The Learning Experience
What does our curriculum provide?
- An awareness and understanding of the ‘big picture’.
- Focused teaching of ‘autism specific’ learning skills.
- Progression throughout a child’s education and beyond.
- Links between education and residential support to enhance learning and life skills.
- A well balanced, relevant and purposeful curriculum which meets the needs of the individual learners.
- Consistent delivery of the curriculum across all educational and residential sites which provides a Total Learning Environment.
- The school provides an autism-focussed structured curriculum encompassing language development, cognitive skills, life skills, physical education and social training.
Hope Lodge School offers a secure and structured environment, in which all staff follow a consistent approach to behaviour management where pupils are encouraged to develop strategies for self management and coping with change. Through positive intervention all pupils have the opportunity to demonstrate and celebrate achievement and develop enhanced self esteem.
- Hope Lodge School services benefit from; a Speech and Language Therapist, an Occupational Therapist, Music Teacher, Behaviour Support Team, Psychologists, a Psychiatrist, a Paediatrician and an Independent Body (to prepare reports on the establishment).
- Students are grouped according to Key Stage, ability and peer group. Classes vary in size from 6-8 students placed according to need and complexity.
- In order for students to reach their potential we offer a structured, broad and balanced curriculum within a calm, consistent and purposeful environment.
Access to the community is seen as an important part of our students' development and trips to support learning are scheduled on a weekly basis. Students are also encouraged, where appropriate, to attend services at our local church at certain points in the year. Religious instruction takes place as part of the taught curriculum.
We have high expectations geared to each
individual and are committed to helping our students reach their full
potential. We also encourage students to have a voice within the school and
society and we give opportunities for a range of issues to be discussed via the Student Council Meetings which meet once a term.
Some students exist in highly anxious states and find
communication difficult. This can lead to some challenging behaviours. We have
a strong ethos of positive management and a detailed policy on the use of physical
management. Staff are trained in pro-active, as well as reactive, strategies to
support students and training is regularly reviewed.
