Learning Areas

Having considered a variety of well-established curriculums and approaches such as the EYFS, The National Curriculum, SCERTS, PECS and the Equals schemes of work, we have identified six key areas, which we believe provide a broad and balanced curriculum for the varying needs of all the children. These areas were developed through professional conversation, national research and in collaboration with therapists and all stakeholders within the school community:

• My Communication
• My Physical Wellbeing
• My Social and Emotional Wellbeing
• My Maths
• The World Around Me
• My Creativity

These learning areas support the holistic approach to the children’s education and emphasise the personalised nature of the curriculum.

These learning areas are deliberately broad to allow them to be taught in a variety of ways to account for the range of learning styles and abilities at the school.  By using ‘My’ or ‘Me’ in each heading, we wish to emphasise that the learning should be relevant to the child, not ‘one size fits all’.  The diagram below shows what strands of learning are covered in each area:

Each learning area is divided into nine stages. As can be seen below, these stages have equivalents in other established frameworks. These learning stages help teachers to pitch activities at the right level and help us to keep track of the progress children are making.

 The diagram below shows how these learning areas relate to the National Curriculum, EFYS and EHCP areas:

Each learning area has its own learning guide, a set of learning objectives which guide (not dictate), what skills should be taught at each stage. We appreciate that it is impossible to list every single learning opportunity but believe they provide a solid base from which to work. Below is an example of part of a learning guide: