Sensory School Curriculum
The sensory school curriculum caters for students with a wide range of needs including PMLD, complex needs and significant social and emotional communication needs. There is flexibility within each curriculum area as fostering engagement, student led learning and overcoming barriers are our priorities. Physical development and sensory integration run through the whole curriculum as they are key to progress as well as developing good well-being and mental health.
Sensory school curriculum is an informal, sensory based curriculum that teaches the areas of development that matter the most to our pupils. This enables teachers to plan child centred learning opportunities that address the important skills our students need to master to be happy, healthy, independent adults.
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 – Communication and cognition
- Creative development – music, art, dance and drama
- Physical development – PE, swimming, physiotherapy, rebound therapy, hydrotherapy
- Independent living skills – PHSE, food technology
- Community awareness – community visits, environmental awareness
- Science and technology – ICT, exploration