At Manor Mead School, we recognise the importance and value of providing a curriculum that is:

Balanced; ensuring that the curriculum offer is tailored to best support the individual needs of the pupils, and focused on developing knowledge, skills and potential in the four areas of  Communication, language and literacy; Cognition; Physical and sensory health and development and Personal, social, emotional and mental health

Broad; covering a wide range of National Curriculum subjects, topics, therapeutic areas such as speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, activities, approaches and experiences including life skills

Developmental; building on previous learning and preparing all pupils for the next stages in their education

Accessible; individualised and personal; adapted to meet the needs of our unique pupils

Flexible; fun, engaging and individualised to foster a love of learning 

Meaningful; relevant, stimulating and enriching; we particularly value educational off-site visits and special events to support our pupils to learn important life skills in their community 

Our pupils have severe, complex and/or profound learning needs and/or autism and have a range of different starting points. For some pupils, their complex needs have a significant impact on their ability to access learning and express themselves and may impact on their cognitive development and ability to alter their long-term memory.

Therefore, at Manor Mead Shepperton, we recognise the importance and value of providing a challenging, tailored curriculum that emphasises Communication, language and literacy; Cognition; Physical and sensory health, the development of independence and personal, social, emotional and mental health and identifies the most important individual next steps. Our broad and balanced curriculum is organised within these key areas:

 

 

These four areas reflect those contained within the pupils’ Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and are key to the long-term success of our pupils as they prepare for the next stages in their education and life. All pupils have Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) which are set and reviewed twice a year.  Each ILP has specific targets in each of the four key areas, identifying the next steps and specific strategies required to ensure success.  Opportunities to focus on ILP targets are provided across the weekly timetabled curriculum within ‘subject specific’ lessons.

At Manor Mead Shepperton, classes are organised by pupils’ primary need and broadly by their age so our classes, including our nursery, typically accommodate pupils from a range of National Curriculum Year groups. Teaching approaches and curriculum content are adapted to most effectively, and appropriately meet the needs of the pupils in each class.

In order to provide a broad and balanced curriculum that will meet the broad range of individual and complex needs across the school, there is flexibility in terms of curriculum content and delivery. Teaching is adapted to ensure that it is appropriate to the individual needs of the pupils. For example, a pupil with complex learning needs and a peer with severe learning difficulties will access a similar part of the curriculum but the way that the content is taught and the way that the children access the activities may be very different. Teaching styles and strategies to deliver the curriculum, engage and interest pupils and support the range of learning styles will differ from class to class.  

• Blue and Green classes for EYFS pupils, the curriculum is based on EYFS framework.
• Purple Class (Year 1-4) and Pink Class (Year 2 -6) who have complex learning needs
• Red (Year R - 3), Yellow (Year 2-4), White (Year 4-6) and Orange (Year 5-6) classes primarily for pupils with SLD
• Rainbow 1 (Year 1- 4) and Rainbow 2 (Year 4-6) for pupils whose primary need is autism

 

A flexible and child centred approach

At Manor Mead School, we place the child’s individual needs at the centre of their individualised curriculum and as such:

• Several teachers may plan for their classes to work on aspects together e.g. joint curriculum related outings, inviting other people in to support the work
• Some subjects are taught through special days/ events rather than sessions each week so they are more accessible e.g. creating a ‘Seaside’ and ‘Jungle’ to provide contrasting environments as part of the Geography planning
• Non-subject/theme activities and sessions are included on some pupil’s timetables and provide the opportunity to use a certain approach employed to support broader learning on engagement, communication, independence, physical development etc.(e.g. Intensive Interaction, Rebound therapy)
• Structured play is timetabled throughout the school, not just in the EYFS as this is considered essential to pupils’ development and learning

 

Class teachers are responsible for designing the class timetable each term but have the flexibility to implement more individualised schedules for pupils as appropriate.  Individual timetables take account of a wide range of specific therapy needs, speech, physio and occupational therapy.  Some pupils may not be able to tolerate working in a larger group for extended periods and may have a timetable, which includes sessions where they work on their targets in different resource areas e.g. the Sensory Room, Soft Play

The timetables for different classes in the school reflect the needs of the pupils in that class group and there are significant differences in the content e.g. classes for children with complex needs have a significant part of each day timetabled for Physiotherapy/ Physical activity. All classes have timetabled topic sessions allowing flexibility to focus on individual personal, social and emotional needs, independence and learning skills such as attention, as well as community visits.

Sometimes pupils have needs met most effectively by spending time in more than one class during the week. This ‘internal integration’ provides an opportunity to meet a pupil’s specific needs, when these needs are not all catered for in their main class group. Where appropriate individual children may also have ‘external integration’, opportunities at a mainstream school e.g. St Nicholas Primary School, to focus on academic, social and emotional development.

  

Specialised strategies

In order to make the best provision for each child, a Learning and Communication Passport is written and in place for each pupil. This identifies the child’s likes, dislikes, interests/ motivators, preferred learning styles, their barriers to learning and how they may be overcome.  At Manor Mead School we employ a range of strategies and approaches to support pupils’ to engage and learn, these include:

• 1:1 and small group work
• Sensory based approaches employing the full range of senses
• Rotation of carousel activities
• Creative use of resource and outdoor areas to support cross curricular learning
• Specialist approaches such as Intensive Interaction, Zones of Regulation etc.

 

Curriculum content

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

The curriculum for the youngest children in the school is based on the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework. The ‘prime’ and ‘specific’ areas broadly align with the four Key Areas delivered in the primary phase; pupils in EYFS will follow the same termly theme as the rest of the school. Long and Medium Term plans have been drawn up for the areas of learning:

There are three prime areas of learning:

• communication and language
• physical development
• personal, social and emotional development

and four ‘specific areas of learning’:

• literacy
• mathematics
• understanding the world
• expressive arts and design

 

The Learning Outcomes link to the EYFS Profile and Development Matters: the Assessment Opportunities or to Key Skills.

 

Key stages 1 and 2

Long and Medium Term Plans have been drawn up for the following subjects based on the programmes of study in the National Curriculum.

Core subjects:

English

Mathematics

Science

Foundation subjects:

Music

Computing

Physical Education

Foundation subjects: Art and Designs; Design and Technology; Geography and History are grouped under the heading of 'Topic'.

Long and Medium Term Plans have also been drawn up for:

Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE)

• following Programmes of Study from PSHE Association (updated 2020)
• we believe that this curriculum area is extremely important for the pupils at Manor Mead
• included in this area is the time allocated to developing pupils’ independence, play and social skills which are so critical for their future lives
• much of this curriculum is incorporated into the routine of the school day e.g. learning to feed independently, dress, working towards achieving continence
• some aspects are taught during opportunities in the school day e.g. play and social development and other aspects are taught during timetabled PSHE sessions in class e.g. Emotional development, Stranger danger, people who help us 

Relationship and Sex Education

• The Governors, in consultation with the Head of School and the staff have decided that there should not be a separate Sex Education curriculum at Manor Mead. This decision has been made, taking into account the age, maturity and complex needs ability of the pupils.
• Relationships Education is taught as part of the PSHE curriculum.

 

Religious Education

• following the Revised Surrey Agreed Syllabus
• the curriculum for RE is based on the ‘Revised Surrey Agreed Syllabus' (Foundation Stage and some aspects of Key Stage 1)
• the teaching of RE reflects religious traditions in Britain which are, in the main, Christian whilst taking account of the teaching and practices of other principal religions represented in Britain (particularly religions followed by pupils attending the school)
• parents may ask for their children to be withdrawn from RE and alternative activities will be provided for pupils appropriate to their needs.

Collective Worship

• A daily act of collective worship is held in each class, this is planned to meet the needs of the pupils in the class group and is often used for a time of reflection.
• Parents may ask for their children to be withdrawn from Collective Worship and alternative activities will be provided for pupils appropriate to their needs

Modern Foreign Languages at Key Stage 2

 

Type of planning	Time scale	Prepared by
Long term	1 or 3 years	Subject Leader
Medium term (Curriculum)	1 term	Subject Leader
Medium term  for Class (planning   grid)	1 term (or 2 half terms)	Class Teacher
Short term	1 week (5 Daily Plans)	Class Teacher

  

Long Term plans

These plans provide the distribution of the subject content over a one or three year cycle, depending on the subject. The subject content is shown as areas of work and is divided into two stages. Pupils progress from stages 1 to 2 as they move up the school.

Medium Term plans

Subject Leaders produce Medium Term plans for each of the areas in the Long Term planning and these plans are given to Class Teachers before the end of term so that teachers can have meetings to work on joint planning for the next term. The Medium Term plans include a broad range of activities which should meet the needs of all the children; the class teachers select the activities which are most appropriate for their group. Using the Medium Term plans, class teachers draw up a Planning Grid for the term, showing how they will cover the curriculum week by week. These plans are evaluated by all teachers at the end of each term to review whether the planning has been accessible to pupils, appropriate resources in place etc. Subject Leaders review Medium Term plans following this evaluation.

 

The Medium Term plans show the References to the National Curriculum Programmes of Study which are being addressed through this work. They also provide a range of Learning Intentions as pupils within a class group are working at different levels.

 

The Subject Leader identifies the Key Activities and it is their responsibility to ensure that resources are available in school for these activities or there is a sign post as to where they can be accessed.  Teachers choose to work on the activities suitable for their class group.

 

Short Term plans

The Class Teacher, in order to implement the Medium Term plans/ Planning Grid on a daily basis, draws up Short Term plans, i.e. daily plans.  Teachers identify the planned Learning Intentions on their daily planning sheets or on recording sheets: these may relate directly to the curriculum subject or may address an individual target.

 

Project cycle

A 3 year project cycle is used to support Long Term planning to ensure breadth of curriculum cover and to provide links between subjects. The whole school follows the same broad project heading, shown on the Long-term plan.

 

Planning in Stages (Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2) 

Medium Term curriculum plans are arranged into two stages: the younger classes work on Stage 1 planning and the older classes on Stage 2 planning. Some terms the work will be planned to cover different aspects of the curriculum e.g. RE Stage 1 may cover work on Hinduism, Stage 2 on Judaism. For all subjects (except Mathematics and ICT) Stage 2 includes more challenging activities so that more able pupils can extend their knowledge and understanding. Mathematics and ICT are the same planning for both stages with teachers planning for individual abilities.

 

Sharing the curriculum with parents

We recognise the importance of sharing what we are teaching with parents but acknowledge that the curriculum offered to a child will vary depending on their needs and abilities rather than just their year group. Parents are given a detailed class Newsletter at the beginning of each term outlining what will be taught: this includes suggestions as to how parents can support their child’s learning. The Annual Report sent to parents at the end of the year provides an overview of their child’s achievements across the curriculum.

 

Management of the Curriculum

 

Each teacher (apart from ECTs) is responsible for planning one or more subjects of the curriculum. Subject Leaders may identify developments for their subject which need to go in the School Development and Improvement Plan (SDP) in agreement with the Head of School or Executive Head teacher.

 As Subject Leaders teachers take responsibility for;

• drawing up a Policy and regularly reviewing that Policy with teachers: all curriculum policies are reviewed every 1 or 2 years
• drawing up Long and Medium Term plans for class teachers
• monitoring delivery of their subject
• ensuring appropriate recording systems are in place and used by teachers
• providing support for colleagues and arranging training as appropriate.
• identifying actions for the SDP as and when appropriate

 

Monitoring of subject delivery may be carried out by the Subject Leader or by another teacher who has responsibility for monitoring a group of subjects as detailed in the School Development and Improvement Plan.