Mathematics, English and Personal and Social Education form the Core of our curriculum. This decision is driven by what we believe to be the priority needs of our pupils in holistic terms. Individual learning objectives for the core subjects are drawn directly from the schemes of work.
We believe that it is tokenistic to trace back most strands of the Maths curriculum to encompass the needs of learners at the earliest stage of development. Therefore our Mathematics scheme of work includes an entry level programme entitled Early Concept Development.
In all classes the English curriculum places an emphasis on the Speaking and Listening aspect which in conjunction with speech and language therapy programmes permeates the whole curriculum.
The aims of the personal and social education (P.S.E.) curriculum are:
Science, although not allocated core subject status, has been accorded a heavier weighting in terms of time, than other foundation subjects.
The Infant and Junior class curriculums are based upon four year rolling programmes of study for the foundation subjects. This method has been adopted to ensure continuity, progression and coverage without repetition, for classes, which encompass a four-year spread in terms of school years.
It is generally acknowledged that for pupils at the very earliest stages of development learning is holistic in nature, and accordingly, in the mixed key stage class, subjects are linked around a common sensory theme. A four-year spiral curriculum model allows pertinent subjects / themes to be revisited. We believe this to be appropriate for pupils whose progression is often measured in terms of an increase in awareness, level of response or the ability to demonstrate the same achievement on repeated occasions.
The infant curriculum is essentially play based in accordance with acknowledged Early Years good practice. Where subjects appear discretely on the timetable, schemes of work are linked thematically. At Junior level there is a progression towards a more subject specific model.
As each class contains pupils with a diverse range of need and ability, all schemes of work are substantially differentiated to meet individual need at the short term planning stage.
We acknowledge the importance of Information and Communication Technology for our pupils. Not only as a subject but additionally as a means of access to learning, independence and communication. It is therefore mainly covered in a cross-curricular thematic way.
Pupils are encouraged to develop a sense of awe and wonder about the world and to adopt good moral codes of behaviour. Mainly through events relating to the religious calendar, they are introduced to a diversity of cultures, religions, religious beliefs, traditions and customs. The emphasis is placed upon experiential and participative activities to enable the essentially abstract concepts of Religious Education to be made meaningful. All pupils take part in a collective assembly either whole school, Y Canol or class based. The over arching theme of assemblies is “sharing and caring”.