Core Curriculum
Core Curriculum
Pupils will leave Red Gates as lifelong learners, with the skills, knowledge and interests to access the next stage of their education.
In order to provide pupils at Red Gates with experiences that are relevant, interesting and challenging, while identifying opportunities for progression, we have created a curriculum structure which encompasses 4 pathways.
Red Gates curriculum is responsive to individual pupils, building on strengths, interests and learning styles.
Each pathway provides an individualized and creative curriculum that inspire pupils to develop skills to be effective communicators with knowledge of how to self regulate in order to maintain a calm and alert state where pupils are supported to reach their potential both academically and holistically.
Our thematic curriculums supports a balance of stimulating contexts to ensure breadth and coverage. We are continually developing our learning environments outside the confines of the classroom, promoting learning through positive outdoor experiences and play.
At Red Gates developing Communication and Literacy skills is at the very heart of everything that we do. It is so important to us that we build our pupil’s desire and ability to communicate, connect with and understand their environment and the people in it so that they can achieve and live a full life!
Communication and Literacy at Red Gates does not always look as you might expect because lots of it is threaded through the whole curriculum. No matter what level your child is working at we are building skills and knowledge to help them communicate and enjoy life and ensuring that those foundational skills are secure.
Communication, Literacy and Early Literacy is delivered in a variety of ways including:
• Sharing books in the school Library
• Topic books
• Sensory stories
• Story massage
• Meal times
• Attention Autism
• STAR Box
• Mark making
• Sensory art
• Intensive Interaction
• Symbol books
• Interactive books
• Magazines & comics
• Reading & writing symbol instructions
• Action rhymes & sound play
• Photo books
• Hello sessions
• Transition songs and symbols
• Music Lessons
• Music Therapy
• Community visits
• Cookery
• Gross motor activities e.g. PE
• Sherborne
Communication
All of our pupils have some kind of communication differences and so providing pupils with a functional means of communicating with others is fundamental. As well as developing key skills such as attention, social interactions and listening skills as a school we use total communication to best support our pupils in their communication journey. This means that we use a combined approach of:
• Picture exchange communication (PECs)
• Makaton (signing)
• Simplified speech
• Communication & commenting boards
• Widget Go
• Symbols
Phonics
Many of our pupils are learning the foundations for phonics, developing their abilities to make and play with sounds as well as to recognise and label different sounds. For those pupils working on the foundations for phonics we also focus on developing their understanding of symbolism through objects of reference, photos, symbols and symbolic play. Pupils are also supported in developing their general listening and attention skills.
For those pupils that are ready to start phase 2 phonics Red Gates has recently introduced the accredited scheme ‘Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised.’ Pupils following the scheme have:
• Daily Little Wandle phonics lessons
• levelled reading books
Reading
Alongside the many cross-curricular activities in which pupils develop their early reading skills classes also have discreet reading sessions which include:
• Sharing and delving deeper into their termly topic books
• Weekly visits to the school Library
• Daily ‘Reading for Pleasure’ sessions
• Phonics sessions
Writing
There is a lot of exploration and experimentation in our writing sessions at Red Gates! There is often an emphasis on sensory mark making and the development of movements which enable writing. In early development pupils develop their gross motor skills focusing on large movements during a range of physical activities. While continuing to build on those bigger muscles, fine motor skills are also an essential part of developing the dexterity for writing, not just mark making but activities which help to strengthen hand and finger muscles and develop pincher grip. All pupils are taught that writing and symbols mean something! Many pupils here at Red Gates are non-verbal and so for many they learn to communicate what they want and need by ‘writing’ a phrase or sentence using symbols and giving that message to someone.
Writing is also taught through:
• Handwriting without tears
• Write disco
• Colourful semantics
• Early mark making activities
Mathematical experiences and skills lay the foundations for most other learning areas. These skills, for example cause and effect, enable pupils to understand and have control over their environment. The three strands of Maths ; Number, Shape, Space and Measure and Using & Applying are not taught separately but are combined and taught in a cross curricular way to develop Maths skills and to generalise them as pupils progress through the school.
This allows pupils to develop a concrete understanding of mathematical concepts and then explore how to apply these in practical situations e.g. cooking and the exchange of money when visiting a shop. For pupils working at early developmental levels mathematical concepts are presented using multi-sensory resources and approaches.
Science is one of the core subjects taught at Red Gates School. It divides into: Science-Enquiry, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. The pupils participate in discrete Science lessons and cross curricular activities, e.g. Cooking, ICT, PE, and Attention Autism. Teachers are provided with access to Science Schemes of Work, which contain topic themed ideas. An array of ‘hands on’ resources support teaching and learning within the classroom. Science lessons often take place out of the classroom, in various learning spaces within the school grounds, i.e. Science and Sensory Gardens, Mud Kitchen, Trim Trail, Multi-Sensory Rooms, PE, hall, ICT suite, and Cookery Room. Scientific concepts are explored on a daily basis and once a year pupils participate in a Science Week event. Assessment of Science ‘Enquiry’ is made using the SOLAR assessment framework.
Computing is a highly motivating area for many of the pupils at Red Gates and is another learning area which is taught discreetly and also enriches a number of other curriculum areas. All classrooms have an interactive whiteboard, desktop computer, with touch screen and iPads. We also have a Computer Room with an additional Interactive White Board, Desktop computers, iPads and a variety of ICT equipment that can be explored on light tables or with switches.
We benefit from two multi-sensory rooms which provide opportunities for pupils working at a range of levels including; changing the environment and turn taking using a Nintendo Wii and interactive floor. Children are taught about internet safety and how to access appropriate websites.
Humanities subjects including History and Geography are taught to all pupils at Red Gates School. Geography aims to develop a sense of wonder by giving pupils a sense of place within the world and an opportunity to interact with and experience environments.
History aims to develop pupil’s curiosity by engaging with stories and sources. The teaching of history can also provide a wide range of experiences including visits from different experts and handling.
Art, design and technology and music are taught to all pupils at Red Gates School. Subjects are taught through half-termly topics with a cross curricular learning approach.
Art is an exciting and expressive subject that can be covered across all areas of the curriculum. We use Art to expose the pupils to a creative approach to learning and can develop a wide range of practical skills. We make use of a wide range of mediums and resources which are available to all pupils and explore a range of artists and techniques throughout our learning.
Design and Technology is an inspiring practical subject that is expressed through a variety of creative and practical activities. We have a food technology room which is used to teach pupils fundamental life skills and safe food preparation
Music is taught by class teachers and we also benefit from a music therapist whole leads 1:1, small group and whole class music therapy sessions
PSHE education at Red Gates is a planned, developmental programme of learning through which pupils acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need now and in the future to live healthy, safe, productive, capable, responsible and balanced lives. As part of a whole-school approach, PSHE education develops the qualities and attributes pupils need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society.
PSHE education contributes to personal development by helping pupils to build their confidence, resilience and self-esteem, and to identify and manage risk, make informed choices and understand what influences their decisions. It enables them to recognise, accept and shape their identities, to understand and accommodate difference and change, to manage emotions and to communicate constructively in a variety of settings.
The learning provided through a comprehensive PSHE education provision is an essential to safeguarding pupils.
PSHE education is taught through a spiral programme, revisiting sections, whilst increasing the challenge, broadening the scope, and deepening pupils’ thinking. PSHE is taught across the curriculum for Early Years students as well as through the Personal and Social Development (PSD) strand.
PSHE at Red Gates covers three core themes ‘Health and Wellbeing’, ‘Relationships’, and ‘Living in the Wider World’ and it has been broken down into six sections: Self-Awareness; Self-Care, Support and Safety; Managing Feelings; Changing and Growing; Healthy Lifestyle; The World I Live In.
Relationship Education and Health Education is taught as part of the PSHE programme.
The three strands of PSHE – Health and Wellbeing, Relationships and Living in the Wider World - support the development, understanding and promote the ‘British values’ of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance.
At Red Gates there are opportunities to develop PSHE themes through
• Assemblies
• Class circle times
• Creative Curriculum topics
• Timetabled PSHE
• Day to day routines
• Physical activity
• Cooking and eating
• Personal care
PSHE, including RHE, offers pupils opportunities to:
• Make choices and decisions to develop personal autonomy and learn how to make choices that keep themselves safe, healthy and happy
• Increase awareness of self and others and to learn to communicate needs, feelings and opinions and build positive relationships
• Develop awareness of what makes them feel happy, calm and regulated and learn strategies to help them achieve this
• Develop self-respect, confidence and empathy
• Learn about a healthy, safe lifestyle, including online safety
• Understand changes in their bodies and the importance of healthy choices and hygiene in keeping healthy
• Prepare for puberty, linked to pupils own understanding and developmental needs
• Appreciate cultural diversity and difference and to realize their potential
Citizenship offers pupils opportunities to:
• Interact with adults they know and other pupils in 1 to 1 activities and small group situations
• Take part in roles, routines and responsibilities in the classroom
• Learn about right and wrong ways to behave through boundaries set by others
• Move from a personal view of themselves and their immediate world, towards a wider perspective
• Learn about the differences in people and how to value those differences
PSHE curriculum overview