Teaching and learning at Abbey Court is designed to be relevant and personalised to each individual pupil. The basis of this is delivered through a topic-based creative Curriculum, at the Primary site, where links are made between subjects, so that children develop a broad and coherent understanding of a topic and learn to use and apply their knowledge and skills in a range of contexts that are relevant to them. Topics change each term, and are on an annual cycle. At the Secondary School, the curriculum is subject based and builds on the skills and knowledge already gained at Primary. Both schools follow the National Curriculum and schemes of work are differentiated to meet the needs of individual pupils and are progressive and age-appropriate to the learners. Our curriculum also focuses on developing the key skills of communication, cognition, independence, physical development and self-care; all transferrable skills that equip children and young people for life beyond the school, to ensure the development of the whole child. Abbey Courts Farm curriculum has been carefully designed to complement and build upon classroom learning, giving pupils the opportunity to develop meaningful and relevant skills for the future.

Teaching and learning at Abbey Court School is supported by a range of co-providers, all of whom support the teaching staff in meeting the needs of individual pupils. The specific impact on teaching and learning that each group has can be briefly described as:

• Therapists: The specific expertise of the therapists is used by teaching teams to support pupils’ physical needs whilst ensuring minimum disruption to the curriculum. Indeed, the approaches used are designed to facilitate access to the curriculum whilst Mobility Opportunities Via Education impact on teaching and learning by motivating and enabling the pupils (See the MOVE section within the P.E. policy, available on request).

• Educational Psychologist: A significant number of pupils have challenging behaviours. The skills of teaching staff, supported by the knowledge and advice of the Ed. Psych., enable the effects of their behaviours not only to be minimised on the education of all pupils but indeed, to endeavour to modify the behaviours which will positively impact on the specific pupil’s learning.

• Visiting Teachers for Sensory Impairments: The specific expertise of the visiting teachers is used by teaching teams to support pupils’ sensory needs in order to impact on teaching and learning by facilitating and enabling the pupils.