Intent

Our curriculum intent is underpinned to meet the individual needs of all our pupils and driven by the need to prepare our children for adulthood and to become inquisitive, resilient, lifelong learners. 

At Rocklands, we offer a bespoke and exciting curriculum which builds on the needs and interests of our children. We aspire for learning to be meaningful and memorable so that pupils can maximise their engagement and in turn make progress. We strive to deliver broad and varied learning experiences that support the development of functional skills, independence and personal development. It is imperative to us that pupils are ready for the challenges they will face in their futures so that they can the best version of themselves.

We recognise pupils' Education, Health and Care Plans, prior learning and experiences and provide practical/multi-sensory experiences to build resilience, and develop communication skills.

The curriculum has been planned and sequenced so that new knowledge and skills can be built upon prior learning. We place importance on developing the whole child and recognise and understand the affect that good mental health and well-being have on our pupils’ abilities to make good progress.

Each curriculum pathway (pre-formal, semi-formal and formal) has a curriculum overview that outlines the learning to be delivered. Pupils are grouped in classes based on a range of factors such as; pupil’s main area of need, ability and social abilities. Parents/carers are informed about the curriculum being covered within the class in termly Newsletters.

Subject leaders have selected and mapped out the necessary knowledge and skills into meaningful contexts that will build upon each other. Where possible, pupils are encouraged to tap into prior knowledge and recognise the links between their learning.  

Our aim is to enrich every child's school experience by creating an environment where they are encouraged to succeed. At Rocklands, our curriculum is further enhanced by our commitment to cultural capital which is woven throughout the curriculum in the form of: local area visits, community events, trips, specialist teaching, links with local schools and further enrichment such as forest schools, swimming lessons for both key stages horse riding and theatre performances which prepares children by offering them wider experiences that that wouldn’t have necessarily experiences otherwise.

Implementation

We develop our children through a combination of explicit instruction and modelling, what we teach, how it is taught and the daily interactions and communication we have. Staff and children are driven by Rocklands’ vision and values; and staff always behave with these in mind to ensure that we are role models for our children. 

The social and emotional needs of our children take prominence within our daily routines. Our day always begins positively, using a relational and restorative approach to behaviour management with a smiley face and a greeting to ensure that the correct tone is set for the day. We believe in spreading positivity and creating a warm and safe learning environment that includes approachable adults who pupils know will nurture and support them to achieve their best. Staff develop and maintain strong relationships with children so that they know they are valued and respected.

Our curriculum consists of a range of planned opportunities to grow. These include: lessons, enrichment, assemblies, clubs, sporting events, trips and visits, workshops, specialised teaching, residentials, fundraising, and community work just to name a few. Our curriculum is designed so that subject specific knowledge and skills are built upon from their foundations through sensory experiences within our pre-formal department through to our formal learners.

All pupils at Rocklands have an Education, Health and Care Plan in place. Individualised STEPS (Strategic Targets for Educational Progress and Success) which are made up of puzzle pieces creating a jigsaw for each pupils individualised curriculum offer, are outlined by teachers and shared with parents, outlining the educational offer of individual pupils. Teachers break down larger EHCP targets into SMART targets which are worked upon within individuals and tracks through the use of our assessment programme Tapestry.

Our curriculum has been built on cognitive science principles and the consistent repetition of knowledge and skills so that neurological connections are strengthened. We use research based pedagogical methods to embed key knowledge into our pupils’ long-term memories through the use of some of the following:

• Sensory experiences
• TEACCH Baskets
• Attention Autumn
• Curiosity Programme
• EPATT
• Precision teaching
• ROCK Boxes (recall of core knowledge),
• SODA (start of the day activities)
• Quizzing and hinge questions

Within all subjects, teachers use long-term planning designs as a basis for their planning where subject leaders have mapped out essential knowledge and skills that are sequenced throughout each department. Staff then translate these designs into medium and weekly plans where the specific needs of the learners are addressed and adapted.  Learning is carefully tailored to meet the needs of children through meticulous planning and preparation based on knowledge of outcomes and assessment. Lessons take into account prior learning to ensure that new learning builds through the golden thread of learning. Learning is broken down into small progressive steps, so the learning is meaningful and aspirational. Prior learning continues to be practised during class, small group and individualised interventions.

Communication is at the heart of everything we do, and with so many varying needs, we use a wide variety of communication strategies to engage and communicate with our children eg Intensive Interaction, facial expressions, structured visual support , PECS, Makaton, multi-sensory delivery and repetition. Pupils are exposed to pictophones from our phonics platform (All Aboard Phonics) through a variety of multisensory approaches or Attention Autism, all the way through to phase 6 which is accessed by our children within the formal department. All pupils can access picture books, phonetically decodable books with the visual pictophones, and books targeted at their reading age to take home to practise with their family. Pupils also progress on their reading journey through the use of EPATT and precision teaching, identifying initial sounds and segmenting and blending sounds into words.

We have designed our curriculum rich with language which builds on prior learning. Specific vocabulary is taught through modelling and exposure. The application of new language is applied during discussions or activities and modelled by staff in both written and oral form within the semi and formal departments.

Any implementation of new initiatives are built upon research-based approaches to enhance the learning experiences of our children. Rocklands maps out a clear monitoring cycle based on school improvement and CPD is carefully crafted and delivered based on priorities outlined at the beginning of the academic delivered carefully through the EEF implementation model.

Impact

The aspiration for all pupils who attend Rocklands School is that they achieve their potential in all aspects of their development. The outcome of the curriculum is highly individual, and all achievement and progress is celebrated.

We use rigorous triangulated monitoring throughout the year to gauge the impact of the curriculum design. Senior leaders work alongside our teachers, subject leaders, our school improvement partners and Governors to monitor and review individual subjects. By investing time in reviewing progress, evaluating pupil voice, providing individual feedback to move practice forward, celebrating successes and highlighting areas for enhancement, we are able to train and coach our staff to maintain high standards and promote adaptability to improve practice. Our whole school team strengthen our curriculum vision as we work together to reflect upon our offer and share outcomes driving forward next steps during regular reflection and Pupil Progress Meeting.

Progress for our children can be demonstrated where appropriate by:

• Pupil progress reports and Tapestry outcomes;
• Pupils making progress towards/achieving their intended outcomes set with parents/carers for 12 months within the EHCP annual meetings. These outcomes are informed by any relevant professionals working with the pupils;
• Pupils making progress towards their SMART targets set by teachers based upon their long-term EHCP targets;
• Pupils making progress towards outcomes when reviewed in termly progress meetings;
• Pupils making progress/achieving in the curriculum planned by teachers. Progress and achievement in all subjects are reported to parents in either EHCP (annual review) report or annual curriculum report.
• Pupils making positive contributions to the local community;
• Pupils making progress within their personal, social and emotional skills;
• Pupils becoming socially, morally, spiritually and culturally and globally aware;

Our curriculum enables the pupils to make progress in all areas of their learning so that they are prepared for adulthood.  Our aim is that pupils leave Rocklands with the communication, confidence, self-help and life skills that support their overall independence and ultimately enable our pupils to continue their learning journey into secondary education and adult life.

The following Information is available on request in our curriculum handbook:

• Curriculum Rationales – these vary within our EYFS, ASD units, sensory class and SEMH units
• Curriculum subject roadmaps
• Leadership and Co-ordination
• Monitoring and Assessment
• Enrichment

Tapestry (our online platform used for assessment) includes bespoke frameworks where we assess pupil outcomes, create rapid action plans for pupils who may require further interventions and monitor progress against projected outcomes reported as pupil ‘flightpaths’.

If you have any further questions about Rocklands Curriculum, please contact Headteacher@rocklands.manorhall.academy or Kat.adams@rocklands.manorhall.academy