Lakeside (Specialist Resource Base)
The Lakeside
In the Lakeside we have three classes.
Ducklings- Miss C Ride (EYFS)
Mallards- Mrs K Taylor (KS1)
Drakes- Mrs N Atkiss (KS2)
Our bespoke Resource Base curriculum is designed to meet the individual needs of every pupil. The curriculum is designed in line with the EYFS statutory framework and the National Curriculum, and is enhanced with bespoke learning opportunities, experiences and therapies, which support the overall children's holistic development. The curriculum design enables our children to thrive and achieve, whilst supporting the complex, additional needs of our pupils, over the four areas of need, in line with the SEND Code of Practice and Education Health Care Plans. Our curriculum is underpinned by our school values; Striving for success, Owning our actions, Ambitious and Respectful, reflective, resilient (SOAR).
Our vision is:
Our Kiwi community strive for great heights and SOAR together.
Our mission is:
To be an outstanding centre of excellence providing holistic child-centred provision which nurtures and engages every child within personalised curriculums, appropriate sensory diets, bespoke learning opportunities and the development of functional life skills. This is our core offer built through key relationships and collaborative working, thematic curriculum design, small-step, memorable learning opportunities with further opportunities to consolidate and build independence. We are an effectively resourced provision with a total communication friendly environment. A multi-agency collaborative approach will support our pupils to make good progress. We hold high expectations for our pupils and progress will be evidenced effectively, meeting EHCP targets. Our school values underpin everything we do as a school and as a resource base; to enable our children to SOAR.
Intent:
Our aims for our curriculum and provision of our resource base for children with complex needs are:
> To provide a broad and balanced curriculum which develops knowledge and skills and ensures our children have the core functional skills to be successful in their future education journey.
> Our curriculum recognises the starting points of every child, their prior learning and experiences.
> Our curriculum design caters for every child and meets the four areas of need; Cognition and Learning; Communication and Interaction; Social, Emotional and Mental Health and Physical/Sensory.
> Our curriculum is adaptive and flexible to the changing daily needs of our pupils.
> Our curriculum enables us to ensure children are safe, happy, feel valued and are listened to.
> Our curriculum is child-initiated, promotes curiosity and encourages a thirst to develop new experiences, knowledge, skills and learning.
> Our curriculum builds the skills for independent learning, including concentration, focus, engagement and active listening skills. We promote critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication.
> Our curriculum works in synergy with the mainstream curriculum to provide further learning opportunities and inclusivity with the whole school.
> Our curriculum is underpinned by our school values; Striving for success, Owning our actions, Ambitious and Respectful, reflective, resilient (SOAR).
Implementation:
EYFS Curriculum
Our EYFS curriculum is designed in line with the EYFS Statutory Framework and is broad and balanced between the prime and specific areas of learning and development, including:
Prime:
> Communication and Language
> Physical Development
> Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Specific:
> Literacy
> Mathematics
> Understanding the world
> Expressive Arts and Design
We provide this within our thematic curriculum design, which includes highly motivating and engaging learning opportunities within our bespoke, specialist provision, catering for the needs of our children. This is delivered within our SEND Specific provision including Attention Autism, Sensory Story, Story Massage, Little Wandles SEND Programme, Speech and Language Therapy, Intensive Interactions, Sensory exploration opportunities, child-initiated learning and continuous and enhanced provision. With a high adult : child ratio, we deliver further provision through adult-led activities, to further ensure our children are making good progress towards their targets.
KS1 Curriculum
Our KS1 thematic curriculum is designed in line with the National Curriculum. The KS1 curriculum is broad and balanced beginning at our core curriculum subjects of English (Phonics, Reading and Writing) and Mathematics. Additionally, our KS1 curriculum design covers History, Geography, Art, Design and Technology, Music, Science, PE, RE, PSE and Computing. In addition to the National Curriculum coverage, we also provide specialist therapy, experiences and opportunities for our children to support the complex needs of our pupils. Our pupils learn through Sensory Story, Little Wandles SEND Programme, Enhanced Provision, concrete and active learning experiences, Speech and Language Therapy, Sensory Exploration opportunities, Life Skill development, Play Therapy, child-initiated learning opportunities and targeted intervention.
KS2 Curriculum
As our pupils progress through their education, our curriculum provision, environment and resources are also progressive. Within the KS2 curriculum, which delivers upon the National Curriculum, we enable our pupils to access all core and foundation curriculum subjects. Our KS2 curriculum has daily English, Maths, Phonics and Reading sessions, which work in synergy with our thematic curriculum approach, whilst delivering curriculum content across all of the foundation subject areas including Science, History, Geography, Art, Design and Technology, Computing, Music, PSE, RE and PE. All of our pupils access enhanced provision for increased inclusivity and to further enhance our ability to support the Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs of every child.
Specialist Provision
Our specialist resource base supports children with complex needs, in which two or more areas of need are identified alongside enabling our pupils with neurological differences including ASD, ADHD and GDD to thrive. Our greatest area of need lies within Communication and Interaction, followed closely by Social, Emotional and Mental Health. Our curriculum is adaptive, flexible and targeted, starting at our pupils' starting points. We provide highly engaging and motivating curriculum experiences which remove the barriers to learning for our children. Our pastoral care for our children is our top priority and supporting them to grow within their ability to emotionally regulate and support their overall mental wellbeing creates a safe environment in which children hold positive, trusting relationships with our staff. In our provision, we offer Attention Autism, Intensive Interactions, Sensory Profiles and curriculums to match these needs, Sensory Story, Sensory Massage, SEND Little Wandles Phonics Programme, 1:1 therapy intervention (lego, play therapy, speech and language), personalised curriculums and interventions, working with other professionals to put in place programmes of support, including Educational Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Behaviour Support Services, Physiotherapists, School Nurse Team and the Local Authority SEND Team.
We have our own Total Communication Bill which identifies our commitment to ensuring that all children have the skills and ability to communicate. We enable communication through objects of reference, consistent visuals using Widget symbols, Core Boards, Colourful Semantics, Makaton, modelling functional language use, multisensory referencing, visual timetables, Intensive Interactions, Social Stories and all non-verbal communication cues. This is part of our core offer.
Enrichment and Integration
Beyond this core curriculum, we aim to provide a rich and meaningful range of enrichment and enhanced experiences which bring learning to life. Our children also experience a range of opportunities available within the mainstream curriculum for them to integrate their learning. This is the benefit of a Resource Base within a mainstream school to support the social, emotional and mental health wellbeing of our pupils. We integrate within some curriculum lessons, our break and lunch times are with the mainstream school, assemblies, school council, book club and special events such as performances, trips and workshops in school. Additionally, we are very privileged to have our enhanced provision and safe spaces project, which is accessed weekly, including our Farm, Forest School, Sensory Garden and Story Tellers Hut.
Our specialist provision provides a personalised, highly engaging, multisensory approach to learning, supported with targeted and specialised approaches. These are supplemented by our Total Communication Bill, ensuring that language and communication development are supported in every part of school life.
Impact:
The impact of our specialist provision for our pupils is evident throughout daily school life and the children's progress.
> Children are developing their communication and interaction skills, using functional language to communicate their needs.
> Children are engaged, focused and thriving in their purposeful, adaptive learning environments.
> Our curriculum caters for the needs of our pupils and pupils respond with engagement, enthusiasm and enjoyment within their learning.
> Our curriculum is broad, balanced and is in line with the EYFS Statutory Framework and National Curriculum.
> We ensure inclusivity for our pupils throughout the whole school.
> Children make daily progress within their overall learning, targets and over the four areas of need.
> Children's emotional wellbeing is our top priority, supporting children to regulate and build upon their emotional regulation skills.
> Our resource base's high staffing ratio enables us to provide a range of therapies and interventions, supporting the children's holistic development and progress.
> Our positive relationships with our pupils ensure our pupils feel safe, happy and valued.
> Our highly skilled staff know our children. They are able to talk about the starting points, the progress and the children's next steps.
> Our SEND Assessment toolkit enables us to make accurate assessments through formative assessments and evidence-based learning opportunities are recorded electronically, supporting the home-school link.
> Our parents receive daily verbal feedback and always have the opportunity to speak to the class teacher at the beginning and end of the school day.
> We hold high expectations for our pupils and never limit learning or further opportunities for our pupils.
> We advocate for our pupils. We are their voice. We ensure they receive excellence within our curriculum, their needs are met in line with EHCP's and progress is evident from their individual starting points.