OU R C U RRI CULUM OUR CURRICULUM The curriculum at St Nicholas School includes all learning experiences we plan for our pupils throughout their day. We believe that every moment matters! Our curriculum is designed to engage our learners in the development of key skills that are functional, meaningful and relevant. Learning is designed to be purposeful for children’s immediate lives and for their future independence and wellbeing. There is an ongoing focus on communication skills, physical skills, emotional resilience, personal safety and independence skills. The curriculum is balanced and broadly based. It promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of all pupils at the school and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. Our curriculum is personalised to the needs of each pupil and is structured around 6 distinct pathways that are designed to meet the needs of the diversity of abilities, interests and learning needs within the school.
Early Years and Foundation Stage Our Early Years Foundation Stage supports children to become engaged in the world around them and to find their inner resources of curiosity and enthusiasm. We strive for children to engage with learning, to develop positive relationships, and take the first steps to becoming independent learners. We encourage all children to experience themselves positively and believe that nurturing and respecting the child’s self-autonomy will lead them to recognise their own ideas, skills and knowledge leading to a positive sense of self. We aim to provide a stimulating, child-focused environment that builds the foundations of problem solving, critical thinking and active learning. We value the importance of developing children’s personal, social and emotional development and recognise it is crucial in supporting healthy development, leading happy lives and promoting cognitive development.
Cedar Pathway The Cedar Pathway provides a creative, multi-sensory curriculum, within stimulating and enabling learning environments. The curriculum focuses on promoting students’ health, wellbeing and engagement to enable success in their individual goals and become active members of their community.
We are committed to enabling students to have opportunities to experience a holistic curriculum (SHINE) focused around developing a functional and purposeful communication system that allows them to make choices, decisions and share their opinions and feelings. Central to this will be ensuring that the individual health and wellbeing needs of each learner are promoted throughout their day enabling them to develop and maintain their independence as much as possible.