At Peterhouse, we believe it is the needs of the pupil that should determine the emphasis of what is taught, rather than subjects driving the curriculum. It’s important that pupils learn what’s in the statutory curriculum; but it is understood that our pupils need much more than this. Having established our ‘Drivers for Learning’, the factors and values that will shape the adapted curriculum, based on the needs of the pupils, the community, school values and the school location, we can ensure that we are able to balance pupil’s needs with the content of the curriculum, ensuring this meets the needs of each individual pupil.
The following four drivers, which were agreed following staff and school community consultation. These drivers help us to shape the delivery of our curriculum and therefore the opportunities we offer our pupils.
- 1. Identity
- 2. Independent Learning and Creative thinking
- 3. Knowledge of the Wider World
- 4. Quality of Life
By using the drivers to further identify barriers to learning we are able to create bespoke experiences for each pupil that shapes their own growth and development in a way that is specific to their need. The school drivers further personalise approaches throughout the curriculum and assessment, links are made to these developmental aspects giving our curriculum focus and context.
1. Identity
By exploring Identity we recognise what is personal to each student and: who our individual pupils are. We look to understand individual perspective in the way each person thinks about themselves and others including self-image, self-esteem, and individuality. We look to explore characteristics that define us all as individuals for example personal qualities, beliefs, personality looks and/or expressions. For our pupils Identity means:
Identity is personal to me. It is who I am. It is about using my own unique strengths and identifying and knowing my own ways of doing things e.g. what I need to feel OK. It is about being able to notice when I feel different and knowing how to use my skills and knowledge alongside other people as a way of self -managing. By exploring what I know and learning about myself I will be able to find the skills and strategies that I need to be able to keep safe, communicate successfully and have a sense of purpose for myself within my wider community including my family, my friends and my potential next steps.
2. Independent learning and creative thinking
We encourage our pupils to use Independent learning and creative thinking in order to ensure that the teaching and development of skills becomes embedded and deepened over time to support our pupils to be motivated to think, act and pursue their own studies and interests autonomously to become problem solvers. For out pupils’ independent learning and creative thinking means:
Independent Learning and Creative Thinking is about owning and knowing my own skills. It is then about using and applying my ‘own ways’ of doing things to a variety of different situations. This might be, for example, how I learn in the classroom but it also might be what I notice when I walk down the road. It is about practicing my side to side thinking in everything that I do so that I can know and understand what the ‘best way of working’ is for me. I will be able to learn and apply my thinking in many situations in order to be able to make choices, to be able to express my interests and motivations, to be able to be OK if something does not go as planned e.g. to become a problem solver. I will also know how and who to ask for help.
3. Knowledge of the wider world
Knowledge of the wider world enables our pupils to go beyond the classroom. It takes learning into the school community, the wider community and the world beyond supporting the knowledge of employment, others and their beliefs and the rules and laws of our society and their consequences. For our pupils Knowledge of the Wider World means:
My Knowledge of the Wider World is important for me to know about what I need to be a successful adult with autism. I want to be able to reach my own and my family’s aspirations. I need to know and understand the purpose of why we do things. I need to be able to understanding right from wrong. I will know what I need to notice and do to be able to keep safe beyond education. I will learn and understand that we are all different and that other people may have different views and opinions. I will learn to explore what I know about other people and apply my own skills and strategies to help me to know how to get along with other people in all areas of the Wider World that are relevant to me.
4. Quality of Life
Quality of life is the outcome for our pupils. We want to explore the general well-being of each individual pupil and to be able to respond and support the negative and positive features of life. We aim to focus on life satisfaction and being successful in a social world; everything from physical health, family, education, employment, wealth, safety, security to freedom, religious beliefs, and the environment both in school and beyond. For our pupils this means:
My Quality of Life is everything about me. I need to be able to communicate successfully in order to make choices and decisions. I need to know about and have the opportunity to do the things that are important to me. I need to know how to keep safe. I need to know how to ask for help when I need it. I need a sense of purpose and to know that I can achieve my goals. I need to understand that different things might impact my quality of life and that change can happen. I need to be able to access my toolkit to self-manage e.g. knowing what helps me, my own ways of doing things, my own feel goods, knowing about people who can help me, knowing what I need to feel OK. I need to be able to use my toolkit in everything that I do now and in the future so that I can be a successful adult with autism with a good quality of life.
