Class 11 2023 - 2024

Welcome to Class 11 

We are a mixed Key Stage 3 and 4 class of eight pupils – Lewis, Teodor, Bobbie, Thomas, Saarah, Lexi, Darren and Toby. 

Our teacher is Neil and our class is supported by Rob, Julie, Lucy and Georgia. 

Class 11 follows a semi-formal curriculum and follows pathways for external accreditation through ASDAN Supporting Aspirations, ASDAN Exploring Aspirations, ASDAN Transforming Aspirations and ASDAN New Horizons. 

As part of our timetable we participate in daily English and Maths sessions following a different theme every half-term. 

In English, we have a focus on communication and use strategies such as PECS, Colourful Semantics, Sensory Stories and Attention Autism to support us to engage with and communicate about the lesson content. We use the TEAACH method to work towards our PLP targets through individualised workbox activities. 

In Maths, we focus on developing our early mathematical skills and develop problem solving and thinking skills. We do this through practical activities and a variety of ways to generalise our skills and consolidate our understanding. We use strategies such as PECS, Attention autism, use ICT such as the interactive whiteboard and iPads and practical lesson resources to support us to engage and learn in a meaningful way. We use the TEAACH method to work towards our PLP targets through individualised workbox activities. 

Through our semi-formal and ASDAN Accreditation we follow a theme in which we can engage with and have different learning experiences across a range of different subjects. 

Our ASDAN Supporting Aspirations follows four pathways – Friends, relationships and community, Good Health, Independent Living and Employability.  

This year we are focusing on modules within these pathways; 

Autumn – Looking after myself 

Spring – My Friendships 

Summer – My Healthy Lifestyles. 

For our Physical and Sensory Development we take part in Weekly PE lessons and regular sensory circuits which support us to with our sensory needs and enable to practice self/co-regulating strategies to manage our feelings and help us to prepare to be ready to learn. 

Autumn Term 

Autumn I – Our theme for this half-term is ‘This is me’ we have been reading the sensory story ‘We are all different’ interacting with different sensory items developing our engagement with the story content. We have been using colourful semantics to develop our literacy and communication skills through making comments about different pictures featured within the story. In Maths our focus has been Geometry and we have been learning about 2D shapes. We have named and labelled shapes and completed individual target work including matching shapes, handling shapes and in some cases discussing their properties. We have also been using our communication skills to make comments using the attributes of shapes that we see, including the colour and number. For our semi-formal curriculum this is me theme we have been sharing information about ourselves and others in our class including our names, hair colour, eye colour and interests. We have completed a self-portrait using the information about ourselves and communicate this through making choices in the process of completing our artwork. 

Autumn II – This half term our semi-formal curriculum theme is ‘Musicals’. We will be listening to songs from different musicals and focussing more in depth and specifically on the story of ‘Wizard of Oz’ in our English and communication sessions. Our Maths focus is Number and Capacity. In Number we will be developing our awareness of number including Number recognition, formation and counting. In capacity we will be developing our understanding of the language used including full, empty, more and less. Through developing our communication skills we will make comments on different containers and also have fun using them to engage in water play. We have been engaging in weekly sessions of intensive interaction to develop our communication and interaction with others in class. Through our ‘Musicals’ theme we have focused on environmental sounds within phonics and science lessons. We are also participating in Tacpac and Dance massage sessions for our physical development. Also through our semi-formal curriculum theme we will participate in learning activities about different festivals at this time of year, including bonfire night, Diwali, Remembrance Day and Christmas. 

Spring I – This half term our semi-formal curriculum theme is ‘Italy’ with an ASDAN focus on ‘My Friendships’. We will eb learning about Pinocchio as a sensory story and focusing on developing our communication skills within this – making requests and comments throughout the story. In Maths our focus is on Time and Number. For time we will look at sequencing events in our day and learning about different times of the day and what activities we might typically do at different times. For our Italy semi-formal theme, we will go on a journey through Italy going to different times and participating in different activities associated with different towns and cities in Italy – exploring different foods and cultural experiences using our senses.  We will get creative and make an erupting papier mache volcano as a group, we will make pizza and learn all about Italy.

Spring II – This half term our semi-formal theme is ‘The World of Work’ We are focusing in English on Jobs in the community and people who help use through role play and accessing sensory activities. We will also be developing our communication and reading skills using colourful semantics to support our reading comprehension. In Maths our focus is on number and money. We are working on our individual PLP targets to develop our counting and fine motor skills and developing these skills in different ways such as using the interactive whiteboard and individual targeted activities. Through our ‘World of Work’ theme we will encounter a multi sensory story to introucuce us to different jobs and work experience and role play these jobs across the half-term. With our ASDAN focus being ‘My friendships we will access these World of Work activities in a group with our friends. In PE we are learning about Net and Wall games, in particular taking part in Polybat and developing our physical exercise through sensory breaks and walks around the school ground.