Category: Curriculum.

Curriculum Intent

17/6/2021

Silverwood School is passionate about delivering a creative and diverse curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils ensuring they are successful in their lives, both in the school community and beyond. The ambitious curriculum is under-pinned by a strong belief in our core values; it ensures that all pupils reach their full potential and develop into the most independent and successful young adults that they can be. Silverwood School is a strong, nurturing community, which creates a sense of belonging and celebrates individual success at every opportunity.

Provision, which is based on strong positive relationships, identifies the needs of each individual pupil to develop communication, independence and their own sense of self. The school believes that working within communities and fully utilising all aspects of Learning Outside the Classroom are central to supporting well-being and preparation for adulthood. Providing different pathways through a holistic approach allows pupils to progress on personalised learning journeys. The curriculum is reflective of pupil need, regardless of cognitive level, and seeks to build progress in a bespoke manner. It is not limited by an age-specific approach, but instead pathways are shaped by needs identified within EHCPs, including as appropriate, access to a range of qualifications and accreditations. The curriculum at Silverwood School is designed to develop transferable skills that equip children and young people for life beyond school.

Curriculum Overview

Curriculum Framework Overview

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Curriculum Framework Overview...

Overview

Curriculum Policy

The Curriculum Policy is located in our Policies Area of our website.
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Policies

Curriculum Intent - Early Years Foundation Stage

1/1/2021

At Silverwood School we believe that all children have the right to access an inclusive Early Year’s curriculum where they are placed with their peers and learn in an active learning environment. Children are supported to develop characteristics of effective learning and become life-long learners.
We endeavour to ensure that all children leave our Early Years classes with a developing method of communication, a range of self-help skills, a variety of interests and the ability to self-occupy in a meaningful and productive way.
We value all the experiences and learning that have taken place prior to starting at Silverwood. We use a range of strategies to ensure we gather as much information as possible to fully understand each child’s unique starting point.
At Silverwood we recognise the key areas of development that are linked and contribute to the sum of a child’s cultural capital. There is a high level of focus on the Prime Areas of Learning whilst ensuring our curriculum provides breadth and balance across all seven areas of learning identified in the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile. We ensure there is a suitable balance between adult directed activities and child led learning throughout the day. Children in year R and 1 are supported by Early Years specialists who are skilled in extending learning during daily free flow sessions. We offer children a range of motivating and stimulating activities to explore and engage with, which promote choice making and independent exploratory play skills. Each classroom has different areas of learning including a book area, art area, sensory play, home area, small world and outside space.
Our EYFS curriculum is based on a set of core quality texts that form the basis of our teaching. All children will be taught pre-phonic and phonics skills, and we support children to develop a love for books. Each class participates in weekly book share. Attention Autism is taught throughout the classes and children are supported to develop their attention and concentration skills.
At Silverwood, we adopt a holistic approach and work to support children and families in all areas of their learning. We follow toilet training plans for all children and work with families with areas such as widening restricted diets. We work in partnership with families and invite parents in as often as possible for sessions such as Singing and Stay and Play.
We currently have EYFS provisions on the Chippenham and Trowbridge Campuses (There are two satellite provisions in Trowbridge)

EYFS Curriculum Map Example: An Encounter and Discover Curriculum

We plan a curriculum based on children’s development, predictable interests and their own interests. Through careful observation of the children, we are able to find out their interests and what motivates them and promotes their engagement. We also look at world around us and how it is changing, and we follow current national and international events such as sporting events, Royal events and a range of festivals.

View Map

Useful Links

Here is a link for an Early Years Activity Library
Here is a link for the Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage

Characteristics of effective learning

Playing and Exploring
Children will be learning to:
• Realise that their actions have an effect on the world, so they want to keep repeating them.
• Plan and think ahead about how they will explore or play with objects.
• Guide their own thinking and actions by referring to visual aids or by talking to themselves while playing. For example, a child doing a jigsaw might whisper under their breath: “Where does that one go? – I need to find the big horse next.”
• Make independent choices.
• Bring their own interests and fascinations into early years settings. This helps them to develop their learning.
• Respond to new experiences that you bring to their attention.

Active Learning
Children will be learning to
• Participate in routines
• Begin to predict sequences because they know routines.
• Show goal-directed behaviour
• Begin to correct their mistakes themselves.
• Keep on trying when things are difficult.
• Repeating something hard on their own; learning through trial and error.
• Asking a friend or an adult for help.
• Watching an adult or another child, modelling what to do, or listening to their guidance.

Creating and Thinking Critically
Children will be learning to:
• Take part in simple pretend play
• Sort materials
• Review their progress as they try to achieve a goal
• Solve real problems
• Use pretend play to think beyond the ‘here and now’ and to understand another perspective.
• Know more, so feel confident about coming up with their own ideas.
• Make more links between those ideas.
• Concentrate on achieving something that’s important to them. They are increasingly able to control their attention and ignore distractions.

Transition into Early Years

Open information sessions at Silverwood School (3 x per year)
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Pupils issued with EHCP (Education Health Care Plan)
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Consultation of school placements
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School place offered
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TISMs (Transition into School Meetings) (Term 5)
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Visits to existing settings (Term 6)
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New starter session – Information sessions, including other professionals (for example Learning Disability Team, Wiltshire Parent and Carer Council), support with information sharing paperwork. (Term 6)
Stay and Play sessions (Term 6)
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Home visits and outreach work (Beginning of Term 1)
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Stay and Play sessions/Phased Inductions (Beginning of Term 1)
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Planning meetings with Speech and Language Therapist and other Professionals (Term 1)
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Annual Reviews of EHCP (By end of Term 2)

A Day in the Life of an EYFS Class at Silverwood…

Satellite Provisions - Trowbridge

An Typical Day in EYFS

AM
Welcome and Group Time
Language focus
Active Learning
Tidy up
Attention Time/Maths
Move and Groove
Singing
Lunch

PM
Mindfulness
Sensory Story
Group Time
Active Learning
Tidy Up
Story
Home time

Assessment

We understand that all children make progress at different rates and in different ways. We assess the children in the Early Years Classes using a highly differentiated assessment tool, which allows all progress to be recorded and celebrated. We have collaborated with a range of specialists to create a bespoke assessment document called the Silverwood Early Years Assessment Profile.

Phonics at Silverwood School

25/12/2020

At Silverwood School, we aim for all pupils to develop a love of stories, books and reading. Books are an integral part of our curriculum and our classroom environment. We see all of our pupils as readers and we ensure that phonics and spelling is taught across all Key Stages.

What is Phonics?

Phonics is a way of teaching pupils how to read and write. It helps pupils to hear, identify and use different sounds that distinguish one word from another. Written language can be compared to a code, so knowing the sounds of individual letters and how those letters sound when they are combined will help pupils to decode words as they read. Understanding Phonics will also help pupils know which letters to use when they are writing words. Learning this skill is often the beginning of a pupil’s journey to learning to read.

Phonics in Key Stage 1 and 2

From EYFS to Year 6, pupils are taught using the DfE Approved Twinkl Phonics Scheme.

In Key Stage 1 and 2, discrete Phonics sessions are taught daily across all three curriculum pathways. Pupils are grouped according to their current need and assessed termly, which allows for timely challenge or support.

Phonics Instruction in Key Stage 3 and 4

Within the Pre and Semi Formal Pathway, pupils continue to receive daily Phonics teaching using Twinkl Phonics.
Within the Formal Pathway pupils receive discrete spelling and Phonics sessions 3 times per week in addition to their English lessons. They will be offered Twinkl Phonics, That Spelling Thing and/or Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG) sessions, dependent on need.

In addition to Phonics lessons, all students across the school have access to:

Additional Twinkl Phonics resources following the Twinkl Systematic Synthetic Phonics (SSP).
Spelling sessions following ‘That Spelling Thing’ approach.
Reading schemes aligned to our chosen SSP mapped across the curriculum pathways.
Opportunities to choose a book to share/read with an adult.
Experience of high quality, age appropriate texts.
Free access to a wide range reading material for pleasure.
Opportunities to access further targeted interventions.
IT devices that augment communication and support reading.
Parents supported to share books and to read with their pupils at home and to record their progress in a reading record.

Measuring Impact

Each pupil will be baseline assessed and their phonic knowledge will be assessed and monitored termly. This data will be used to inform provision. Groupings are flexible and pupils are able to move between groups to allow for timely challenge and support.

At Silverwood, we recognise that assessment data will demonstrate the progression of pupils’ reading and spelling skills. The impact of our Phonics provision will also be demonstrated by pupil’s engagement with stories, their enthusiasm for sharing books and their growing independence in engaging with texts at home and school.

Our School Useful Links

1/4/2020

Staff & Governors

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Curriculum Intent

Curriculum Overview

Curriculum Framework Overview

Curriculum Policy

Curriculum Intent - Early Years Foundation Stage

EYFS Curriculum Map Example: An Encounter and Discover Curriculum

Useful Links

Characteristics of effective learning

Transition into Early Years

A Day in the Life of an EYFS Class at Silverwood…

Satellite Provisions - Trowbridge

An Typical Day in EYFS

Assessment

Phonics at Silverwood School

What is Phonics?

Phonics in Key Stage 1 and 2

Phonics Instruction in Key Stage 3 and 4

In addition to Phonics lessons, all students across the school have access to:

Measuring Impact

Our School Useful Links

General Information​

Our School

Staff & Governors

Useful Links

Silverwood School

General Information