Learning Pathways

Pathways for Learning

Our comprehensive trans-disciplinary assessment, carried out by teaching staff, therapists (Occupational Therapists, Speech & Language Therapists) and well-being practitioners is designed to identify each pupil’s abilities and barriers to learning. This includes:

The impact of their individual differences and related medical condition/s on their well-being, communication, learning and functional skills
The circle of support available to them (at home, school and in the community)
The skills they need and want to learn linked to their age, stage of development and their motivations
How their relationships and environment impacts on their participation and access
Their regulation (capacity to cope with stress) & how this impacts on their well-being and engagement in learning
Their speech, language and social communication skills & how this impacts their well-being and learning
Their ability to self occupy and ability to engage in and remain regulated during play and leisure activities
Their self-help and independence skills
How sensory differences/impairments and physical/ motor ability impact on their function in the above areas
Their academic abilities (core subjects)
Whether Sherwood Foundation School continues to be the most appropriate place to best meet their needs

We use this information to ensure that each child/young person’s (CYP) Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) is reflective of their learning and support needs. This enables us to effectively achieve our high aspirations for their outcomes as they move into adult life.

We have specific pathways for learning on each campus which enables us to:

Group learners with peers who have similar strengths and needs to them creating a feeling of belonging and opportunities for developing social partners and friendships
Ensure that all learners have equal opportunities to access and thrive within the curriculum offered, with learning tailored to their needs with appropriate stretch and challenge.

Most of these pathways are tracked through the school, with classes in the lower, middle and upper school. One pathway on each campus identifies learners who have significant barriers to learning which prevent their ability to access learning in full on the other pathways. Learners on these pathways are placed in classes on pathways appropriate to their academic ability/ learning style, however they require additional highly specialist accommodations, adaptations and approaches to support their access to learning in class. These additional support pathways are:

Pine Pathway (Park Campus)
Juniper Pathway (Hill Campus)
Rowan Pathway (Manor Campus)

Some learners remain in the same pathway throughout their school journey, whilst other learners move between pathways based on their progress and/ or changing needs.

Hill Campus

Juniper

Willow

Oak

Learners on the Juniper Pathway have significant difficulties coping with stress affecting their ability to feel safe and comfortable within their own bodies, their environment and around others. This means they struggle to learn in a group and require a highly individualised learning offer.

Learners on the Willow Pathway learn through sensory-motor exploration, intensive interaction and repetition. Their regulation and social differences mean they require high levels of support to work alongside others and build on previously learnt skills.

Learners on the Oak Pathway generally cope with learning as a class group but they require high levels of adult support to regulate, engage in learning and interact with their peers as part of a social group. With this support they are able to generalise skills across learning contexts.

Park Campus

Maple

Holly

Chestnut

Pine

Learners on the Maple Pathway often have complex physical and medical needs. They are limited in their interactions with others and the environment by their difficulties with attention and engagement, as well as by their physical and sensory impairments. They need high levels of support to access learning and constant repetition of skills to embed learning.

Learners on the Holly Pathway learn through sensorimotor exploration, intensive interaction and repetition. Their regulation and social differences mean they require high levels of support to work alongside others and build on previously learnt skills. Many learners may have significant physical / sensory impairments and medical needs.

Learners on Chestnut Pathway are generally able to cope with whole class learning but require high levels of small group and paired work to ensure their individualised learning needs can be best met. They are generally motivated to interact with others and can form friendship groups, although many need the support of an adult to scaffold social interactions effectively.

Learners on the Pine Pathway have complex access needs due to their significant physical disabilities and associated medical needs. This means that they are unable to demonstrate their cognitive abilities without significant environmental access and highly individualised and specialised communication and physical support. Social and play skills are reliant on the expertise of attuned communication partners.

Manor Campus

Ash

Hawthorn

Rowan

Learners on the Ash Pathway generally cope with learning as a class group but they require high levels of adult support to regulate, engage in learning and interact with their peers as part of a social group. With this support they are able to generalise skills across learning contexts.

Learners on the Hawthorn Pathway can access a broad and increasingly complex curriculum with adult scaffolding and predictable routines. They are developing independence, regulation, and adaptive communication, and benefit from structured support to engage socially, generalise skills, and navigate learning across contexts.

Learners on the Rowan Pathway have significant difficulties coping with stress affecting their ability to feel safe within social and academic situations. They manage their stress by avoiding adult directed activities and using their communication and language skills to structure and control their environment and social interactions with adults and peers. This means they often struggle to learn in conventional ways.