The Pre-Formal + curriculum is designed for pupils with Vision and Sensory Impairment who need a sensory-based provision. The primary intent of our Pre-Formal + curriculum is the development of each of our student’s identities as people who can act as a force upon their world. Our pupils each have a voice and each can develop this voice to take control of their environment and the people in their environment when given the appropriate support to do so. Everything we do, across all curriculum areas, is structured and carefully considered for each individual to ensure it contributes to their sense of self and offers them the opportunity to develop their understanding of how they can affect the world around them. Throughout every learning opportunity, we set the intention that each pupil’s actions will be listened to, acknowledged and responded to appropriately. It is these consistent responses that will support our pupils to develop their understanding of how they can affect their world. Throughout every curriculum area, we intend to enable our pupils to be active participants in their learning.
Our Pupils
Pupils on the Pre-Formal + pathway are full of curiosity and excitement about the world and what it can offer them. Our pupils are resilient, persistent, communicative and social and we are determined to enable them to develop these traits throughout all learning. We enable our pupils to be active participants in their time at school throughout all aspects of school life.
Pupils following the Pre-Formal + pathway are assessed as having profound and multiple learning disabilities and, the majority, have a single or dual sensory impairment. The combination of their needs affects their ability to interact with the world around them and restricts their access to information in their immediate environment. Each pupil on the Pre-Formal + pathway will have different strengths and needs and will require personalised learning opportunities and teaching approaches to make progress within our curriculum.
The Pre-Formal + Curriculum supports our Pupils to become
1. Engaged learners: Pupils who are motivated to participate in learning and are suitably empowered to access what is being taught
2. Communicators: Learners who are interacting intentionally with others and/or their immediate environment using whatever mode of communication is relevant to them
3. Problem Solvers: Learners who are sufficiently resilient in their attention to experiment and identify a solution to a new learning challenge
4. Unique Learners: Learners who have very distinctive, idiosyncratic learning styles that are in direct relation to their individual profiles of learning difficulties, sensory impairments and disabilities
5. Immersed Learners: Learners who are demonstrably responsive to the specialist, personalised provision we provide with respect to their individual circumstances
6. 21st Century Learners: Learners who can use modern technology to help overcome some of their difficulties and enhance their potential for learning
7. Acquirers of knowledge: Learners who can use literacy skills to access information from their environment and express and apply their new-found knowledge
The Pre-Formal + Curriculum has five curriculum domains:
• My Communication
• My Cognition
• My Body
• My Care and Independence
• Me and My Community
How does assessment support our Pupils
The ongoing process of assessments ensures that every pupil is kept at the very centre. Every pupil on the Pre-formal + pathway has got a Personal Learning Goals Map (PLG) as well as an Engagement Profile that is personalised to them and identifies learning priorities for the term. Progress against PLGs is measured using Mapping and Assessing Pupils Progress (MAPP) overtime alongside statutory assessments using the Engagement Model and Routes for Learning. This builds a holistic picture of the progress each pupil makes. Evidence of pupil progress is uploaded to Earwig, a safe online platform that captures achievements using multimedia evidence. This is shared with parents, carers and families regularly throughout the school year.
