Curriculum Aims
The Ark Swift curriculum is the planned experiences and interactions our children encounter every day. It is designed to meet and exceed the expectations set out in the national curriculum.
The implementation of our curriculum is complemented by a wide choice of resources such as Chrome Books, mathematical equipment and a wide range of texts in English. We utilise the skills of our teachers to inspire all of our pupils to achieve their full potential. We value cross curricular learning and by closely assessing what skills each academic discipline requires, we can create strong links between core and non-core subjects.
We aim to develop curious and confident learners and ensure all pupils have opportunities to achieve high standards. Our curriculum is designed to develop a capacity to accommodate new knowledge building on prior knowledge and experiences, resulting in curious minds.
The Ark Swift Curriculum Intent
The Ark Swift Curriculum Subject Overviews
How we ensure that our curriculum is accessible for pupils with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities at Ark Swift.
At Ark Swift, we recognise the importance of knowing every pupil. Whether a pupil has identified Special Educational Needs or a disability (SEND), or whether a pupil has no identified needs but is not making expected progress, the approach is the same:
Assess – we monitor progress regularly
Plan – we collaborate with staff, parents & external agencies to plan adaptations where necessary
Do – class teachers lead on the agreed plan of support, with guidance from the SENCo
Review – we review progress regularly, intervening quickly if the plan is not working.
We are passionate about ensuring that all pupils make good progress from their individual starting points across the curriculum. These high expectations encompass the development of personal, social and life skills as well as academic learning. Our approach is based on two key principles:
- Every teacher is a teacher of SEND
- Inclusive practice is likely to benefit all pupils, including those whose additional needs have not yet been identified.
See below for some examples of how we ensure that all pupils are able to access our curriculum:
|
|
Learning Environment |
Timetable & Resources |
Teaching |
|
Universal (All pupils) |
- Whole class visual timetables in everyday use - Working walls on display for key subjects |
- Visual scaffolds & manipulatives - Daily PE - Daily mindfulness - Zones of Regulation |
- Regular reviews of learning - Guided practice - Models & worked examples |
|
Targeted (Some pupils) |
- low distraction environment for key learning - personalised task planners, toolkits or now & next boards |
- regular movement or rest breaks to maintain focus - wobble cushions, timers, pencil grips, ear defenders |
- paired or small group pre-teaching - same day overlearning of key concepts |
|
Specialist (Specific individual support) |
- individual workstations - adaptive seating |
- personalised timetable - sensory diet overseen by OT - senior staff check-ins & personalised behaviour plans |
- chunked teaching in small steps - strategies such as precision teaching as recommended by EP Service |
For more information, please read our SEN Information Report.
