Junior Phase
Framework for multi-sensory approach with highly individualised teaching and learning opportunities to support young people with a range of individual needs.
The curriculum in the Supported Base Classes follows Milestones for Complex Learners, Curriculum for Excellence and Scottish Qualifications Authority guidelines and is designed to offer young people learning experiences tailored to meet their specific needs. The curriculum is underpinned by lifelong learning skills and a focus on promoting positive outcomes for young people with individual needs. We do this by linking closely with business and academic partnerships to support our young people to become a valuable part of their community.
In S1-S3, pupils follow a broad general education working at Milestones for Complex Learners and Pre-Early, Early and First level of Curriculum for Excellence. The base class teacher is responsible for teaching Numeracy, Literacy and Health and Wellbeing. Pupils also have daily access to a wide range of other subjects delivered by specialist subject teachers.
What do we do?
· We enjoy communication circle time. We use interactive resources and focus on pupil interests.
· We use songs, drums and makaton.
· We familiarise ourselves with the day by using daily sensory orientation materials and also by use of board maker symbols for the timetable.
· Each pupil has a highly individualised curriculum and materials.
· We all use structured routines.
· Pupils have their sensory feedback needs met by the use of therapeutic resources.
· Staff are trained in multiple disciplines such as intensive interaction, talking mats ,autistic spectrum disorders and early years pedagogue. This allows the support given to each pupil to be tailored to their needs.
Milestones For Complex Learners
Milestones are important points in development and demonstrate progression. Young people who are not able to achieve any of the benchmarks within Early Level still require tracking and monitoring of their progression. Whilst many young people will move on to work at Early Level, some will continue to make progress at the pre-early stage. Milestones support teachers to track the progression of young people with severe and complex needs. Planning continues to be based on the Experiences and Outcomes from Curriculum for Excellence, with a learner-centred approach which celebrates the differences of all young people. Curriculum for Excellence Experiences and outcomes are a set of clear and concise statements about young people’s learning and progression broad general education. They are used to help plan learning and to assess progress across the years. Benchmarks provide clarity on the national standards expected within each curriculum area at each level. They set out clear lines of progression in broad general education, and across all other curriculum areas from early to fourth levels. Their purpose is to make clear what learners need to know and be able to do to progress through the levels, and to support consistency in teachers' and other practitioners' professional judgements.
Senior Phase - National Qualifications
In S4 – S6, pupils undertake a range of SQA units specific to their needs.
Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is one of the four partner national organisations involved in the Curriculum for Excellence. It works with partners on all strands of the development. SQA has joined with Universities Scotland, QAA Scotland and the Scottish Government to create the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework or SCQF. Every Scottish qualification—from the Access level (designed for young people with individual learning needs) to a Doctorate and including vocational as well as ESOL and BSL qualifications—is allocated a level and credit value within this framework, which all partners have agreed to recognise. There are the many qualifications often imperfectly referred to as vocational, though these are frequently stepping-stones for students at Scottish Colleges of Further Education to pursue one- or two- year programmes tailored from a wide-ranging catalogue of National Units. The actual programme may be very rigidly prescribed or be entirely freely chosen by the young people to meet particular needs.
These include specific qualifications for those with severe to moderate difficulties (Access), the right to aid in completing assessments (for example, a scribe) and the right to challenge any unfair or artificial barrier in the rules for any qualification. SQA produced new qualifications which have clearer focus on skills development. There is also a greater emphasis on deeper learning by encouragement for young people to think for themselves; to apply and interpret the knowledge and understanding they have developed and to demonstrate the skills they have learned. National 1-4 will are assessed internally by through a rigorous verification system in conjunction with Sanderson High, subject to regulation by the SQA.
