Intent

All students have access to a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum, based on the four areas of need, underpinned by the Development Matters and National Curriculum frameworks. The curriculum is differentiated and modified for students with complex speech, language and communication, physical and learning needs. We have strong processes for assessment, planning, teaching and reviewing to help each student make the maximum progress in learning.
We teach using a wide range of practical and highly visual approaches, using learning from experience, signing, pictures and symbols to support understanding. We emphasise developing academic, personal and social skills to improve each child’s independence, confidence, and resilience.
We have created a curriculum within Willow Primary School that provides a balanced academic education, while increasingly helping students to develop independence and life-skills. We believe that promoting students’ wellbeing is crucial, now and for their future lives.
In our Willow Tree provision, our INTENT is that all children ‘Talk, Learn, Grow’.
Talk Intent:
∙ To develop effective attention and listening skills
∙ To develop an understanding of language
∙ To develop effective communication skills

Learn Intent:
∙ To develop lifelong learning skills and engagement strategies.
∙ To develop confidence and curiosity.
∙ To have opportunities to learn through a broad, ambitious, and challenging range of experiences.
∙ To build on prior knowledge.
∙ To develop transferable thinking skills.
∙ To acknowledge and celebrate our differences.
∙ To work with others

Grow Intent:
∙ To develop understanding of our own emotions and those of others to establish and retain strong relationships.
∙ To take risks in learning and develop resilience.
∙ To develop positive physical and mental health.
∙ To know how to keep ourselves safe.
∙ To develop strategies to overcome our individual barriers to learning.
∙ To develop readiness to transition to the next stage of education.
∙ To develop as respectful and active citizens.

Implementation

In our Willow Tree classes, we have students with a range of different needs and so we need to use a range of different curricula to address the needs of these students. Some students may start their learning journey with us working through our pre-formal curriculum and progress onto our semi-formal and formal curriculum, but some children may need to work within the pre- or semi-formal curriculum throughout their school career.
Our pre- and semi-formal curricula are delivered in classes which use a TEACCH approach and total communication. The principles of this approach include having a clear physical structure within the classroom and the consistent use of visual timetables, routines and visual cues and prompts. There is a focus on working towards student independence and autonomy, while reducing student anxiety and uncertainty.
Pre-formal Curriculum
Our pre-formal learners are extremely unique with individual learning needs and as such it is impossible to force them to fit into a formal and structured framework. Our pre-formal curriculum takes a holistic view of learners and focuses on how best they learn, reflecting the four areas of
needs in students’ Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). Teachers have a clear remit to ensure that the curriculum is flexible and adaptable to meet each pupil’s individual need whilst taking
account of the atypical patterns of development which impact on the learner’s ability to process new information and stimuli. Our pre-formal curriculum places relationships at the heart of all learning and recognises the fundamental principles of intensive interaction.
Semi-formal Curriculum
Our semi-formal curriculum is for our children and young people who have a range of complex learning difficulties and disabilities. Our semi-formal learners are still at the very early stages of their learning and development and they learn best when the curriculum is related to their own experiences and when they are given plenty of opportunities to experience the same activities and overlearn. While this curriculum reflects the four areas of needs in students’ EHCPs, it also ties into the Development Matters curriculum, which enables students to move towards the National Curriculum for Key Stage 1, if that is appropriate.
Formal Curriculum
Our formal curriculum is subject specific learning based upon the National Curriculum. The national curriculum forms the basis of this curriculum and pupils will access foundation and non-foundation subjects within a creative curriculum theme. Alongside the formal curriculum, our learners also need to develop their skills in communication, cognition, self-regulation, generalisation, working memory, problem solving, physical skills, independence and functional skills

Impact

Individual student performance and progress is regularly monitored and reviewed. Informal assessments will be made regularly and reported back to senior leaders and parents throughout the school year. Students’ progress towards the criteria laid out in the pre-formal, semi-formal and formal curriculum will be assessed termly and recorded on our assessment system Earwig for each student. This grid will also be used to set termly targets in an individual education plan for each student which will be shared with parents during parents’ evenings twice a year and with the year end report at the end of the school year. All students will have an annual review, in which the SENCO will record the progress made over the past year towards the outcomes in the students’ EHCP.

We measure success through individual progress, not comparison to neurotypical peers. By the end of each term, we expect:
● Improved engagement and attention during adult-led tasks
● Increased independence in communication, toileting, dressing, eating, and task initiation
● Clear development in emotional regulation, with children using strategies or aids to calm
● Children using communication tools to express needs, likes, dislikes, and feelings
● Improved motor coordination through consistent access to PE, Art, and Cooking
● Development in peer awareness and social interaction, including turn-taking and joint play

We capture impact through:
● Progress toward EHCP outcomes
● Evidence in workbooks, photo records, and digital platforms
● Parent feedback and home-school communication
● Ongoing review through multidisciplinary input (teachers, TAs, SALT, OT)