______________________________ Curriculum
Curriculum Intent
Riverside Bridge School provides education for pupils with complex and layered needs, including severe and moderate learning difficulties, autism spectrum conditions, communication disorders, sensory processing needs, physical disabilities and social, emotional and mental health challenges. Attainment on entry is consistently well below age-related expectations, with the majority of pupils requiring specialist teaching approaches and individualised curriculum pathways.
Our curriculum is adapted from the Autism Education Trust (AET) Framework and is fully aligned with statutory requirements under the Children and Families Act (2014), the SEND Code of Practice (2015) and the Equality Act (2010). We adopt a neurodiversity perspective, viewing autism as a different way of experiencing the world rather than a deficit. The curriculum is designed to reduce barriers, promote strengths and enable pupils to thrive socially, emotionally and academically. However, even our cohort of young people is not a homogeneous group. Like all children and young people, our pupils as individuals vary in terms of their intellectual ability, their personality, their profile of strengths and needs, and the presence of other conditions (e.g. learning disability, ADHD, epilepsy, visual/hearing impairment) and their life experiences; and even those of the same apparent developmental age may not necessarily progress through the stages of development at the same rate.
Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) provide the anchor for curriculum planning. EHCP outcomes are embedded across daily teaching and learning, ensuring that each pupil’s personalised priorities are addressed through functional, meaningful contexts. Our curriculum is also driven by five whole-school Drivers: A Sense of Self, A Sense of Community, A Sense of Culture, A Sense of Wonder and A Sense of Future. These Drivers form the golden thread linking curriculum, pedagogy and school life, strengthening our capacity to demonstrate impact.
Hence a curriculum which aims to provide a developmentally sequenced framework that ensures quality first education for all our pupils, with a specific focus on promoting spontaneous communication and emotional regulation in everyday activities and across different settings such as school, home and community.
Our curriculum is above all the reflection of our school vision which is to cultivate a safe and inclusive community where every individual feels empowered, valued and respected. We foster the belief that learning should enable all pupils to thrive and develop with the ambition to lead a fulfilled, happy, and rewarding and as far as possible independent life, integrated into the society they choose to live in. This is our commitment to all our pupils regardless of gender, needs, ability, ethnicity, religion or culture.
Our curricular framework concentrates on four core Principles of Development, which have been linked to the SEND Code of Practice and the AET Development Framework to facilitate and support the planning, delivery, monitoring and assessment of our curriculum.
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Understanding the Individual – every pupil is a unique learner, and our teaching begins with detailed knowledge of their developmental profile, communication modes, sensory regulation needs, motivators and barriers.
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Positive and Effective Relationships – trusting, attuned interactions are the vehicle for all learning, with staff prioritising co-regulation and connection.
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Enabling Environments – pupils develop in the context of the environments around them, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and where strong partnerships between teachers, external professionals and parents/carers are paramount. classrooms are structured, predictable and communication-rich, with visual supports, low arousal design and embedded sensory strategies.
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Learning and Development – pupils learn in different ways, which is the reason why our practitioners provide engaging and challenging opportunities across the prime (personal, social and emotional development, Communication and Language and Physical Development) and specific (Literacy, Cognition) areas of learning and development. we recognise that progress is often spiky and non-linear, with pupils making lateral as well as linear gains. We value overlearning, generalisation and independence alongside acquisition of new skills.
Curriculum Implementation
Implementation is informed by evidence-based pedagogical frameworks. The adapted SCERTS (Social Communication, Emotional Regulation and Transactional Support) guides communication and regulation targets. The MRO model (Means, Reasons, Opportunities) ensures that pupils not only have tools for communication, but also meaningful purposes and daily opportunities to use them. A Total Communication approach integrates AAC, Makaton, symbols, gesture, objects of reference and speech. Structured Teaching and Layered Learning ensure progression from concrete experiences to abstract reasoning, with carefully scaffolded steps and repeated exposure across contexts. Play and continuous provision provide motivating contexts for exploration, problem-solving and social learning. Intensive Interaction and Attention Autism further support shared attention, social reciprocity and enjoyment in learning.
It is not the responsibility of the child to change to meet the demands of the curriculum; it is the responsibility of those writing the curriculum to ensure that it is flexible enough and adaptable enough to meet the needs of each child, which we do through careful consideration of each pupil’s learning styles and needs leading to distinct pathways which strive to be responsive to each learner, build on individual strengths and interests and enable every pupil to shine.
Through a mix of behavioural, developmental and educational approaches, with the goal of enhancing cognitive, communication and social skills whilst minimising behaviours that challenge, we offer all our pupils a unique and well-structured curriculum that is broad and balanced and designed to give them the knowledge, skills and cultural capital they individually need to succeed in life; meet all their needs; and address potential social disadvantages.
Our curriculum model is delivered into three learning pathways: pre-formal, semi-formal and formal. This allows us to offer a means of making subtle distinctions between not only groups of learners but also the degree of curriculum formalisation they will experience in either building the prerequisites for, or working within, a more ‘conventional’ National Curriculum type approach.
Our curriculum allows pupils to reinforce continuously prior learning and it increases in cognitive complexity, widening out as pupils move through the pathways, revisiting concepts in greater depth. These pathways are not defined by age, but by need and achievement. Pupils are identified on entry or baselined at the beginning of each year through their Individualised Development Profile as to which curriculum pathway is better suited to meet their needs and thereafter, they are able to move flexibly between pathways at any point during their school career. Some pupils may even be able to access a more ‘fluid’ curriculum, meaning that they may benefit from aspects of two from the three possible pathways, all based on individual needs which are reviewed regularly.
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Our pre-formal curriculum (Flow1a and 1b) focuses on the early communication, social, emotional and cognitive skills that are the foundation of learning. Pupils at this very early level of development may only communicate by gesture, eye-pointing, and at times very simple language; they require a higher level of adult support, both for their learning needs and their personal care and their attainment will be below the pre-key stage standards. The focus within these pathways is upon enabling pupils to proactively explore the world around them, gaining environmental control skills and discovering for themselves, whilst establishing positive interactive relationships with others and developing a sense of security within the classroom and school environment, which is meaningful and comprehensible to them. Hence the importance of play in their development and the need for sensory and multi-sensory approaches to their learning.
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Whilst still focusing on ensuring order, structure, routine and certainty in their learning, in this semi-formal curriculum (Flow 2), we try to give our pupils opportunities to become literate communicators, early readers and start problem-solving. Our pupils are similar to all learners in that they take information through their senses.; however they may have difficulties in processing that information hence the need to design activities which enable them to increase their memory capacity, by breaking tasks and instructions down into smaller steps, frequently repeating important information, re-presenting information and teaching the same skill or fact in many different contexts to develop their ability to make connections and generalise a skill whilst understanding of when to use that skill in new and novel situations and combine it with other skills to solve a problem.
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Pupils experiencing our formal curriculum (Flow 3) access a range of National Curriculum subjects, adapted in the light of their developmental level and special educational needs. Life skills and independence skills form a large part of this curriculum in preparation for life beyond school. Teachers ensure that learning is linked to practical activities and consolidated and applied in practical sessions.
We believe our three distinct and differentiated learning pathways offer the best way for:
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achievement to be maximised;
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each pupil to have a personalised curriculum appropriate to their needs;
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teachers to deliver lessons at an appropriate pace;
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expectations and targets to be set and reinforced;
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pupils to be challenged and supported at the right level
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a positive learning environment to be nurtured and maintained;
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pupils to develop confidence and self-esteem through appropriately differentiated pastoral programmes.
KS4 pupils (Oceans classes) are set into ability groups stemming from their Development Profile which align with one of the three learning pathways we have identified. This approach allows us to tailor our teaching methods and resources to better suit the diverse needs of our KS4 pupils, ensuring each child is supported in their learning journey, whilst they are engaged in a variety of accredited courses (OCR Life and Living, and WJEC Healthy Living and Fitness Award), that are not only relevant to their individual needs but also aligned with their abilities. This breadth of learning opportunities is designed to empower our pupils and enhance their educational experience, equipping them with the life skills and knowledge necessary for their future journey into adulthood.
(For EYFS and KS5, refer to EYFS and Sixth Form policies.)
Based on a thematic cycle, each pathway covers knowledge, skills and understanding across the six shared areas of development, which are at the core of our progression framework, so as to facilitate a ‘learning flow’ between the three pathways. We understand that it is much more important that the knowledge and skills taught to pupils through varied, motivating and stimulating curricular experiences are acquired in a range of contexts and situations, ensuring greater depth of understanding and practical application of knowledge, which will enable them to transfer these learnt skills to support them in their lifelong learning journey.
Having adapted the National Curriculum, the Pre-Key Stage Standards as well as the Development Matters and the Early Years Foundation Stages framework as appropriate to meet the needs of our pupils, we recognise that a more developmental approach focussed on transferable Life Skills spans the entirety of our curriculum which enables our pupils to progress through the six Areas of Development (broken down into Stems of Development) so that they are able to go as independently as possible into the world with the knowledge, skills, cultural capital and understanding of what being a successful young adult and a responsible citizen in a modern day society is.
This also means that our curriculum allows both lateral and linear progress to be made by our pupils. For our lateral learners, our curriculum recognises the need of these pupils to learn through repetition which will improve the depth of their understanding. It is widely recognised that this cohort of learners have greater difficulty retaining key skills and need continued opportunities to practise these, so that they are able to transfer these skills and use them in a range of different situations.
Each aspect of the school life is expected to be a planned learning experience and we are able to gauge rigorously the impact of our curriculum on each pupil’s development and put in place intervention, where necessary so that all pupils make outstanding progress.
Preparing for Adulthood outcomes are explicitly woven into every pathway and Area of Development and they are embedded across all key stages, not reserved for post-16. Our pupils develop employment skills through role-play, enterprise, work-related learning and accredited courses. Independent living skills are taught through cooking, budgeting, shopping, travel training and personal care. Health is promoted through PE, PSHE, cooking and emotional literacy. Community participation is developed through trips, volunteering, school council and partnerships with local organisations. This prepares pupils for successful transitions into adulthood, whether that is further education, supported employment, or community living.
Adapted National Curriculum
Although we refer to the National Curriculum and adapt as appropriate to meet the needs of our pupils, for our pupils there needed to be a more developmental perspective, with communication and cognition being the principal areas of development. For a majority of our pupils with severe learning difficulties, subjects such as geography, history, art and music should provide a context for learning communication and cognition rather than represent the focus of learning. As the extent to which our pupils engage with the National Curriculum vary, according to their attainment levels and nature of their needs; hence our curriculum model based on three learning pathways which enable our pupils to access the full national curriculum, in contexts where it is best placed to meet their needs. Whilst the learning opportunities will change and progress throughout the school, the principle of delivering at a level appropriate to the pupils’ level of development is of paramount importance. To ensure progression of content, it would be expected that the content of the lessons would reflect this difference.
Curriculum Impact
Our curriculum aspires to be meaningful to each pupil’s personal development as a unique individual and foremost to be one in which every pupil can succeed and thrive and become an assertive, independent and confident citizen who is equipped to live safe, healthy and happy lives and who will be able to engage and make positive contribution to their community. For this to happen, this curriculum is implemented using a range of learning approaches, appropriate to the needs of our pupils. These will include sensory and practical activities, which enable pupils to use the skills learned in a functional manner, alongside differentiated and structured tasks that give them opportunities for developing collaborative and problem solving skills.
Our literacy program focusses on supporting teachers in developing the functional literacy skills needed by our pupils to cope at an adult level in everyday situations whilst our work-related program focusses on ensuring pupils apply the transferable skills learned in the classroom in a real-life context, develop an understanding of work and its related responsibilities and broaden their awareness of the world of work.
Through a mix of behavioural, developmental and educational approaches, with the goal of enhancing cognitive, communication and social skills whilst minimising behaviours that challenge, we offer all our pupils a unique and well-structured curriculum that is broad and balanced and designed to give them the knowledge, skills and cultural capital they individually need to succeed in life; to support them to make outstanding progress in all areas of their learning so they can continue their learning journeys into adult life; to meet all their individual needs; and address potential social disadvantages.
If you require any more information about our Curriculum, please contact Mrs Clark who oversee Teaching & Learning, Mr Stubbles for Ripples and Brooks 1-7classes, Miss Walters for Brooks 8-11, Mr Flowers for Brooks 12-15 and Creeks classes, Mr Carvalho for Streams, Lakes, Oceans and Thames classes classes on the school contact number.
