Haskel’s bespoke curriculum is based on four pathways which pupils can move between based on age, need and ability.
This curriculum supports pupils to:
Develop positive relationships within a safe environment
Explore the world around them through sensory exploration whilst developing physical skills
Establish behaviours so that they can communicate with others
Be part of the school and wider community
Pupils accessing this curriculum may have profound and multiple learning difficulties and benefit from consistent routines, sensory experiences and interaction with others in order to develop a means of communication. In Haskel, we use the EQUALS pre-formal curriculum as a starting point, which provides a person centred and holistic curriculum focusing on: wellbeing, communication and social relationships, sensory, physical, cognition and challenge, self-determination and independence and creativity.
Staff work closely with therapists from Jigsaw to provide appropriate therapy support for each individual pupil.
This includes pupils within Year 1.
This curriculum supports pupils to:
Recognise and communicate their thoughts and feelings
Develop social skills and form positive relationships with peers and staff
Begin to show an awareness of their environment and the wider world
Develop an awareness of basic Literacy and Maths skills
At Haskel, we believe in giving every child a stimulating and motivating environment in which they can reach their potential. We use the Early Years Foundation Stage as a starting point to provide a wide variety of child led and adult led activities.
This curriculum supports pupils to:
Develop self-awareness, a respect for others and the community they live within
Develop an awareness of how to keep physically and mentally healthy
Develop personal independence and self-care skills in preparation for adulthood
Acquire a functional level of Literacy so that they are able to communicate in formal and informal settings, read for information and pleasure and use writing as a means to communicate
Acquire a functional level of Maths so that they are able to use basic numeracy skills
Study a range of subjects whilst developing an understanding of the importance and the value of new skills and the positive impact this will have on their future
Begin to develop skills which will help them to prepare for independent living (such as travel, shopping, cooking) and employment (such as time keeping, organisational skills)
Pupils working within this pathway access learning incorporating the National Curriculum leading towards Entry Level, Functional or GCSE accreditation.
Routes within this pathway are carefully designed to ensure each individual pupil is able to access a curriculum appropriate to their needs and development.
This route links areas of the curriculum to a life skills context focusing on basic Literacy and numeracy skills, independence, problem solving and communication skills. It helps to promote skills in each individual which will help them prepare for their life after Haskel.
This route provides a more subject specific route in areas appropriate to the pupil and their interests. Pupils accessing this pathway are able to study specific subject areas according to their needs and interests. Pupils may need some additional support with Literacy and Maths skills in order to fully access this curriculum.
This curriculum supports pupils to:
Develop appropriate communication skills so that they can interact with other people appropriately and have the skills to understand what is expected of them
Further develop key skills in English and Maths and other subject areas of interest
Be able to form positive relationships with peers
Acquire skills needed for independent living
Take responsibility for their own self-care
Learn about the world of work and recognise how they need to develop these skills
Pupils will continue to work within a more formal subject specific route or a vocational route appropriate to their needs and abilities working towards accreditations where relevant. Alongside this, pupils will continue with a ‘Preparation for Adulthood’ curriculum which will help to provide them with the skills necessary for living as independently as possible and working life. Where appropriate, support will be provided by the Transitions team. Pupils will access appropriate work experience opportunities with appropriate levels of support.
Teaching and Learning opportunities are planned to meet the individual needs of the pupils, pupil pathways show the (flexible) route most appropriate to the pupil at a particular time
In order to further provide our pupils with additional opportunities to help prepare them for adulthood and working life, we are able to offer our pupils more practical courses through ASDAN. These programmes help to develop skills linked to areas of personal interest alongside the development of English and Maths.
ASDAN courses are available for students Year 7 and beyond including: Towards Independence, Short Courses, Transition Challenge, Life Skills and Preparing for Adulthood.
A number of our pupils have a diagnosis of ASD or display some traits for Autism. Each pupil is able to access support within lessons should they require it.
Where possible, we keep our classroom environments calm and organised which helps pupils to maintain regulation as they move around school.
Many strategies are in place to support our students, for example daily visuals, social stories etc.
A key element of our provision is to prepare our pupils for adulthood – both independent living and employment. Haskel work closely with parents in order to develop those early skills. These help to form part of the EHCP and Annual Review process
In order to vary the curriculum offer we are able to provide our students, as well as increased opportunity for our pupils to achieve a sense of success, we are now able to offer AQA unit awards. This is something can be offered to all students, regardless of ability. It will mean that all students in school are able to gain a certificate for their contribution into a different topic / subject area.
We are proud to offer our students access to Gateshead College for additional courses and programmes. This again depends on the needs and interests of the pupils. Access to this kind of programme helps a young person feel part of the community and similar to their peers within the mainstream college setting. Courses accessed up to this point are: Photography, IT, Sugarcraft, Hairdressing and Beauty and Interior Design.
Many of our students are offered work experience placements where appropriate. This is often within local settings and businesses within the community. Our students benefit greatly in having access to a work place setting and learning about what life could be like in the future.
Staff closely monitor these placements and regular communications take place.
Our pupils in Year 11 and Year 13 are entitled to a careers based interview with an external provider from Gateshead LA. These meetings usually take place in the Autumn term and feed into Autumn transition reviews.
Assessment within Haskel takes on many forms. It may be through observations of social behaviours which contribute to termly meetings or Annual Reviews, to a more formal assessments which take place throughout the year.
Our assessments are mostly completed termly and are once again appropriate to the individual pupils and are broadly outlined below. These are the assessments used to meet the needs of our current cohort.
Started September 2021
The phonics assessment is used to identify a pupil’s phonic knowledge and their ability to use sounds to read and spell words
Started September 2021
The phonics assessment is used to identify a pupil’s phonic knowledge and their ability to use sounds to read and spell words
