About Our Classes

EYFS

We have one EYFS Reception/Year 1 class: Apple.

Apple

Please see our EYFS Yearly Planning Overview and our EYFS Detailed Yearly Planning Overview for a detailed half-termly breakdown of delivery.

Teaching is delivered in a variety of ways, including formal structured and visual, sensory, kinaesthetic and play-based approaches.

The 7 areas of the early years foundation stage (EYFS) are covered through activities to develop skills in these areas. The three prime areas (Communication and Language, Physical Development, and Personal, Social and Emotional Development) are focused on throughout all activities, supporting pupils to communicate their needs and wants, and to build upon their early play and exploratory skills. Phonics, Literacy and Mathematics are delivered through focus tasks where children work one-to-one or in small groups with staff. Sensory learners access a sensory curriculum consisting of sessions in intensive interaction, Write Dance and dance massage. All children have access to sensory circuits, swimming, outdoor learning, light room sessions and soft play.

The children access continuous provision daily, whereby they are led to acquire and refine skills through choosing something of interest to do / to play with. They are supported and scaffolded by staff as required and then develop their own independence and play skills.

Read Write Inc. is used to develop synthetic phonics.

Apple use home school communication sheets to share and communicate with parents and carers.

Key Stage 1 & 2

Key Stage 1 & 2 has six classes: Willow, Pear, Maple, Cherry, Chestnut and Beech.

For Ash (mixed Primary and Seniors), please see the Seniors About Our Classes page.

Willow

Please see our Willow Yearly Planning Overview for a detailed half-termly breakdown of delivery.

Willow is a sensory class for learners following the EQUALS informal curriculum. The areas within the curriculum we focus on include communication, play and leisure including social interactions through structured sessions, outdoor learning, creativity (art, music, dance and drama), independence including life skills, and physical and well-being skills.

The curriculum allows pupils to access their learning in an exploratory manner and promotes process-based learning. The curriculum includes and encourages sensory regulation opportunities and cognitive breaks – this as a result allows sensory barriers to learning to be reduced. The learning environment supports this as it reduces sensory overload and promotes opportunities to access activities. Pupils can access a sensory circuit area to self-regulate and prepare for learning. Children’s learning is mapped out against the four strands of their Education and Health Care plans. These strands are: Communication and Interaction; Cognition and Learning; Social, Emotional and Mental Health; and Sensory and/or Physical.

A Total Communication approach is used within the classroom to support all learners, and there is an emphasis on Makaton and visual symbol communication strategies. This is to support and encourage pupils to make requests and intentional choices. Children’s learning is supported through a variety of creative and motivating activities such as Attention Autism, Intensive Interaction, outdoor learning, music and art, as well as activities that are individualised for each learner.

All pupils have access to a variety of sensory and physical development sessions including swimming, PE, sensory circuits, sensory diet programmes, bikes and Rebound Therapy. Pupils also have the opportunity to explore and go out into the community to develop their independence and life skills as part of the ‘My Shopping’ and ‘My Travel Training’ elements of the curriculum, including weekly visits on the bus to Aldi and walks to the local park.

Pear

Please see our Pear Yearly Planning Overview for a detailed half-termly breakdown of delivery.

Pear is a sensory class for learners following the EQUALS informal curriculum. The areas within the curriculum we focus on include communication, play and leisure including social interactions through structured sessions, outdoor learning, creativity (art, music, dance and drama), independence including life skills, and physical and well-being skills.

Maple

Please see our Maple Yearly Planning Overview for a detailed half-termly breakdown of delivery.

Maple is a sensory class for pre-formal learners from Key Stages 2 and 3 who follow an EQUALS curriculum. Children’s learning is mapped out against four strands: Communication and Interaction; Cognition and Learning; Social, Emotional and Mental Health, and Sensory and/or Physical. The learning environment promotes opportunities and activities for learners to develop skills from these strands in a personalised order, whilst also giving a sensory break area to re-regulate and prepare for learning. High emphasis is placed on the development of language and communication sessions which we engage in daily and throughout our daily routine. A Total Communication approach is used to help support all learners, which includes the use of Objects/songs of Reference, Makaton, visual aids, Canaan Barrie on body signing and gesture. Children’s learning is supported through a variety of creative and motivating activities including TAC PAC, Intensive Interaction, Cause and Effect, and Massage.

We work closely with Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, the VI team and Speech and Language Therapy to ensure that the pupils are able to develop skills in a highly personalised way and that all of their physical and sensory needs are met.

Cherry

Please see our Cherry Yearly Planning Overview for a detailed half-termly breakdown of delivery.

Cherry class is made up of semi-formal learners following the EQUALS curriculum. They access Communication sessions and Thinking and Problem Solving sessions, with additional sessions of phonics and reading delivered through the Read Write Inc. and See and Learn approaches. To develop social skills, the children access Narrative Therapy sessions once weekly and Circle Time daily. The children learn holistically through topic sessions where they learn about the world around them. Learning is further enriched through PE, Swimming, Music, Art, Outdoor Learning, and Independence sessions. There is also a Zones of Regulation session and a Physical Wellbeing session each week.

Sensory needs are supported through a sensory diet area within the classroom and, on a needs basis, sensory circuits and a nurture hut. A Total Communication approach is used where children are encouraged to communicate verbally and are supported by Makaton and visual support. There are further opportunities to develop language, communication, and social skills through play and leisure activities. Children have access to Bucket Therapy once weekly and access a variety of morning activities and skills sessions that focus on sensory regulation, fine motor skills, social skills and play skills.

Parents are encouraged to use their child’s visual timetable to prompt communication about their school day. Speech and language therapy programmes are encompassed into daily activities.

Chestnut

Please see our Chestnut Yearly Planning Overview for a detailed half-termly breakdown of delivery.

Chestnut is Key Stage 2 class for pupils who are at the semi-formal stage of learning. They follow an EQUALS curriculum, with the acquiring of independence skills a main priority. They access Communication sessions, My Maths and Thinking and Problem Solving sessions, with additional sessions of phonics and reading delivered through the Read Write Inc. and See and Learn approaches. Pupils also have opportunities to develop their language, communication and social skills through activities such as Interactive Storytelling, Attention Autism and Weekend News. For the My Independence element of the curriculum, pupils take turns on a rota basis to go shopping for ingredients they then use in cookery lessons. Pupils have opportunities to explore their community through World Around Me lessons. The class follows the Jigsaw PSHCE scheme of work, tailored to their abilities. The non-core subjects delivered are PE, Music, Creativity, Outdoor Learning, Play and Leisure, and ICT. Pupils also access swimming lessons on a weekly basis.

Beech

Please see our Beech Yearly Planning Overview for a detailed half-termly breakdown of delivery.

Beech class is made up of semi-formal and formal style learners from Year 2 to Year 6. They follow a combined curriculum, using elements of the EQUALS semi-formal and EQUALS formal curriculum approaches. The focus around Maths is on developing functional skills alongside thinking and problem solving. The focus around English is also on developing functional skills, with lessons developing essential verbal and non-verbal communication skills when relaying Weekend News or joining in with Call and Response activities. Additional daily sessions for reading skills are delivered through the Read Write Inc. approach to phonics, See and Learn or through guided reading.

The class curriculum also has a large focus on developing life skills, with learners having dedicated Independence lessons that focus on life skills such as maintaining health and good hygiene, keeping safe in and around the home, shopping and cooking.

Other subjects are delivered through a thematic curriculum, covering Creativity (art and drama) and World about Me (humanities), as well as discrete lessons in Computing, Play and Leisure skills and PSHCE. Learning is also enhanced through outdoor learning, PE and swimming.

Learners are also encouraged to think about the feelings of themselves and their classmates regularly through the day, and record this on our Zones of Regulation board.

Enrichment

All pupils take part in Enrichment sessions once per week. Enrichment sessions are designed so that pupils are offered activities and concepts to engage them that are out of the constraints of the conventional curriculum. We believe that our pupils have the right to a diverse, rich and exciting curriculum. Enrichment sessions allow us to be creative in our approach to pupils’ learning and in the use of our many resources.

*In addition to traditional Literacy lessons, all pupils have a 20-minute Literacy slot Mon-Fri. This initiative is to give extra focus to Literacy across the school and is directed by the Literacy subject leader.

Residentials

Residential experiences are offered on a rota basis.

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