Primary Curriculum

Throughout the Primary stage, our learners are split into three discrete class types:

• Communication Group
• Nurture
• Main Body

Within these classes, students follow Schemes of Work (external or Hollinwood’s own) and work along a Progression Map which is tailored to the needs, learning styles and outcomes for the individual. 

A range of subjects are taught across all the class types, with the Intent, Implementation and Impact altered and applied accordingly.

Communication Group – It is the aim within all the Communication classes at Hollinwood to provide secure foundations for the students, which allow them to grow, thrive and achieve. We make this possible by providing a bespoke and student-centred curriculum. We focus on developing students individually by using their Education Health Care Plans and setting SMART goals appropriate to their individual needs. We use a variety of methods to support their education, in line with their specific requirements using many targeted and revolutionary approaches. We use ‘Attention Autism’ as a means to engage and promote independence, which has proved extremely beneficial to enhance both the students’ development, and also their love for learning. We believe all students can reach their full potential using these alternative approaches and staff within these classes are dedicated and fully committed to ensuring that this happens.

Alongside these alternative methods we provide a broad and varied curriculum using National Curriculum subjects based on a thematic three-year cycle of study. Students are immersed using this pedagogy, facilitating a deepening of understanding, widening of their experiences and consequently an accumulation of knowledge by ensuring that all subjects relate back to the core theme.

Communication is fundamental to all that we do within these classes, and we have an ethos of Total Communication. We use ‘Sing-along’, PEC’s, speech, gesture, symbols, photographs, and objects of reference. We use these simultaneously, allowing students an opportunity to be submerged in a variety of communicative approaches, so that they can then choose their preferred method to communicate.

Nurture Group – It is our aim to provide a focused learning environment that considers the wide diversity of characteristics and needs for students who struggle to prosper in a mainstream setting. The Nurture Group offers a bespoke learning programme and a differentiated curriculum embracing child centred pedagogies. The Nurture Group promotes a “learning for all” ethos focusing on:

• Cognition and Learning
• Communication and Interaction
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health
• Sensory and/or Physical Difficulties 
• and raising aspirations for the future. A balanced curriculum is delivered which reflects some subjects studied in the main school, accompanying these are enrichment and intervention sessions that focus on social, emotional and mental health needs

Main Body – To provide children with the essential knowledge and skills that they require to achieve their full potential in life and support each child to reach their desired destination. We aim to do this by ensuring our curriculum offer is ambitious (broad and balanced) to meet the needs of all children in the following areas: 

• Cognition and Learning 
• Communication and Interaction 
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health 
• Sensory and/or Physical Difficulties