Vision

At all key stages, the overall intent is to provide a motivating and engaging context in which children can achieve and make progress based on their assessed levels and next steps in a personalised way.

The following form the foundation of all delivery:

• communication and interaction
• cognition and learning
• social, emotional and mental health including awareness of self and own emotions and relationships with others
• medical, physical and sensory needs and experiences
• independence including life skills
• engagement and enjoyment

For all children, successful transition is a priority into, within and out of the setting.

For children to access a broad and balanced curriculum at a differentiated level meeting statutory requirements.

How we plan and teach the Class 7 curriculum

Freshfield Primary provides high quality teaching.  Teachers carefully assess each child’s abilities.

Teachers work with parents/carers and any linked professionals to target the next key steps in priority areas that include communication/understanding, personal and social development and key skills.  These are agreed through 12 month outcomes set as part of the EHCP process and are reviewed every term with parents/carers.  Teachers also plan for the next individual child’s steps in all curriculum areas.  Teaching is informed by the planned and sequenced knowledge and skills in all areas.

Alongside this, teachers identify the strategies that each child needs to access the curriculum to achieve and make progress.  This is individual to each child.  Strategies include:  structured visual support, communication boards, Makaton, sensory delivery, repetition, intensive interaction, etc.

Teachers use a range of strategies to support children to learn and retain information.  In partnership with parents/carers elements of a NHS health linked professional therapy programme/private therapy programme may be implemented to integrated into the school day balanced with the educational access to the wider curriculum.

English and Maths are taught through daily functional skills sessions and timetabled lessons.  They are based on careful assessment of children’s abilities and needs and their progressive sequenced next step for learning.  Children are also supported through the whole curriculum where communication and understanding, early literacy and maths skills and knowledge and personal development are integrated into all learning as appropriate.  The sequence of learning as it is in all subjects is personal to each child or groups of children based on their prior learning and engagement in learning is central to all.

Each key stage has a curriculum overview that outlines the units of work to be delivered.  Key Stage one has a two year rolling programme and Key Stage Two has a four year rolling programme.  This allows children to  be grouped in classes based on a range of factors e.g. child’s needs, abilities and friendships.  Parents/carers are informed about the curriculum units being covered through Google Classroom.   The units enable key skills and knowledge to be worked on in each unit within an exciting and motivating context.  Each subject has skill and knowledge progression mapped but each child will work on their next steps and teachers will break down into further small steps or widen due to the unique nature of each child and how they engage and access the curriculum.

Children working at early development level

For children who are working at early stages of development, they work on cross curricular skills and knowledge that underpins all subjects.  For children working at this early stage of development, the planned curriculum  units provide a theme/context for multi-sensory delivery.  Children’s work on cross curricular priority areas of learning often including those set in the 12 month outcomes of the EHCP.  The planned curriculum units enable children to access a wide range of creative and exciting planned activities to extend and build on known interests and motivations;  The curriculum theme also enables repetition to sustain each child’s achievements.  There is an intensive focus on all aspects of communication and personal outcomes and engagement through the themes.

The planned units have the same titles as our children who are working on subject specific learning so that it leads to shared opportunities for all to learn together and it does not put a ceiling on children’s progress.  The units are differentiated to allow access at an individualised level.  The curriculum design has a focus of engagement in learning throughout.  Some children access reduced number of units to enable grater repetition of specific contexts and also to enable other aspects of the curriculum such as communication, therapies etc. to be prioritised.

Children moving towards subject specific learning or accessing elements

Some children will develop their understanding and skills that are specific to subjects or may access particular skills within subjects or in certain subjects based on their needs interests and motivation.

For children engaged in subject specific learning at Freshfield Primary, the curriculum design has a focus on engagement in order to develop early subject specific knowledge and skills.  Engagement, communication and personal/social development remain an integral part of all delivery.

There is a rolling programme of units for each of the key stages which will follow shortly.

Enrichment

The curriculum provides many enriching creative learning contexts.  Other wider opportunities are provided such as whole school projects linked to citizenship such as Children in Need and Comic Relief.

Links to external events as they arise e.g. the Olympics, national celebrations.

Use of external coaches/professionals/opportunities e.g. riding for the disabled or internal programmes e.g. linked to sports, arts and science.

Phase of whole school days e.g. World Book Day, Arts or Science Days.

Opportunities can be planned and offered regularly linked to a year group or phase or may be that things are capitalised on when opportunities arise.

How we evaluate learning in Class 7:

The aspiration for all children who attend Freshfield Primary is that they achieve their potential in all aspects of their development.  All children who attend Class 7 have complex learning difficulties.  Many children have additional needs such as autism, physical disabilities, sensory impairments, complex medical needs, etc.  We work in a determined way to ensure that all children can achieve the most they can.

The outcome of the curriculum is highly individual.  All achievement and progress is celebrated.  Progress for our children can be demonstrated by:

• children making progress towards/achieving their intended outcomes set with parents/carers for 12 months within the EHCP annual meetings.  These outcomes are informed by any relevant professionals working with the children.
• Children making progress towards outcomes when reviewed in termly review meetings with parents/carers.
• Children making progress/achieving in the curriculum planned by teachers.  Progress and achievement in all subjects are within reports to parents in either EHCP (annual review) report or annual parents’ report.
• Using existing skills in a wider range of contexts.
• Supported transition within, in and out of the setting.

At Freshfield Primary Unit, we have three unique curriculum pathways, each with its own distinct teaching and learning approach to meet the collective needs of the pupils within each pathway, which is then personalised to a higher degree to meet specific needs of each individual:

• Informal
• Semi-Formal
• Formal

Please click the following pages for more detail of each one.