Curriculum Overview
Our Curriculum Vision
At Broadmeadow Special School, we believe every child deserves an ambitious, meaningful and personalised education that enables them to thrive academically, socially and emotionally.
Our curriculum is designed around our vision:
Together We Enable and Motivate
We recognise that every pupil learns differently. Through a combination of high-quality teaching, therapeutic approaches and personalised pathways, we support pupils to develop communication, independence, emotional wellbeing and lifelong learning skills.
Our curriculum prepares pupils for their next stage of education by focusing on what matters most: communication, relationships, self-regulation, independence, engagement and achievement.
Curriculum Pathways
To ensure learning is matched appropriately to pupil need, Broadmeadow’s curriculum is organised into four pathways. These pathways reflect how pupils learn rather than their age or diagnosis and provide a personalised journey from their individual starting points.
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage access a curriculum based on the EYFS Framework, providing engaging, play-based learning experiences that promote exploration, communication and development.
Learning focuses on:
- Communication and Language
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Physical Development
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
Our EYFS environment provides a nurturing foundation for future learning and development.
Explore Pathway
The Explore Pathway supports pupils who are developing engagement, early communication and foundational learning skills.
Learning is practical, sensory and highly personalised, focusing on:
- Exploration and curiosity
- Developing attention and engagement
- Cause and effect
- Early communication
- Sensory experiences
- Building relationships
- Independence skills
Pupils learn best through hands-on activities and structured opportunities to explore their environment.
Connect Pathway
The Connect Pathway supports pupils who are developing their ability to communicate, interact and make connections across their learning.
Learning focuses on:
- Communication and interaction
- Early literacy and numeracy
- Emotional regulation
- Social understanding
- Building independence
- Developing resilience
- Applying skills across different contexts
Pupils begin to make links between experiences and apply their learning in increasingly meaningful ways.
Evolve Pathway
The Evolve Pathway supports pupils who are developing greater independence and subject-specific knowledge.
Learning focuses on:
- Applying literacy and mathematical skills
- Developing problem-solving skills
- Broadening knowledge and understanding
- Independent learning
- Preparation for life beyond Broadmeadow
- Personal responsibility and self-advocacy
Pupils are encouraged to transfer their learning across different curriculum areas and real-life situations.
Our Therapeutic Curriculum
At Broadmeadow, wellbeing is viewed as the foundation for learning.
Many pupils require support to develop communication, emotional regulation, sensory processing and social interaction skills before they can successfully engage in academic learning. Our therapeutic curriculum runs alongside and through all aspects of school life.
Our therapeutic offer includes:
- Intensive Interaction
- Therapeutic Play
- Rebound Therapy
- Attention Autism approaches
- Sensory integration-informed practice
- Makaton
- PECS
- Emotional literacy and regulation strategies
- Forest School
- Personalised sensory support programmes
These approaches help pupils feel safe, regulated and ready to learn.
Communication at the Heart of Learning
Communication is embedded throughout our curriculum.
We operate a total communication approach, recognising and valuing all forms of communication. Pupils may communicate using:
- Spoken language
- Makaton signing
- Objects of reference
- Symbols
- Communication boards
- PECS
- AAC devices
- Assistive technology
By developing effective communication skills, we empower pupils to express their needs, make choices, build relationships and engage confidently with the world around them.
Assessment and Progress
Evidence for Learning
At Broadmeadow, assessment should be meaningful, responsive and focused on individual progress.
We use Evidence for Learning to capture and celebrate pupils’ learning journeys. This provides a rich picture of progress over time and ensures achievements are recognised in a way that reflects how our pupils learn.
Evidence may include:
- Photographs
- Video observations
- Examples of work
- Staff observations
- Pupil voice
- Parent and family contributions
This allows us to celebrate both significant milestones and small but important steps of progress.
Measuring Progress
Assessment is used to:
- Inform future teaching and learning
- Monitor progress towards EHCP outcomes
- Track engagement and participation
- Assess communication development
- Monitor social, emotional and independence skills
- Identify next steps in learning
We focus on the progress each pupil makes from their individual starting point, ensuring learning remains ambitious, personalised and relevant.
Working in Partnership with Families
Parents and carers are central to the assessment process.
Evidence for Learning enables families to see and celebrate learning as it happens and contribute their own observations from home. This strengthens the partnership between school and home and provides a fuller picture of each child’s development.
Learning for Life
Our curriculum extends beyond academic outcomes.
We aim to develop young people who are:
- Confident communicators
- Independent learners
- Resilient individuals
- Active members of their community
- Prepared for future transitions
Through meaningful experiences, therapeutic support and ambitious teaching, we enable every pupil to achieve their potential and flourish.
