An Overview of the Semi Formal Curriculum at Mowbray school.
Semi-formal curriculum recognises that many of our pupils and students have a range of complex learning difficulties and disabilities and continues to develop skills that purposeful and beneficial to our pupils. It is an approach based on the pupil further improving their communicative and reasoning ability, as well as continuing to acquire early learning skills.
The curriculum promotes the development of thinking skills, creative & expressive learning and is designed to be developmentally appropriate. It enables all pupils to take part in activities that are engaging, meaningful to them and provide relevant and challenging goals that ultimately benefit their lives.
Our semi-formal curriculum is delivered primarily through a thematic based approach, which provides a holistic, integrated teaching method that promotes coverage of the curriculum through interconnected activities, where concepts are connected to and reinforced by the other through a common theme, allowing pupils to make real life connections resulting in richer understanding. It is a curriculum for pupils and students who learn best when learning is related to their own experiences. It is evidenced that many children & young people learn more effectively through functional activities or through topic-based approaches.
Delivery of areas of learning such as mathematical concepts and literacy skills may be delivered as discrete subjects dependent on the needs of the individual learner.
This is the curriculum followed by pupils in the Lodge (3NC) and The Bungalow (3/4JR)
Broad Curriculum Areas are as follows
• Communication and Interaction
• Cognition and learning
• Personal and Physical Development (inc. sensory)
• Skills for life – Preparation for Adulthood.
