ARC

 

Specialist Curricula Offered as Standard

 

Deaf and Hearing Impaired Pupils

In Years 7, 8 and 9 Deaf and Hearing Impaired students will receive delivery of specialist curricula:

  • PUD ( Personal Understanding of Deafness ) This is a curriculum developed by The Ear Foundation in Nottingham which is designed to educate Deaf and Hearing Impaired young people about their own deafness and to address the specific social, communication confidence and self-esteem needs of children with a significant hearing loss.
  • Emotions – This curriculum was originally designed specifically for deaf young people. However, it is suitable for any child, adolescent or adult with delays in understanding other peoples’ perspective (Theory of Mind), delays in consequential thinking and limited emotional understanding and regulation.

There are 9 modules which enable learners to:

 

  • recognise, name and express a wide range of emotions,
  • reflect on their own and others’ emotions
  • develop empathy
  • learn how to manage thoughts, feelings and behaviour
  • build self-esteem
  • develop social skills
  • form and maintain relationships
  • problem solve
  • resolve conflict

The above curricula will be delivered through PSHCE sessions or, for some students, dedicated weekly lessons.

Deaf and Hearing Impaired Students who, due to the degree of their hearing loss, cannot access MFL will be taught British Sign Language (BSL) in place of MFL.

Students will achieve BSL Level 2 by the end of Year 11 which is equivalent to a GCSE and more able students will achieve BSL Level 3.

At Year 9, Deaf and Hearing Impaired Students will follow the same pathways as hearing peers and choose 2 or 3 GCSE options, one of which will be BSL.

Students who due to their deafness and subsequent delay of language acquisition may be dis-applied from one or all of GCSE English, Maths and Science and be taught a functional skills curriculum or AQA award in place of this.  This will be determined on an individual basis, appropriate to need.

All Deaf and Hearing Impaired students will access the same curriculum model with the specialist curricula already identified as their hearing peers, unless their learning prevents this from being the most appropriate pathway.

Alternative Pathways

The ARC will design individual pathways for students from Years 7 – 11 with significant learning needs over and above their deafness.

These will be based upon individual need and may focus upon equipping students with practical and essential skills for life.  In these cases students will study the specialist curricula PUD, Emotions and BSL, English, Maths, Science, RS and instead of humanities will have additional English and Maths. They will also follow a Life Skills curriculum.

At Year 10, these students follow a KS 4 pathway which includes Functional Skills and/ or AQA unit awards in English, Maths and Science.  They will then choose 1 or 2 options, BSL and BTEC Work Skills.

Pupils with Vision Impairment

Habilitation

Mobility

All VI students receive orientation and mobility training from a qualified Habilitation specialist. This involves skills ranging from sighted guide to long cane training. Pupils are taught to travel independently round school, to form rooms and classrooms, to the dining hall and social areas and also to the outside space.

On an age appropriate basis students will learn routes outside school and their home areas, leading up to travelling independently on buses and trains.  Priority for mobility is given to transition in year 7 and transition planning in Years 10 and 11.

Life and Independence Skills

The Habilitation team have developed a life and social skills curriculum, from Years 7 – 11, which builds systematically on age appropriate life skills. Pupils start with making a hot drink and a sandwich and progress towards making a meal safely and independently. The curriculum covers handling money and budgeting, shopping, all aspects of independent living including cleaning, washing, ironing and making a bed. The curriculum also covers aspects of self awareness, including knowledge and understanding of visual awareness and developing the skills to ask for help when needed.

All Pupils complete units of work through AQA and will receive accredited certificates, leading to a portfolio of skills.

Braille

Pupils are taught Braille by a Qualified Teacher of Children with a Visual Impairment (QTVI) or by a Specialist Support Assistant under the guidance of a QTVI. Pupils who have not completed the full Braille literacy scheme, follow the Fingerprints Braille scheme of work currently all students that are Braillists are receiving Braille teaching to convert from Standard English Braille (SEB) to Unified English Braille (UEB).

ICT

Pupils receive ICT in the VI ARC and follow the Doorway Online Touch Typing Programme. After completion students move onto the EDCC units of work, which focus on Word Processing. Pupils work through Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced units to develop their skills Word Processing. Pupils who pass assessments receive EDCC accredited certificates.

Pupils also receive specialist teaching on a range of specialist ICT hardware and software packages in order to maximise their communication methods

Tactile Skills

Pupils require tactile skills to understand tactile diagrams which they are presented with. Pupils receive lessons based on developing their tactile skills for subjects such as Math and Science. This involves pre and post teaching along with completing example questions which focus on tactile diagrams.