Curriculum

Learning at Perseid is personalised for each pupil.

The lived daily experience of young people in and out of the classroom'' - Dylan William

Our curriculum is designed with the needs and interests of our pupils at its heart. This means that pupils' communication skills and the approaches the school adopts to support the development of communication are of fundamental importance.

Linked to this is the importance of a holistic offer that integrates education and therapy targets into a deeply personalised individual learning plan, reflecting where appropriate, pupils’ mental health and well-being needs and their aspirations, particularly in the areas of PSHE, Learning Outside the Classroom and Expressive Arts. Valuing diversity is at the heart of everything we do. We place strong emphasis on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

Our curriculum recognises that our pupils often learn best when they are practically engaged in experiential learning. Our curriculum vision and intent is informed by all stakeholders in our school, including our pupils, who are invited to contribute to annual school development planning, and through our EHCP reviews and evaluations of pupil learning.

Curriculum Implementation

Our curriculum intent is implemented via a range of learning pathways, interventions and approaches. These reflect the pre-formal, semi-formal and formal delivery structures. The delivery structure matches to the following developmental ranges which in turn links to the school’s 3 Star Assessment Framework:

Pre-formal	Semi-formal	Formal
0-18 months	18 – 48 months	48 months+
3 Star Assessment Framework	2 Star assessment Framework	1 Star Assessment framework

We use the EYFS, Adapted Curriculum and Exam Board programmes of study as the basis for content and expectations for our academic curriculum and the Read Write Inc. Phonics scheme. If you would like to find out more about our curriculum, please email our office on office@perseid.merton.sch.uk and we will be happy to help. Additional information is available for families on the Google Drive Home Hub.

Each Key Stage follows a curriculum map which sets out what must be covered during the Key Stage. Schemes of work are drafted in accordance with the curriculum maps, reflecting the needs and interests of the particular group of pupils. Alongside these, our pedagogy reflects our intent to provide deeply personalised learning and includes our pathway provision, Rights Respecting approach, Expressive Arts offer, PE offer, playtime and lunchtime arrangements, therapy and healthcare provision.

In order to quality assure our curriculum, we have trained teachers as instructors in our key approaches and engage consultants and specialists on an annual basis in the area of PECS, Intensive Interaction, Attention Autism, Positive Behaviour Support and the MOVE curriculum, to review and challenge our offer. We keep our Autism provision under close review through the NAS accreditation programme.

PROACT-SCIPr-UK

The PROACT-SCIPr-UK® (Positive Range of Options to Avoid Crisis and Use Therapy Strategies for Crisis Intervention and Prevention revised in the UK) framework guides the PROACTIVE, ACTIVE and REACTIVE interventions used to support pupils who exhibit distressed/ dysregulated behaviour. PROACT SCIPr-UK focuses on a gradient approach to supporting pupils, with the aim of working a minimum of 70% of the time in the PROACTIVE phase where the focus is on implementing key interventions and strategies to support the pupil to remain calm and regulated and ready to learn.

To ensure that we are PROACTIVE at school, all tasks are motivating and manageable in content and duration; choices are offered within lesson; sensory regulation programmes and appropriate therapies are implemented; individualised timetables and break systems are used; and effective communication is developed.

We recognise that our pupils will have times where there are events/ triggers that will cause them to become distressed or dysregulated and that recognising these, identifying early signs of distress and implementing calming strategies (ACTIVE phase) are equally as important. Where strategies have not proved successful it may be that strategies are required to respond to a crisis (REACTIVE phase). All strategies are carefully planned through comprehensive observation of behaviour(s).

Where consistent strategies to support periods of distress / dysregulation are required then a pupil will have an individualised Emotional Wellbeing Support Plan.