Woodlands curriculum

Woodlands School is committed to providing a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum which engages, motivates, excites and challenges our learners whilst preparing them for the future. Through careful planning and delivery, our curriculum is differentiated and personalised to meet the needs of our learners, enabling them to reach their potential and prepare them to take their place in society. We believe our pupils deserve the best provision possible and therefore we have high expectations and regularly review and evaluate the curriculum to ensure it is fit for purpose.

Our curriculum intent is to ensure that all pupils become:

• Confident learners who enjoy learning, make progress, achieve & are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives
• Courageous learners who have their own character and distinctive qualities enabling them to achieve
• Responsible citizens who are socially aware individuals and make a positive contribution to their community and society as a whole.

We strongly believe that our curriculum:

• Is broad, balanced and flexible to meet the needs of all our learners.

• Has total communication at the heart of teaching and learning.
• Provides opportunities to develop independence at every opportunity.
• Uses the community to teach pupils application of concepts and transfer of important life skills.
• Prepares pupils for adulthood by creating clear pupil pathways working alongside parents and other agencies.
• Has a clear framework for planning and assessment for the pupil as a whole.
• Reflects progression and be differentiated to support the range of learners that we have in school.
• Promotes spiritual, moral, social, cultural and physical development
• Promotes creativity in learning.
• Engages parents in partnerships that will enhance the pupil’s cognitive, emotional and social development.

A significant number of our pupils have a diagnosis of Autism.   Our offer to meet the needs of these pupils includes a dedicated, specialised curriculum with range of teaching methods, interventions, approaches and strategies to promote and encourage good progress and access to the curriculum. In addition to this, we also offer a personalised curriculum and assessment (ImPACTS) for our pupils with profound and multiple learning disabilities.

Our curriculum map reflects our belief in the importance of cross curricular learning which makes clear links between different subject areas within a meaningful overall context.  Children become immersed in the context and learning becomes purposeful and meaningful.  Long term planning ensures coverage of the National Curriculum.  Medium term Planning is highly differentiated ensuring that all levels of learning, activities and experiences are addressed offering a relevant programme for all subjects.  Short term plans show how lessons will be carried out and specify the pupils’ individual targets which are being addressed through differentiation.  Progress against individual targets is noted in each pupil’s PLP.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage children follow the areas of learning and development as outlined in the early years statutory framework. These are:-

• Communication Language and Literacy
• Physical Development
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Mathematics
• Understanding of the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

In Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 children follow an adapted National Curriculum. This helps to ensure breadth and balance but is tailored appropriately to meet the very individual needs of our children. Our curriculum incorporates a variety of strategies and approaches personalised to small group and individual needs. Early Years, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 curriculum is topic based. Early Years and Key Stage 1 follow a 2 year cycle and KS2 a 4 year cycle.  Across the school, the Key stages have half-termly themes which are the focus for learning opportunities.  These themes have been carefully and strategically devised to ensure that there is a progression of skills across the key stages and where pupils are able to build on prior knowledge and embed these skills across a range of learning opportunities.

Classes for pupils with PMLD who do not engage in subject-specific learning use a curriculum and assessment tool called IMPACTS. This curriculum is comprised of 5 key skill areas: Communication, Cognition, Physical Development, PSED and ICT. When using IMPACTS, every key skill area of learning is divided in different strands which allow teachers to demonstrate the very detailed progress that the child is making.

Pupils use a variety of augmented approaches to develop and support their communication skills. For example, Intensive Interaction, communication aids, Sign Along and symbols including the Pictorial Exchange System (PECS). At Woodlands school we use the community as an outside class room to reinforce the work that we do in school. Children may swim at the local sports centre or visit a local museum or café. We also invite musicians, storytellers and theatre groups into school. An overnight residential is offered to a group of pupils in the summer term.

In addition to this pupils have access to a number of targeted supportive strategies that support them in overcoming potential barriers to their learning. Some of these strategies are:

• TEACCH
• Forest School
• Rebound Therapy
• Horse Riding
• Sensory Integration
• Intensive Interaction
• Attention Autism
• Music Therapy
• Hydro Therapy
• Reading and writing interventions

To find out more about our curriculum please contact us, or make an appointment with your child's class teacher.