Our Curriculum - Intent Implementation & Impact
Hayfield is a local authority, specialist school that strives to bring the highest quality of teaching and learning to pupils with social communication needs/autism, (including some with mainstream ability), or to pupils with moderate learning difficulties, (often with additional needs). But most importantly, we ensure that every child is respected and treated as an individual. We try our very best to see the world as the child sees it, and work from their starting point.
You can see our Curriculum Intent Implementation and Impact statements below:
Our Curriculum rationale is based on our school ethos and mission statement:
Growing, Learning & Thriving
At the core of our curriculum, and underpinning all areas of learning are the shared values and skills we wish our children to develop and attain. These key shared values arose from whole school discussions with staff, children, parents and carers and governors.
Key Values and Skills at Hayfield School
We want all our school community to:
- Take responsibility for our own Learning and recognise the links with life in the outside world
- Develop Thinking Skills and Reflection in order to make good choices and solve problems
- Be confident and Independent
- Respect ourselves and others and take responsibility for our own behaviour and demonstrate tolerance
What do we mean by Curriculum?
At Hayfield a heavy emphasis is placed upon teaching children the skills that they need in order to be more independent and ready for learning through a developmental and creative curriculum. Without developing the skills which support learning first, academic learning is not achievable nor is it maintained over time. We support learning for our children from the minute they enter school, and we define ‘curriculum’ as all the learning experiences of the children at Hayfield; whether they happen in lessons, during extra-curricular activities, through homework, within the community, on educational visits. We see that every interaction between adult and child, from all adults in the school, are an opportunity to learn and develop the values and skills above.
Teaching and Learning
All pupils at Hayfield have an Education Health Care Plan. Over time the school population has changed; we are now a school who aims to provide a curriculum for children with a wide range of abilities and learning difficulties; all of which have their own highly individual needs.
Children with an Autistic Spectrum Condition
A significant number of children at Hayfield have an Autistic Spectrum Condition. Cognitive ability within this group primarily ranges from children with Learning difficulties within the moderate range ( and sometimes children with more complex learning difficulties); to those who, cognitively are of average ability. All our children who have a diagnosis of ASC ( whether those with complex learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulties, or those who are of average ability ALL experience problems relating to three fundamental areas of life
- communication
- social interaction
- flexibility of thought and behaviour.
As well as these three areas, these children also experience significant difficulties in Sensory processing.
Children with Moderate Learning Difficulties ( and additional needs)
A smaller population of children at Hayfield have moderate learning difficulties and additional needs. A significant number of these children have additional needs relating to Attachment Disorder
For ALL children at Hayfield Teaching and learning approaches are used to reduce barriers to learning enabling, all pupils to make progress. The school aims to create a learning environment that can be clearly understood by all pupils, including those with autism.
Curriculum Pathways
In order to meet the diverse needs of the children at Hayfield, we have designed 4 curriculum pathways. These are currently referred to as the Blue ( Foundation) Pathway, the Red Pathway Green Pathway and the Purple Pathway.
The Infographic below explains the rationale for this structure
Hayfield’s Blue Pathway
Children following this Curriculum pathway are primarily the younger children. This Curriculum is underpinned by the philosophy and pedagogy surrounding the Early Years Foundation and in some classes the SCERTs approach ( Social Communication Emotion Regulation and Transactional Support). Some children at Hayfield benefit from this curriculum approach into Key Stage two; other children may initially access learning through this approach and then ‘migrate’ to a more formal approach to learning. This curriculum primarily aims to support children in developing the skills that are a prerequisite to accessing more formal and traditional leaning
Hayfield's Red & Green Pathways
Children following the Red or Green Pathways will typically have progressed from the Blue Pathway. Cognitively, the learning profiles of children across these two pathways may be similar; however, the pathway that best meets an individual child’s needs is determined by their wider profile of need, particularly in relation to their social, emotional and mental health.
Children following the Green Pathway typically have more significant needs relating to emotional regulation, behaviour and social and emotional development. They therefore benefit from a highly responsive and nurturing approach, underpinned by excellent trauma-informed practice and an understanding of how emotional wellbeing and regulation can impact upon a child’s readiness and capacity to learn.
Both the Red and Green Pathways are underpinned by evidence-informed pedagogy and good practice for children with learning difficulties, autism and additional needs. The curriculum is clearly structured and provides pupils with meaningful opportunities to develop and consolidate their knowledge, understanding and skills.
Where appropriate, a cross-curricular approach is used to make purposeful connections between areas of learning. This supports pupils to recognise, transfer and apply knowledge and skills learned in one context to new and different situations.
Hayfield's Purple Pathway
Children following the Purple Pathway typically have complex learning and communication needs and require a highly personalised and adapted approach to the curriculum. Their learning profile may include significant difficulties with cognition and learning, communication and interaction, sensory processing, physical development and/or emotional regulation, which can affect how they access, engage with and demonstrate their learning.
The Purple Pathway provides an ambitious but appropriately adapted curriculum that recognises each child’s individual starting points, strengths, needs and priorities for development. Learning is carefully broken down into meaningful and achievable steps, with opportunities for frequent repetition, consolidation and generalisation of skills across different contexts.
Communication is central to the curriculum and is embedded throughout all aspects of learning. Children are supported to develop their ability to communicate, make choices, express their needs and preferences, interact with others and develop greater independence. A range of individualised communication approaches and supportive strategies are used according to each child’s needs.
Key Skills
Functional skills and Key skills such as literacy, language and communication, numeracy, problem solving and personal and social skills thread through all curriculums (but particularly in the Formal Curriculum) in order to develop pupil understanding as to how skills can be applied. All children at Hayfield have an Individual Support Plan that focusses on learning skills, knowledge or understanding unique to them. These skills and areas of learning identified from the Aims specified on their Education Health Care Plan. Where possible these areas of learning thread through the curriculum; and are also taught in 1:1 or small group sessions.
Curriculum Intent Implementation & Impact
Teaching & Learning at Hayfield
