Pathway 1 Curriculum

Year Overview    2022-2023

Thematic approach inspiration

Sensory story

Curriculum offer (10 weekly lessons)

Autumn term

My Life (PHSE focus)

Friends and family

The theme this term is friends and family, inspired by the tale of ‘the enormous turnip’. The curriculum aims to bring the story to life by offering students a range of experiences linked to the text. These include creating sensory circuits that encourage physical movements such as pulling and pushing. The weekly music lesson builds on students learning by support them to create sounds with different movements, including pushing a bicycle pump to blow into a flute! Students will also participate in a sensory food lesson making vegetable soup. The overall focus for the term is to settle students into their new classes, help them to build new relationships with the staff supporting them and their peers and to re-establish their school routines.

The Enormous Turnip

retold by Irene Yates

Play /drama session

This Friday session focuses on building positive mental health and wellbeing of students. This term student will be offered a range of exciting and varied bubble resources and the session follows a drama and play style interaction. Students will get to experience a specialist adapted large bubble maker, that makes giant bubbles around student’s bodies, and can be used around wheelchairs!

RHSE  

This term student will develop and refine skills in personal care routines. We will be focusing on the daily routine of washing their face. Following a sequence of Washing face, drying face and rubbing cream in. Staff will support students to practice this routine whilst increasing independence.

Music   

Inspired by the terms story, students will participate in a music session based on ‘working together’ and movement.  Push, pull, drop and squeeze. Sequence of different sounds with sound objects including pumps, salad spinners, balls dropping on a drum and space blanket and a fan. All linked together with a loop peddle creating a final song.

Movement

Our weekly movement session in the hall offers a sensory circuit with three distinct areas– vibrate, roll and balance. Students are given different resources for each proprioceptive activity- vibrate – vibrating balls, vibrating standing plate and vibrating roller. Roll- different textured physio rollers on a mat. Balance- balance board, balance domes and walking beam.

Sensory cooking  

Inspired by the terms sensory story, students will make a vegetable soup. They will explore different textures and smells of stock, herbs, garlic and vegetables. Staff will then take the ingredients students have explored and cook them making a soup. The soup will then be incorporated into the end sequence of the sensory story where ‘all the people made and ate a turnip soup’

Therapies

Weekly Therapy sessions support positive behaviour and emotional regulation. In this session pupils will explore different oils, creams and therapies. They will be encouraged to express their preferences and explore new ways of relaxing.  Pupils will have a choice of sensory massage, foot spa, heated blankets, massagers, use of therapy room, diffusers, and creams.

Art /multi sense interaction

Art will be offered in 5 stations/activities, with each station offering a different focus on a sense. For example, the smell station with offer a range of fruit and vegetables that have strong smells and the sight station will offer a large tent and UV paints.

Community

This term students will take part in a weekly walking group, cannon hill visits , coffee shop visits and a new slot for a small group of students to access swimming will be started.