Curriculum

Strawberry Lane School is an Options Autism educational setting and fully develops the organisation’s vision, mission and promise:

• Vision: ‘We build incredible futures by empowering vulnerable children and young adults in the UK to be happy and make their way in the world.’
• Mission: ‘Every day we improve the lives of those we educate and look after, their families and communities through a relentless focus on learning and caring.’
• Promise: ‘We are kind to each other…. we work together…..and we make things happen.’

Within this framework, Strawberry Lane School’s curriculum intent and core purpose is defined below:

‘‘to empower every learner and embrace every strength through the provision of a nurturing educational environment, allowing them to prepare for fulfilling futures.’’

Therefore, our curriculum intent is constructed to meet students’ personalised learning and social development needs. We are committed to develop students’ individual strengths and talents. Our curriculum is mindful that our students need to be fully involved in preparing for their next steps towards independent living, employability and community inclusion.

At Strawberry Lane School, we ensure students experience a broad and rich curriculum appropriate to their age, ability and stage of development. Our thematic curriculum follows an adapted National Curriculum at Key Stage 3 and for some students into Key Stage 4. We ensure access to the curriculum areas that are identified in the Independent School Standards. We provide a curriculum that meets the young people based on their Education, Health Plan, and covers a range of linguistic, mathematical, scientific, technological, human, social, physical, aesthetic, and creative aspects, as appropriate to each young person.

The golden thread which runs through our curriculum and approaches to teaching and learning is the drive to ensure students leave with the right knowledge, skills, experiences and interests so that they can start a successful pathway into adulthood and through life. This may include pathway to employment; qualifications; supported/ independent living; adult care; and community inclusion. An important feature of this is to enable students to be the best versions of themselves academically, socially and emotionally. It is recognised at Strawberry Lane School that learning does not just happen in the classroom setting, but in all areas of their daily life and in all areas of the school site and wider community. For this reason, students learning takes place in a variety of contexts, making use of the on-site facilities (indoor and outdoor) and off-site facilities in the local and wider community.

This will enable students to:

• Develop key basic skills (academic and/or functional) as appropriate to each student.
• Develop independence and key life skills, and the ability to keep themselves safe in the community
• Make progress in all areas of their learning, development, their talents and individual pursuits
• Be able to access the wider community and enable informed choices
• Be able to access a wide range of experiences
• Build positive relationships
• Be the central voice in their future so that all students have the opportunity to dream big and reach their goals
• Prepare for being part of a diverse community and modern Britain, by taking part in a curriculum which promotes British values and the opportunity to develop tolerance, empathy and respect for others in a way which is functional and appropriate
• Be fully prepared for their next stage in life and learning
• To be happy and be the best versions of themselves and be prepared for their future, where it leads to!

Therapeutic Provision

Upon admission, initial assessment from OT. SaLT and Psychotherapeutic services is conducted if appropriate and clinical teams will review existing clinical information to establish need. The recommendations from these assessments inform the therapeutic curriculum on an individualised basis. This may include access to the universal clinical provision at Strawberry Lane School, the Enhanced provision where programs are overseen and designed by clinicians or Specialist provision where students’ timetables include direct 1:1 or group input from one of the therapeutic professionals. Individual therapeutic curriculums are regularly reviewed by clinicians are promote progress towards individualised therapeutic targets and EHCP outcomes. More information on our clinical therapy can be found here.

Positive behaviours for learning

Our school’s holistic approach is underpinned by developing ‘positive behaviours for learning.’ Learning behaviours can be considered as the skills necessary for pupils to learn effectively within the classroom setting. Pupils diagnosed with Autism can find the typical learning environment more challenging so require additional support to develop these skills. However, by developing and strengthening these behaviours, pupils can become more motivated and determined, becoming lifelong learners in the process. Examples of these behaviours can be seen below: