Fox Class
Meet the Team
Introduction
Supporting Our Students to Learn
Cognition and Learning
In Fox class our focus is on the students’ Individual Targets and to develop and improve students’ communication and social skills, self-help and independence. Students follow a sensory curriculum and are working on developing their early Maths and English skills by using stories and props.
Social, Emotional and Mental Health
These sessions focus on the pupil’s social skills. Students learn to share, taking turns, acknowledge/look at each other, pass on items to each other others and interact and play together.
Some students have interventions such as Identiplay or Intensive Interaction to boost their play skills and engagement.
We ensure students can reflect on their wellbeing and feelings. We start the day with a calm relaxing atmosphere where students are offered different activities before completing their work tray. We start and finish our day with a massage story to ground our students at the end of the day and for the journey home.
Physical, Sensory and Life Skills
These sessions focus on the pupil’s social skills. Students learn to share, taking turns, acknowledge/look at each other, pass on items to each other others and interact and play together.
Some students have interventions such as Identiplay or Intensive Interaction to boost their play skills and engagement.
We ensure students can reflect on their wellbeing and feelings. We start the day with a calm relaxing atmosphere where students are offered different activities before completing their work tray. We start and finish our day with a massage story to ground our students at the end of the day and for the journey home.
Communication and Interaction
Communication is the main focus of Fox class. Our classroom is set up in a way that enables students to communicate their needs wherever they are. Students are offered a variety of communication aids and methods to help their expressive language. This includes using Makaton, Colourful Semantics, photo reference, PECS, communication grids and mats.
We believe that the opportunities are endless for encouraging communication and interaction from our students. As well as during lessons, interactions take place during outside learning / play time and in different specialist rooms, guided playtime, identiplay and 1:1 Intensive Interaction sessions and any time students approach us, adults, or their friends.
Topic for this half-term
Our Timetable
Cognition and Learning
In Foxes, students have Individualised Maths and English tasks in their work trays that are linked to their EHCP targets. In English and Maths lessons, we follow a Sensory Curriculum to enrich and support our students’ learning. We also have a variety of Intervention sessions to improve students’ attention and concertation in lessons such as Attention Building, Lego Therapy, Identiplay and Intensive Interaction.
Learning activities and tasks are differentiated and individualised according to each pupil's needs and cognitive abilities. We encourage students to apply their skills in practical situations eg. counting plates in Cooking lessons, identifying shapes / colours / items in the world around us and encouraging students to recognise their own name in different settings etc.
Students are offered a variety of ICT devices to use, such as the iPad, Smart board and ICT toys to improve students ICT skills.
Social, Emotional and Mental Health
During Social Playtime, students are encouraged to communicate and access their choice of activity with the friends they want to play with. Adults help them to develop their play skills with a focus on their EHCP targets. Some of the students will have specialist interventions such as Identiplay or Intensive Interaction to boost their play skills and engagement.
There is plenty of opportunity for communication and social interaction during Snack time and in Outdoor Learning. We support students to practise skills such as sharing, turn taking, waiting for friends and also other types of interactions with peers and adults too.
Students are encouraged to join in and participate in Parachute games by working as part of a team, following instructions, greeting peers and swapping seats with friends.
In Circle time, we ensure students have a chance to greet their choice of friend and also reflect on their wellbeing and feelings. We start the day with a calm relaxing atmosphere where students are offered different activities before completing their work tray. We start and finish our day with a massage story to ground our students for the day and for the journey home.
We also want to ensure students have time to do what keeps them calm and relaxed. In their choosing time, students can indicate what they want to do, whether it’s listening to different songs or playing with different messy play materials, etc.
Physical, Sensory and Life Skills
As part of the morning routine, some students are encouraged to take part in physical activities to help them become more organised and achieve the right level of alertness they need to prepare for the day's learning. This may include taking part in sensory circuit / sensory walk / run outside, going on the trampette, having deep sensory squash with weighted blanket and physio ball etc..
During the day we implement regular sensory and movement breaks whilst assessing students wellbeing and adjusting their individual schedule according to their wellbeing and needs. This means that some students will take part in Rebound Therapy, have a slot in the Explore / Soft Play / Light Room first and later return to class to take part in the lesson.
We have Horse-riding, Swimming, Forest school, PE, Rebound Therapy and Bikeability sessions to boost the student’s physical skills, level of fitness, body awareness, coordination, balance and awareness of safety. To support students sensory processing skills, we have TAC PAC, Messy play, Touch and Taste, Dough disco, Cooking sessions and access to different specialist rooms.
The use of life skills are integrated in to all elements of our timetable. Whether it’s looking after our own belongings, hanging up coats and bags on the correct hook or personal hygiene, washing hands before meal times and Cooking and tidying up after.
Communication and Interaction
Students are coaxed in to interacting and communicating throughout the day. Our classroom is set up in a way that enables students to communicate their needs wherever they are. To enable this, students are offered a variety of communication aids and methods to help their expressive language. Eg. The use of Makaton signs alongside verbal language and symbol use. Different communication boards to indicate lunch choices and also to contribute in lessons such as Lego Therapy and at Choosing time. Students use PECS and communication books to indicate their choices at Snack time, choosing time, Messy play and in different lessons such as Art and Music. In English, students use colourful semantics to help them create sentences and PECS to make up number sentences in Maths lessons.
We believe that the opportunities are endless for encouraging interaction from our students. As well as during lessons, interactions take place during Outside learning / play time and in different specialist rooms, Guided playtime, Identiplay and 1:1 Intensive Interaction sessions and any time students approach us, adults, or their friends.
We also use a visual daily timetable displayed on the wall, ‘Now and then’ boards as well as daily PowerPoints showing the appropriate symbol to break up the schedule into smaller chunks to support students receptive skills.
Useful Information
Here are some links to videos we are using in class this half-term:
Circle time songs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5enDRrWyXaw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=941e6RnP4EQ
Dough disco songs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOLR3pQt8zg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9D5lfqZF3o
Jolly phonics – Satpin songs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klKuKKuPE4o
The gingerbread man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4oE5pl-_1A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoRrP12g6uk
Massage time/Calm down time