Lower School Curriculum
Lower school curriculum is a formal, subject specific curriculum that focuses on developing key skills in subjects such as maths and English and well as other foundation subjects. This ensures that academic skills are a priority while our students are young and maximises the linear progress they make in these subject areas.
It is vital that our students have work planned for them at the right developmental level but at the same time we must continually build in wider learning opportunities and challenge. Our spiral curriculum model plans for progression through structured repetition of learning content with increased challenge through the expectation that our students will use and apply the skills they have learnt in the classroom in a wider range of contexts.
We implement our curriculum through learning experiences delivered through six subject areas. The learning and teaching in each discrete subject area will vary according to the needs of the pupils in each class group.
- Functional skills – English and maths
- Creative development – music, art, dance and drama
- Physical development – PE, swimming, physiotherapy, rebound therapy
- Independent living skills – PHSE, food technology, careers, horticulture
- Community awareness – travel training, community visits, environmental awareness
- Science and technology – ICT, DT, Science
In addition, the curriculum provides opportunities for students to develop qualities associated with the school values, namely: Companionship, Curiosity, Ambition, Confidence and Happiness; students will work on two of the five areas per year and these will be built into all areas of the curriculum through a personally targeted approach. Students will also work on four personalised targets identified in and taken from areas in the individual’s EHCP.
Students take part in lunch time clubs where they have the opportunity to work and play alongside peers from different class groups in the key stage and where they can develop favoured and new leisure activities and interests. Students can choose the activities that they would like to pursue.
The National Curriculum Programmes of Study provide a starting point for writing Schemes of Work relevant and accessible to our learners.
The curriculum follows a three year rotation, consisting of nine cross-curricular themes taught through separate National Curriculum subjects as detailed below.
