Intent
The aim of the developmental base is to enable all pupils in the class to access the wider curriculum of the school as well as being able to function on a social and emotional level within the wider school. Further to this we aim to support the holistic development of the pupils to begin to prepare them for life outside of school both in the present and in the future.
We have a focus on the development of skills within subjects that are then transferable across multiple subjects as well as being transferable to the rest of the pupils’ lives. In addition to this we aim to develop pupils’ social communication skills in order to help them to deal with the practical difficulties of social situations that they may encounter in their life both inside and outside of the school.
We aim to promote self-confidence, self-esteem and resilience amongst the pupils as this has a very positive affect on the rest of the pupils’ education on an academic level as well as providing pupils with some of the basic social and emotional skills they will need to succeed outside of school life.
Implementation
To achieve our intent we aim to tailor each lesson to suit the needs of every pupil within the class, enabling them to access the curriculum at a level they are comfortable with whilst still challenging the pupils on an individual level. This is supported by a range of other activities including sensory breaks, daily check-ins and regular interventions aiming to ensure we support the pupils in every way we can.
We have taken a thematic approach to our curriculum meaning that each term we have an overall theme for our learning to which each subject is then integrated. We believe that our pupils benefit from being able to make connections between what they learning as well as this helping to develop their thinking and problem solving skills. The thematic approach also enables us to create a curriculum that is more student-centred as we are able to incorporate the needs, interests and perspectives of the pupils into our planning. We feel that a thematic approach is also more closely resembling of how life is experienced outside of the classroom.
As we aim to promote social communication alongside resilience and confidence, the opportunities the pupils have to use our outdoor space is vital for their development. Our use of work and explorative play in the garden has a positive impact on our pupils’ social communication development through the teamwork that is required to complete any given task as well as providing them with new experiences. Added to this we aim for the pupils to gain new experiences outside of the school as well as developing the life skills needed to function in the wider world.
Impact
The academic progress of the pupils is monitored using assessments at the end of each term with the data being recorded electronically. This information is then used to inform any future planning, helping to develop the curriculum for the next term.
As we aim for the pupils to develop holistically we monitor the progress of their social communication development as well as their development of emotional intelligence, such as empathy and resilience, through the use of observation. This is then evidenced through writing up our observations or videoing the pupils in their everyday activities. This progress can also be shown through the pupil’s progress transitioning back into the main school where appropriate.
