Our Cognition and Learning Curriculum

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Maths

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Intent: Maths is a skill that we use constantly and is an essential part of everyday life. We believe that unlocking mathematical fluency is a vital life skill for all learners and is a pre-requisite to being able to reason and solve problems mathematically. Our aim is to develop a positive culture of deep understanding, confidence and competence in maths that produces strong, secure learning.

 

We intend for children to develop a love and enthusiasm for maths that will grow and empower them in future life.  

Here at Green Park our pathways consist of pre formal, semi formal and formal learners.  

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The Pre-Formal Pathway curriculum for Cognition and Challenge recognises that learners with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) have unique ways of learning and that learning is unlikely to follow a straight, linear pathway because of the nature of PMLD learners’ individual needs and strengths.  

 

Learners following the Pre-Formal Pathway curriculum for Cognition (Maths)  

• Receive immediate and consistent feedback in their responses.   

• Receive opportunities to interact and to respond to the actions of others.  

• Learn holistically following a curriculum that is interconnected.  

• Learn in a responsive and immersive environment that develops social, communicative and cognitive skills.   

• Have the opportunity to build on prior learning, repeating, practising and consolidating skills in a consistent way.   

• Will be supported to generalise and transfer skills.  

• Have access to personalised learning, using specialised teaching approaches.   

• Receive a curriculum that is adapted to reflect their interests and motivations to engage them.  

• Need different levels of sensory stimulation.  

• Communication and Language,

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development 

• Physical Development.   

 

A broad and balanced curriculum is achieved through accessing content from the full pre-formal curriculum including Cognition and Challenge, and also through the School cycles of termly classroom cross-curricular themes.   

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Our semi formal learners will work start on Number blocks progressing to Numicon.. Each program builds on skills that are transferred to show progression.   

 

Numicon  

Numicon a multi-sensory way of learning mathematics, which means children learn by seeing and feeling. This is great for kinaesthetic learners – children who learn by doing. Physical resources like the colourful Numicon Shapes are an important part of Numicon. The holes in the Numicon Shapes represent the numbers 1 to 10.  

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• Tessellation - patterns on the base board  

• Visualisation - the shapes impress the mind’s eye – improving mental maths  

• Language – Spontaneous- integral part of learning  

• Concrete – visual, tangible – develops understanding of number  

• Matching: plates to plates on the number line, random matching, plates to patterns on base board fitting pegs to reinforce pattern.  

 

There are 9 broad stages.  

• Counting  

• Introducing Numicon shapes  

• Ordering Numicon shapes  

• Focusing on patterns of Numicon shapes  

• Connecting Numicon shapes with number names and numerals  

• Working with Numicon patterns  

• Introducing addition  

• Introducing subtraction  

• Starting to think mathematically.  

 

Numicon assessments take place each half term to track progress and next steps.   

  

Our formal learners will progress to White Rose Maths .

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The White Rose SOL takes the main learning objectives from the national curriculum and breaks them down into teaching blocks across each term. Time is built in for maths assessments and for recapping at the end of the term. The topics into which the curriculum is broken down are known as the White Rose small steps.  

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At the end of each blocked unit of work, the children complete the carefully aligned White Rose Maths ‘End of Unit Assessment’. The outcome of this is used by the teacher to ensure that any identified gaps in understanding can be addressed before the next unit is taught. Each child’s scores are input on a class spreadsheet, which provides an overview of achievement in each specific area within the programme of study.  

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Number Blocks

 

Foundational Math Skills: Number blocks focuses on building foundational math skills such as counting, addition, subtraction, and more. The progressive nature of the content ensures that students grasp these concepts at their own pace, laying a solid groundwork for future mathematical understanding.

 

How does Number blocks help? To put it simply, Number blocks engages children in maths because the characters are the maths and they behave in mathematical ways. In the show, Number block Two combines with Number block Three and makes Number block Five. Try asking your child to explain why this happens. When we put two and three together, they make five - this is just natural logic. When children are able to make this connection, they are thinking in mathematical ways.

 

Science

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Science covers a range of topics to develop reasoning. Students at the earliest stages of development find reasoning challenging. They benefit from practical, concrete experiences that help to develop deeper understanding. Opportunities to think through real situations are planned on a regular basis and included when planning for personalised learning.

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Computing & ESafety

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The curriculum is designed to provide students a safe and secure environment conducive to learning the basic skills of Computing. Pupils are taught how to stay safe online on a regular basis and it is referred to in our Programme of Study for Safeguarding. Computers and devices are used to enhance learning and promote higher levels of communication that meet the needs of our learners.

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