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​​Curriculum Pathway - Discover​
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As part of our Discover Pathway, we provide children with the skills and knowledge to strengthen and build on the foundations from the Explore Pathway. This enables them to begin to access some subject specific learning to support progression onto the Connect Pathway. The Discovery Pathway recognises that children may not have all the skills, as of yet, to fully access learning at formal level so combines aspects of subject specific learning alongside other skills (i.e. attention, problem solving, motor skills etc.) at a non-formal level.
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Our Discover Pathway learners still require a relatively high level of adult support, both for their learning needs and their social and personal care needs, and are likely to still need sensory stimulation with their curriculum broken down into small steps. Some of our learners on this pathway are pre-verbal and communicate by gesture, eye-pointing, and at times very simple language or vocalisations. Other children on this pathway may have strong speaking and listening skills but have needs in other areas. Children on our Discover Pathway are usually supported by an Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
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We understand that our Discover children unlikely to follow a straight, linear pathway because of their individual needs and strengths. We recognise that there needs to be fluidity between our pathways for these children, allowing for a more personalised approach at times, and we achieve this by knowing our children, their strengths and their needs exceptionally well.
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What is the aim of our Discover Pathway?
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 To be successful learners who enjoy and contribute to their own learning and make progress and achieve.
 To develop confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives.
 To develop responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society.
​​​How do we do this?
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​We provide opportunities for learners to:
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Engage in reciprocal social interactions with familiar and unfamiliar people.
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Develop strong relationships with peers and adults.
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Interact with the wider environment and the world around them.
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Take part in experiential learning with exposure to new topics/themes.
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Develop their readiness for learning through emotional and sensory regulation, routines and relationships with adults and peers.
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Build up skills and learning across the 7 areas of learning working up to the Early Learning Goals, including functional life skills, with a focus on Literacy and Maths. their readiness for learning through emotional and sensory regulation, routines and relationships with adults and peers.
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Access initial elements of specific subjects (for areas of strength) across National Curriculum KS1 using Birmingham Toolkit to support monitoring of small steps.
​​​​​​​​What is the impact?​
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Children receive a broad and balanced curriculum offer based around the '7 Main areas of learning' and our Preparation for Life commitment. This curriculum offer is personalised for their needs (academic, social, emotional, physical and sensory), in line with their own level of development and appropriately adapted for their age.
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Children are encouraged, and supported, to join their peers in class and at break and lunchtime, where possible, and are be given the same opportunities as other children in accessing (with additional support or adaptations if required) whole school events, extra curricular trips and enrichment opportunities. Children also begin to join in with small group learning activities and whole class learning inputs and activities for specific subjects dependent on their needs.
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The achievements of children are be recognised via. regular monitoring and assessment using a range of assessment tools, including: our own Discovery Steps Framework, Birmingham Toolkit and/or Boxall Profiling, . These are shared regularly with parents and carers, via Evidence for Learning, as a way of celebrating their child's achievements as well as recording progress towards individual EHCP outcomes and/or PSP Targets.
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