Intent
St Ann’s has an ambitious and innovative curriculum which has the very clear intent to prepare our young people for adult life through highly personalised and challenging learning programmes. Our school vision is “Enjoy and Achieve” and we strive to deliver a curriculum which motivates and inspires our pupils. We believe through their enjoyment of learning our pupils can make outstanding progress. Our approach is evidence-based and informed by research.
The curriculum is designed to build upon and generalise previously acquired skills, whilst developing further skills to promote our students’ life skills and cultural capital to prepare them for life post 19. Our curriculum follows the recommendations of The Engagement Model [July 2020] and delivers a non subject-specific curriculum which puts play, functional life skills for the 21st century and the creative curriculum at its core.
Implementation
Each student will have a personalised learning programme based on detailed multi-professional assessments with challenging learning targets set which will ensure outstanding students’ progression from their entry into St. Ann’s to when they leave at 19 years.
There are five curriculum pathways.
| Complex PMLD Pathway 1 | Learning to experience |
| PMLD Pathway 2 | Learning to experience and actively respond |
| PMLD/PD/SLD Pathway 3 | Learning to ‘make things happen’ in their environment |
| ASD/SLD Very early developmental Pathway 4 | Learning to do through exploring and connecting |
| ASD/SLD Emerging functional skills Pathway 5 | Learning to use functional skills to become more independent |
| ASD/SLD Extreme Behavioural Need Pathway 6 | Learning to be Learning to do |
Key elements in al our curriculum pathways are
- Communication and interaction
- Cognition and learning
- Physical and Sensory Development
- Social and Emotional Well Being
Students are assessed for an appropriate learning pathway by the multidisciplinary team using a variety of baseline assessments.
Baseline Assessments Used:
The following assessments have been created by St Ann’s staff
- St Ann’s Communication and Cognition Assessments
- St Ann’s Play Developmental Framework
- St Ann’s Motor Skills Assessment including assessing cognition in students with complex movement disorders
- St Ann’s Self-Regulation Framework
- St Ann’s Independence Assessment
Students’ previous MAPP assessments
Routes for Learning
Engagement Scales
Switch assessments (including the type of switch using kit, ACE placement form for placement, Inclusive Technology step by step for progression).
Schemes of Work
There are 8 key schemes of work for the play curriculum:
- Lets Experience
- Lets Respond
- Let’s Find Out
- Young Explorers
- Young Scientists
- My Imagination
- My Discovery
- Team Player
The curriculum progresses from a thematic based curriculum in years 7 – 10 to our “Preparing for Adulthood Curriculum” based on Equals Moving on Curriculum in years 11-14.
The Themes Curriculum
The Themes Curriculum provides a meaningful context for the application of skills, knowledge and understanding outlined in the students’ individual learning programmes.
There is a four year rolling plan of topics which ensures breadth and balance of subject content and provides a rich and varied curriculum.
Preparing for Adulthood – St Ann’s Curriculum -Years 11 -14
“Exploring, learning and getting ready for our futures”
St Ann’s curriculum strives to provide a platform that will help our students in their transition to adulthood and achieve the greatest degree of independence they can. It provides a personalised learning programme based on Equal’s Moving On Programmes of Studies and 4 Pathways:
1. Pathways to Community Inclusion
2. Pathways to Independent Living
3. Pathways to Health and Well Being
4. Pathways to Employability
The pathways provide a curriculum framework for planning provisions designed to meet all four sets of outcomes. The particular outcomes selected will be within the choice and control of young people themselves, as far as possible, through their needs and interests, which are reflected in their EHC Plan.
Teachers of learners aged 16+ can then ‘populate’ a young person’s post-16 learning programme to ensure they achieve the outcomes they have stipulated – from a mix of the four pathways.
Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development
St Ann’s promotes tolerance and respect for all cultures, faiths and lifestyles through our learning programmes, enrichment, purpose, values and vision. We promote ‘British Values’ through our Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural education which permeates through the school’s curriculum.
Cultural Capital
Both the thematic and 16 -19 programmes of study promote the experience of key learning linked to life in Britain.
• Similarly, opportunities to experience a range of cultures are built into multi-sensory learning experiences that are reinforced and supported through discussion appropriate to the students’ ability level.
• The curriculum is designed to give the students a heightened understanding of the people around them.
• They explore the diversity within their class and within their school, looking at areas such as religion and heritage.
• The students also explore the local area and how to access its services. There is also an emphasis on skills for participating in the community.
Cultural Capital- Rights Respecting School and PSHE Curriculum
Our Rights Respecting School and our PSHE curriculum empowers our students to recognize their own rights and the rights of others and advocate for themselves and their peers, according to their ability. This curriculum area also explores global citizenship, and sustainability as well as rights and responsibilities. Student Voice and British Values. The work of our Student Voice (student council) helps our students ‘understanding of the democratic process, demonstrating active participation, listening to and representing the views of others within the school community’. The school’s PSHE curriculum gives the students’ the skills and knowledge, to deal with changes in their lives as they pass through adolescence, to keep safe, express their needs, preferences and emotions and become active citizens in their community.
The St Ann’s Curriculum has two core elements:
• Functional skills for the 21st Century
• Creative learning delivered through art, drama, music poetry, storytelling and sensory exploration.
Telstar: Specialist High Need Provision
Full details of our specialist High Need provision are on our news page.
Impact
By creating our highly personalised and specialist curriculum and assessment systems, we are able to demonstrate the impact through individual progress. We record and measure the progress each student has made against their own starting point, focusing on their individual priority areas of development and preparation for life post 19.
Our assessment system enables us to analyse student achievement and ensure that our students are making outstanding, or at least, good progress. We use a basket of assessment tools when monitoring and assessing students’ progress:
St Ann’s curriculum has a highly successful transition to adulthood programme including weekly transition days in local colleges. St Ann’s has no students without a post 19 placement [NEETS].
Destinations
Destinations include:
West Thames College
Ambitious for Autism College
Hammersmith, Ealing and West London College
Orchard Hill College
The Dominion Centre
Our support continues post 19 with a highly successful transition programme including supporting colleges and adult education settings to maintain the placement.
If you have any questions or require any further information please contact curriculum manager Mary Kelly
adminmail@st-anns.ealing.sch.uk