

•     a provision map identifying curriculum content and coverage. 
•     a framework of suggested learning opportunities for how learning can be scaffolded
•     a clear accreditation pathway for pupils that underpins their learning.
•     frequent and regular opportunities for pupils to repeat, retrieve and generalise knowledge and skills across contexts.
•     real-life application of knowledge and skills to prepare pupils for increased independence
•     individual priorities (as identified in EHCP Outcomes) are embedded in daily learning

 

Teaching

Structured, personalised and flexible. We use a combination of teaching methods, and adapt them to support the pupils learning styles and needs within individual classes. 

 

Longitudinal learning

the curriculum is designed to advance understanding, gradually increasing the amount of content pupils have covered and therefore increasing understanding within and across the subject. 

Lessons are not an event in themselves. They are part of the process of learning and therefore we do not expect pupils to always complete learning within a lesson. Many lessons will carry on over several days, weeks or even months until a pupil is able to demonstrate the required degree of understanding. 

Many lessons will involve multiple learning objectives, some of which may be encountered for the first time whilst others are being revisited in a new context. 

Pupils learn best when teaching approaches allow for generalisation and concentrate on real-life situations rather than abstract concepts. 

 

Principles of curriculum structure 

Sensory: Pupils with profound and complex needs learn through consistent routines, sensory experiences and interaction with adults. 

Primary: Pupils learn through play, exploration, practical activities and community involvement.

Secondary: Pupils access subject specific learning, adapted and augmented in the light of individual needs. 

• Secondary aged pupils access accredited courses including GCSE English and Maths and Entry Level where appropriate. 

Post 16: focus on preparation for adulthood with closely tailored study programmes, work experience, developing independence skills and preparation for next steps.

 

‘A Multi-Disciplinary Approach’

The school operates a trans-disciplinary Pupil Support Team (PST) approach to providing individualised learning and support for pupils. These include Speech and Language Therapy, Psychology, Behaviour Support, and Occupational Therapy. Much of this work is embedded/integrated into the curriculum and staff practice. 
 

Principals of Assessment

Concepts have been developed to assess pupils’ individual needs.

Concepts: are the’ big ideas’ that the pupils are working towards, that shape pupils’ thinking within each subject and remain true regardless of cognitive ability. The concepts will be explored and pupils will gradually increase their understanding of them. 

Within these concepts are the small steps the pupils make towards these concepts, the building blocks and skills the pupils need in order to understand the underlying concepts of the subject area. This helps us show both lateral and linear progression.

Individual Learning Plan: Half termly/termly learning intentions are identified for each learner. They represent much smaller steps to inform daily teaching and learning. These are then broken down further into lesson specific targets to provide the stepping stone for learning. 

 

Impact

The curriculum is monitored and evaluated to ensure that it is working, through a rigorous quality assurance process (See also Quality Assurance policy). 

Because learning is a change to long-term memory it is not always possible to see impact in the short term. We do however look at the practice taking place to determine whether they are appropriate, related to our goals and likely to produce results in the long-run.

We use comparative judgement in two ways: in the tasks we set and in comparing pupils work over time. We use lesson observations to see if the pedagogical style matches our expectations. Progress towards the core concepts and milestones is tracked via our assessment system. Each pupil’s progress is discussed at pupil progress meetings that take place with the Assistant Head two times a year and include triangulation of available data and assessments, work scrutiny and observation/pupil voice. The School uses a ‘basket of indicators’ to capture the full picture of pupil progress.

 

Education from 12 to 16 years

In our secondary department, children have a class tutor for English, Mathematics and PSHCE, and specialists for other subjects.

We offer Numeracy, Literacy, Science, History, Geography and Modern Languages. All children at key stage 4 can take externally accredited courses including ASDAN (which includes a range of life skills and academic courses), AQA units and NCFE qualifications and GCSEs. With the latter, students often attend another school or college to help them with their future transition beyond school.

 

Post-16 education

Our young people follow a pathway which ensures learning is planned alongside the skills your child will find of most benefit in their future life. It will help prepare them for the next transitional stage in their lives and the opportunities and responsibilities of adult life.

The focus is on developing a range of functional skills from communication and IT, to leisure and vocational activities. We make use of our local community’s facilities as much as possible to ensure your child’s learning is practical as well. They may learn how to set up a bank account, or how to use a bus daily.

We also offer your child vocational and enterprise experience, either in school or with local employers. We have a number of realistic work environments (RWEs) which are designed to offer our young people a taste of ‘real’ business life.

Where possible, we encourage our students to proceed to mainstream school and further education colleges.

 

The Inclusive Learning Hub

The Inclusive Learning Hub is designed specifically for children with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) or a profile indicative of PDA. This specialist provision within a specialist school was developed to engage the “hard to include children” by providing pupils with their own individualised tutorial room and a curriculum that relates to them as individuals. We give high regard to the environment and pupils have negotiated control over their physical learning environment; this reduces social anxiety and allows the pupils to feel more in control and, therefore, access learning.

For the majority of children accessing the Hub their educational history has generally been disrupted by numerous exclusions or reduced timetables in other settings. Our aim is to help them enjoy learning again, make up for lost opportunities and rebuild their trust in education in order to maximise their full potential.

Inclusion is about the active presence, participation and achievement of all pupils in a meaningful and relevant set of learning experiences. Some of these experiences will come from our curriculum; others, equally important, will come from self -directed learning.  An inclusive curriculum is one where all learners see the relevance of the curriculum and is tailored to encompass their particular strengths, interests and aspirations.

Our Inclusion Curriculum shapes our approach to everything we do. We have high expectations regarding educational progression for students, however, we also recognise the need for the development of social, interpersonal and relationship skills, especially giving our pupils coping strategies to deal with self-regulation.

 

Teaching

We provide opportunities which are meaningful, accessible, motivating, contextualised and appropriately challenging to maximise engagement and progress for each child and take the learning opportunities across every aspect of the pupil’s day.

We use a combination of teaching methods, which are appropriate and adapt them to support the pupils learning styles and needs within individual classes. Learners are supported to develop their readiness to learn, attention, self-motivation, a 'have a go' attitude and to take risks in their learning. Teaching across the school gives pupils relevant opportunities for learning, and motivates and inspires all pupils to make progress across their learning intentions. This is achieved through structured routines, appropriately paced and motivating activities with assessment for learning firmly embedded across all contexts.

Teaching provides opportunities for pupils to contextualise their learning, working within whole class, small group, individual and independent learning opportunities appropriate to that learner. We personalise the learning and ensure that pupils are given the opportunity to make as much progress as possible. Through this they will be enabled to use their skills in a range of contexts, to become increasingly independent, resourceful and resilient when faced with challenges.

The use of objects of reference, symbol support and Makaton signing are incorporated into the Teaching and Learning to encourage and support understanding. ICT is used to support and enhance learning across all areas of the Curriculum and the pupil’s day. We use a range of augmentative or alternative strategies geared to individual need, to promote the ability of learners to communicate successfully, enabling them to respond and interact to their full capacity, to give pupils a voice in their learning. We constantly value our learners’ efforts, promoting self-esteem and confidence through specific praise.

 

The learning environment

Learning is promoted through well-organised classrooms and learning environments across the school, which allow pupils to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills across the curriculum and personal needs, and encourages independence, problem solving and contextualisation of learning. This allows them to develop through independent or supported engagement and enquiry and the best use of space and the range of learning resources available. We encourage pupils to take responsibility and to care for their learning environment and resources, and to support the learning of others.

Classroom environments and outdoor learning opportunities are created to support the different range of needs within the class, or individual learning that is taking place. Learning resources which are shared are used across the school to support the individualised learning requirements of all pupils. This allows for pupils in a range of classes to have the resources available to support their interests and learning needs. Where needed pupils have individual workstations which allow for maximum concentration and support pupils who find the world a distracting or disturbing place. Everything we do is through personalised learning and supports pupils as individuals, incorporating their individual needs, interests and ways of learning.