The Curriculum
Most pupils attending Woodside School have an Educational & Health Care Plan (EHCP), and are working below their expected age levels. The curriculum is differentiated to accommodate for this, and we teach “stage not age.” This means that teaching groups often comprise of mixed age groups, with a wide range of abilities from ages 8 – 17 who are not working at their age-related expectations.
Our curriculum is guided by EQUALS, a multi-tiered curriculum approach proven for children with special educational needs.
For children with profound and multiple learning difficulties a Pre-Formal Curriculum is in place (PMLD). The aim for these children is to focus on the things that matter most in their lives, giving them an environment that they can understand and are allowed to keep changing in order to encourage their development. Alongside specialised therapists and teachers these children are supported in development of movement, communication, social interactions, sensory refinement and independence.
As outlined in our Curriculum Policy we follow three pathways, Emerald, Sapphire and Pearl. These are adapted from the EQUALS curriculum, each pathway with a unique overarching approach. The child is always placed at the centre of the curriculum, and learning is holistic and never compartmentalised. Underlying key features across the three pathways focus on: physical wellbeing, self-regulation, voice and agency, communication, social interaction, concentration, independence, problem-solving, self-confidence and relationship with the World.
Learning across the three pathways is underpinned by the observations identified by Dr. Montessori. She recognised that all children develop through different stages from birth to maturity and that each stage requires a different approach for learning. This change in approach is not dependent on age but on the degree of development. For SEN children this is highly appropriate. Dr. Montessori suggested motives for activity to call the child to work and designed learning materials with an inbuilt control of error to enable self-correction. Freedom to choose and to repeat without interruption develop stamina, perseverance and concentration.
Physical Independence
We focus on the acquisition of physical control and coordination by allowing the children to move freely in the environment. It is also understood that movement is essential in building executive functions. To build gross motor strength and coordination, both indoors and outdoors simple activities are offered: crawling, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, climbing and simple exercises with a ball. The Montessori exercise of Walking on the Line and the use of a low beam refines balance.
Fine motor skills are refined through a series of activities with common materials: spooning, pouring, tonging, tweezing, folding, cutting, screwing/unscrewing, locking/unlocking. Montessori metal insets are introduced to strengthen fingers in readiness for writing.
Functional Independence
A foundational part of our curriculum is designed to equip children with the tools they need for greater independence. The Montessori Exercises in Practical Life are embedded into daily routines and tailored to each child’s developmental level. Navigating everyday environments with competence and dignity empowers long-term personal growth.
Children are supported in mastering all aspects of personal care: washing/drying hands and face, combing hair, brushing teeth, using the toilet, cutting nails, taking a shower, and subsequently noticing which body parts need washing and how often. Montessori dressing frames introduce various fastenings, and children learn how to dress/undress, clean shoes/boots, use a washing machine, peg out washing, sort and fold clothes.
They are also supported in caring for their environment by taking responsibility for their belongings and maintaining order. They learn how to clean their environment: dishwashing, sweeping, mopping, dusting. They are introduced to using tools for gardening and for simple woodwork. As they progress they are shown maintenance tasks: changing a light bulb, changing a battery, changing a plug, unblocking a drain, simple bicycle repair. In the Nature-Based Learning they learn how to make and extinguish a safe fire.
Food is an integral part of our curriculum beginning with fundamental kitchen skills, following a recipe, understanding health and nutrition, planning a menu, shopping, understanding labelling, basic food hygiene. Advance children can plan, prepare and cook in line with the Food Technology BTEC examination.
It is also important that our children can function outside of school. They are gradually introduced to recognition (signposts, landmarks), to navigation (left/right, following a map), and to travel procedures (walking safely, crossing roads, visiting shops, buying a ticket, using public transport). It is also important that they become accustomed to using money (recognising coins/notes/amounts, understanding receipts, managing a personal budget) in preparation for independent living.
Social, Emotional and Moral Independence
In order to cultivate self-discipline children need to manage emotions. We assist them to identify and name their feelings, control impulses, understand right and wrong behaviours, take responsibility, and manage uncertainty and change. This enables them to build positive relationships, cooperate and collaborate, develop verbal/non-verbal communication skills, and recognise different family structures. Older children are assisted in recognising discrimination and unconscious bias, and in addressing sexual relationships.
Focus is placed on the importance of personal awareness: identity, finding a voice, identification of those people who have an influence (positive/negative), defining a chosen lifestyle, developing leadership skills. Much of this is attained through dialogue, arts, games, and drama.
Understanding how society functions brings great comfort to children. For this reason we accompany them on scheduled trips and excursions. We visit the Fire Service, engage with Police Officers, explore the National Health Service (GP, clinic, hospital, dentist, optician), Post Office and Bank, local library, places of religious worship, and learn about CEOP (safeguarding and tackling child exploitation).
Further support is offered to older children as they approach the age of Careers Advisory. Identification of essential skills and qualities for entering the workplace or pursuing post-sixteen is made, and support is given in filling in forms and preparing for interviews.
Mental and Intellectual Independence
In the early developmental stages children are driven to use their senses, and they benefit from experiences which refine their sensory perception. The Montessori Sensorial materials are used to pair, grade and classify across all the senses, and to introduce abstract concepts eg. dimensions. With an awareness of the heightened senses of some children, the physical environment is prepared with a vigilance towards décor, colour, order, shadow/reflection, lighting, mirrors, texture of furnishings, smells, use of trickling water.
To have mental independence the children need personal organisation. They are guided by an adult to make choices between two, and subsequently more options. They are guided in ability to make a decision and communicate it. They are supported in planning one morning, one day, one week, one month, coming to understand time management. As they progress they are supported in tracking their own progress. They learn how to find information and do research. These fundamental skills all bring a sense of order, calm and wellbeing to the child’s mind. They are able to think for themselves in the same way that they have previously learned to do tasks by themselves.
Children with such mental skills approach intellectual learning with greater ease.
Language
Acquisition of communication skills through listening, speaking, writing and reading are given prominence in our curriculum. Supported by a Speech and Language therapist and by the integration of Orofacial Myofunctional therapy, our children acquire language through oral games, songs, stories, action games, and games with phonetic sounds. Vocabulary is enriched through classified cards.
With experience of the oral forty key sounds, the children are then presented with the corresponding symbols using sandpaper letters. They are then offered a Movable Alphabet with which they can freely express themselves in writing. After a period of exploration in this way they are presented with the process of decoding in order to begin reading. A series of presentations with word games bring the children ultimately to total writing and reading. As children progress in literacy they are offered concrete materials to explore and understand grammar.
Our environment offers many opportunities for writing as children progress. They are introduced to different formats with which they are encouraged to engage. They are also introduced to a variety of literature beginning with stories and culminating in various articles. Importantly they are guided in deciphering what may/may not be true in what they read. As they progress they are furnished with all functional skills for examination in English.
Mathematics
Our approach to acquisition of mathematical skills is through activity, exploration and discussion, enabling children to make calculations, to understand relationships and patterns in number and space, to develop logical thinking and expression.
Our children are introduced to mathematical skills which will assist in daily life and be implemented through real-world applications. Montessori materials are used to bring understanding of abstract concepts of arithmetic: seeing patterns in number, understanding place values, using the four operations, weighing and measuring, fractions/decimals, ratios, square root and negative numbers.
Our curriculum also includes Montessori geometry materials identifying shapes and forms in everyday life. Children explore dimensions, symmetry, tessellation, area and volume.
As they progress they learn how to gather, plot and interpret data, understanding averages and probability.
They are furnished with all functional skills for examination in Mathematics.
Sciences
Our curriculum is introduced to spark interest in seeing scientific phenonema all around, and is implemented through exploration, observation, experimentation in everyday life, and outdoor activities.
Aspects of the natural world (botany and zoology) are introduced through seasonal activities in the outdoor environment and are supported with concrete materials to consolidate nomenclature and cycles. Children are also introduced to the elements of air, water, earth and fire, presented with simple explorations to discover characteristics of materials.
As children progress they are introduced to concepts in chemistry, physics and physical geography. They are enabled to extend their exploration and experimentation at levels relevant for their stage of development. They are guided to an understanding of the interconnections and interdependencies in the natural world, and the role which humans play in sustainability.
A focus is also given to human biology beginning with an understanding of the body and the means of optimising personal health.
Human Geography and History
Our aim is to help children understand the passing of time: what is past, what is present, what is the future? They recognise seasonal activities and annual events. They create timelines of day/night, seasons, years of their own life.
They learn how to measure and tell the time.
Through stories and presentations they begin to understand cause and effect in continuity, to identify important people and key events in the past, to begin to understand their own culture and that of others.
Exploration of their own neighbourhood and gaining local knowledge enables them to understand their own time and place. This is offered in parallel with a sensorial exploration of the Montessori Globes and the Land and Water Forms. These explorations lead the children to the Montessori materials and stories which illustrate how cultures were established over the World as humans settled to meet their fundamental needs.
Art, Design and Music
Creative and performance arts have a prevalent place in our curriculum because they enable children to build trust, develop resilience, cope with anxiety, and experience success through self-expression. Children acquire skills to develop aesthetic and creative expression, to enter the processes of making, composing and inventing across all subject areas, and especially through art, music, dance, drama and the study of literature.
Art, crafts and visual arts are offered in learning spaces guided by a specialised Art therapist. Children are shown how to use materials so that they are able to explore alone. Likewise, music and performance arts (drama and dance) are introduced by specialists with an understanding of the therapeutic benefits for the children. The children demonstrate rhythm, self-confidence and social connections in their self-expression.
The acquisition of technological skills (working with tools, materials and components) is valuable for our children. They learn how to receive instructions, how to develop and communicate ideas, and how to plan and evaluate.
Sport
Our children are offered opportunities to participate in sports at The Hub in Regents Park and at a local swimming pool. Our sports are inclusive and suited to all abilities The purpose is to develop physical competence and self-confidence, to build collaborative skills for healthy competition, and to strengthen a positive attitude to an active lifestyle. Motor coordination is developed, cognitive skills are enhanced and emotional balance is attained. Adapted to individual abilities and interests, every child enjoys empowerment.
