The Ark

Teaching and learning

It is recognised that children in the Ark need access to a wide range of learning opportunities and not just the academic skills. Children need teaching and learning to cover social interaction, communication skills, emotional regulation and sensory regulation techniques. It is also important that children are taught life skills, particularly those that will keep themselves and others safe. The Ark is highly structured and each child accesses a curriculum tailored to their individual needs and ability, using targets acquired from our assessments.

In the Ark we offer three curriculum pathways in order to develop and support the needs of individual learners. Each curriculum pathway is carefully planned to help motivate the children to learn, making use of interests and learning styles. Children have individual targets that are incorporated into everyday teaching across the learning environments.

The pathways in the ARP are pre-formal (sensory based/engagement), semi-formal explorers and semi-formal challengers. Then there are the formal learners (mainstream).

All children take part in daily small group sessions. The focus of these group sessions is to practice social skills such as sitting in close proximity, turn taking and sitting at a table as a group. This aids with integration into mainstream and teaches group skills. All staff work as leaders in group sessions. It is important that children respond to all staff equally.

The role of staff

The Ark is well staffed by a team of two teachers and five teaching assistants. The ARP manager, Mrs Robinson, works closely with the Ark lead teacher to monitor and maintain a high standard of teaching and learning across both classes. All staff engage in regular and ongoing training related to autism teaching and learning.

One of the main strengths of the Ark is that staff know all the children extremely well and can ensure that provision is tailored to their individual needs. Good communication and team work between adult’s results in a consistent approach and all members of the team are highly valued, with all staff leading group sessions.

Staff are encouraged to share ideas and contribute to all aspects of the Ark including group planning, physical structure of the environment and implementation of the development plan. It is, however, the responsibility of the teachers to make final decisions.

The role of Parents

We recognise the important contribution parents make to their child’s learning and work hard to communicate with parents regularly, either in person, by phone, email/WEDUC or via the home-

school communication books. It is the expectation that parents will check WEDUC regularly to keep up to date with school information.

Parents are encouraged to communicate any pertinent information. We recognise that our children may have challenging moments at home and on the way to school. Parents are encouraged to share this information with staff in order for us to adapt the day to ensure that a child is calm and available for learning.

Covid restrictions permitting, we aim to hold a termly event where parents are encouraged celebrate their child’s successes. These events provide a chance to form positive relationships with our parents, provide an informal setting to share advice and give parents an opportunity to access support as well as building a parent network.

Mainstream

Children in the Ark are also allocated a mainstream class appropriate to their age. Children are able to join their mainstream classes’ dependent upon the individual emotional, sensory and regulatory needs of each child, and is judged on a daily basis. If a child is dysregulated, in crisis or shows through their behaviour that they do not want to be in mainstream, they may remain in the Ark.