Our school offer

Since 2015 we have implemented an iPad per child policy. Aligning our values of ensuring that pupils receive the highest quality of education and care, the technology breaks down barriers to learning and encourages them to work independently and collaboratively. This combined ensures that they  become confident learners and develop critical thinking.

The practice of using iPads has allowed pupils to take personal responsibility of the device; charging, updating, organising and maintaining it. It has also allowed learning to take place outside the classroom so that they can have the opportunity to develop real world engagement to progress and improve their social skills, whilst evolving their IT skills simultaneously. In class, the device provides an alternative method to record learning and through teaching applications, pupils can develop and strengthen skills such as reading and writing.

The use of iPads has enabled pupils to improve their fine motor skills, which involve the small muscles of the body that permit occupations such as writing, grasping small objects, and fastening clothing. The iPads allow teachers to personalise learning within the classroom enabling pupils to take responsibility and show creativity in the way they learn.

This concerted team effort has resulted in our school being recognised by Apple and accepted as an Apple Distinguished School; in 2021 we achieved a reaccreditation, further reiterating its longevity.  This highlights the school’s offer in providing an innovative and compelling learning environment that engages pupils and provides tangible evidence of academic accomplishment.

Moonbears Class is a specialist learning environment where pupils aged five to six start their journey and prepare for future learning. The class is led by a teacher with the support of specialist teaching assistants, who are guided by the school’s in-house Clinical Services Team, including a speech and language therapist, occupational therapist and therapist daily.

The children that access the provision are identified as having high needs in five areas, including:

• Independence
• Communication and interaction
• Cognition and Learning
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)
• Sensory and physical

Development starts through play, where skills are established, and the introduction to literacy, numeracy and science begins. For example, in science, pupils make potions and identify items of clothing they would wear in different climates. In literacy, they build their vocabulary by watching videos on a topic, such as fireworks, and then describe what they witness by identifying colours, noises, etc. In numeracy, they play the role of a shopkeeper and customer, handling ‘money.’

To build skills, pupils participate in turn-taking activities, play games that involve teamworking, and play with different textures such as water and sand. Makaton is used to build communication. The speech based programme is designed to support the development of spoken language using signs together with speech and symbols, to enable pupils to communicate. It supports the development of essential communication skills such as attention and listening, comprehension, memory, recall and organisation of language and expression.

The class benefit from:

• Personalised curriculum based on early years
• Continuous assessment to track progress and introduce achievable goals to develop skills and knowledge further
• Their own playground area that they exclusively access
• Weekly Forest School sessions, encouraging them to explore, play and discover. The experience helps shape the resilience, confidence and self-esteem of pupils through hands-on learning experiences.
• Positive role modelling from all the teaching and support staff they interact with.

Success in Moonbears is assessed through the achievement of all five areas , and once pupils are ready to move on, they follow a pathway that sees them transition into Sunbears Class and then onto other classes within the school, depending on their needs.    

Pupils who are identified as having high levels of additional need by our Clinical Services Team may attend Star Bears Class, our high need intervention class. This class will have a specific focus theme, which may vary dependent on pupil’s need, i.e. communication.

Classroom staff work in conjunction with the Clinical Services Team to ensure intensive, targeted support is provided in order to facilitate high levels of progress for each individual pupil. Pupil to staff ratios remain low to allow for this intensive
support, resulting in pupils making rapid progress and working towards achieving their true potential.