MOTIVATED, CREATIVE, CARING “LIFE CHANGING EDUCATION” OFSTED 2017

“a varied and
stimulating
curriculum
appropriate for
all the pupils” DISCOVERY EXPLORER ADVENTURER
(PRE FORMAL)
(SEMI FORMAL) (FORMAL)
Ofsted May 2017

The Discovery Curriculum

Our pre-formal curriculum is accessed by our PMLD/ Our aim is that all students
SLD students that are working within the lower P access a personalised
steps (P1-P3). Their curriculum focuses on four key
curriculum that helps them
areas, communication, cognition, physical
development and independence skills. Our pre- achieve exceptional
formal curriculum ensures learners working at the progress and lead happy and
earliest stages have sensory opportunities mapped to fulfilled lives.
their individual needs and next steps. Experiences are
repeated regularly to allow students to develop
familiarity and feel confident to interact.

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The Discovery Curriculum

The four areas of the explorer curriculum

are delivered across a variety of learning
programmes.

The image below shows how we map the four

curriculum areas across each learning programme…

Cognition Communication Physical Independent

Development Skills

Sensology
Sensory Haptic PSHCE Physical
stories Exploration Education

Music/TAC Sensory Art Technology/ Continuous

Switch work
PAC
Cooking Provision

The coloured stars reflect the four curriculum areas showing

where they are covered in each of the learning programmes.
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The Discovery Curriculum

Cognition involves…
1. Sensory Awareness: Reacting to, attending to, locating, tracking and showing differentiated
responses to visual and auditory stimuli, smells, tastes, tactile experiences, and the input from
proprioception (the 'position sense' – information from muscles and joints), and the vestibular
sense (sense of balance/ head and body movements).

2. Development of Attention Skills: Increasing focus on activities, objects, people. Attending

with decreasing support and cues.

3. Environmental Awareness: Awareness and response to events and environments.

Expectation of familiar / new events.

4. Concept Development: Object Permanence – knowing something exists when out of sight,
searching for items they can't see. Cause and Effect – awareness that their action will bring a
particular response.

5. Exploratory Behaviours: Visual and tactile exploration, beginning to explore more

purposefully and perform actions on objects.

6. Play: Manipulation e.g. pushing, pulling, holding and releasing. Combining objects, e.g.
stacking, using simple tools. Problem solving e.g. remembering how to use equipment, choosing
appropriate tool.

7. Joint Interactions: Joint attention with an adult on an object/event. Gaining adult attention
while using objects. Giving and showing objects to adult.

8. Sorting: By type, colour and size.

9. Matching: Matching using objects, photos and symbols.

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The Discovery Curriculum

Communication involves…
1. Sensory Awareness: Awareness of multi-sensory cues such as sounds, voices, objects, Objects of
Reference, Touch Cues. Making sense of these cues and beginning to be involved in using them to receive
information.

2. Anticipation: Anticipating within routines, and in response to a sign/ symbol/ object of reference etc.

3. Language Comprehension: Responding to adult voices, to their name and to other simple, familiar
spoken words.

4. Interactions: Developing pre-communicative behaviours such as turn taking, imitating, and making
use of natural gestures such as facial expressions, body movements and vocalisations.

5. Signalling: Attention seeking – enjoying and wanting to continue an interaction, using increasingly
consistent signals to gain someone's attention. Requesting – wanting an activity to continue/ wanting to
have an object, indicating 'more', initiating a request for an object/ activity. Choosing – having preferred
activities, showing preferences between real objects, choosing between photos/ objects of reference.

6. Vocalisation and Speech Development: Range of vocal sounds, intentionally vocalise for a
purpose, different vocalisations for different needs, copy sounds.

7. Interactions with Adults: Showing awareness of and responding to others. Initiating physical
contact. Seeking attention. Taking turns and imitating. Beginning to play.

8. Interactions with Peers: Showing awareness of and responding to others. Initiating physical
contact. Seeking attention. Taking turns and imitating. Beginning to play.

9. Awareness of Self: Showing awareness of own image in mirror and photos, awareness of name,
possessions and needs.

10. Choice Making: Showing preferences. Awareness of praise and reprimand.

11. Expressing Emotions: Expressing pleasure, surprise, frustration and anger.

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The Discovery Curriculum

Physical development involves…

1. Sensory Awareness: Awareness of a range of body movements and positions.
2. Fine Motor: Tolerating, maintaining and actively participating in: reaching, grasping, releasing,
manipulating
3. Gross Motor: Working towards actively participating in: sitting, standing, walking
4. Mobility: Working towards actively participating in: indoor mobility, outdoor mobility, water
mobility

Independent skills involves…

1. Understanding: Responding to a range of self-care routines, showing anticipation
and preferences, following sequences of routines.
2. Physical Participation: Moving from tolerance to engagement and active
participation in a range of self-care routines, e.g. dressing and undressing, washing,
drying, toileting and grooming.
3. Eating and drinking: Physical participation in eating and drinking, including jaw, lip,
tongue and cheek control, swallowing and negative/ positive responses to sensation.
Working towards finger feeding and using a cup and spoon.

The next part of this guide outlines how the

cognitive, communication, physical
development and independent skills curriculum
are delivered through a variety of learning
programmes… !5
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Sensology

Sensology is an educational approach emphasising

sensory stimulation. It covers the five basic senses
(see, hear, touch, smell, taste) but also the
movement- related sensory systems: the vestibular
(balance, head movements and gravity) and the
proprioceptive (body positions, body mapping and
planning movements). In a Sensology workout,
these senses are literally given a warm-up. Sessions
can be in groups or one-to-one and can be brief (five
minutes) or, if pupils have physical limitations or
take time to respond, delivered at a personalised
pace. A session begins with music that draws pupils
in. Everyone then takes turns identifying themselves
in a mirror, or another starting activity, which
usually starts the smiles and laughter. Then, one by
one, the senses are worked through. Each one is
named and indicated (e.g. “I have eyes”) and then
put to work. Working the eyes might involve bright
torches and reflective surfaces such as CDs. The
nose might use strong smells on cotton wool, such
as peppermint oil or vanilla. The ears would use a
drum, played quietly and then loud. The mouth
would be tastes: honey or icing sugar. The body
would involve movements such as rocking,
squeezing or patting, or perhaps tickling. The
session winds down with a goodbye song and
clapping.

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Sensory Stories

Sensory stories are multi sensory and excellent vehicles for delivering whole school or class
thematic topics in an interesting, exciting and wholly developmentally sympathetic manner.

The 10 essential elements of a story can be taken as:-

1. Give it a beginning – introduce the story by ‘sitting up straight’, ‘looking and listening’, ‘once upon
a time’ for younger learners, story chairs or cushions to indicate the speaker, an object of reference
and/or a musical cue for the story.
2. It should have relevance to the participants.
3. Use repetition – you just cannot get enough!! Use repetition in the story itself through a strap line
that’s repeated at regular intervals, rather like a short chorus in a song.
4. Keep the actual story/episode short – and therefore easily remembered – though the telling of it
may take half an hour or so, by the time you’ve introduced props and time for each learner to be
actively involved in the story.
5. Use all and every means of communication – signing, speaking, action, facial expression and
props – but remember that the best storytellers primarily use their voices to paint the pictures.
6. Use language selectively. You may use difficult language, but only if it has relevance to the story.
So you could make a sensory story from The Tempest and use the original Shakespeare as it has that
wonderful rhythmic quality which makes poetry such a
good base. Use call and response to bring out the rhythm.
7. Introduce sequences of dramatic events and make it
exactly the same every week in order to encourage
anticipation of events.
8. Make it exciting and dynamic. Give it emotional content
with at least one major high point in the story.
9. Give it an ending.
10. Build in (and allow) as much audience participation as
possible.

Once devised, the same story should be repeated atlas

weekly for at least half a term (and probably longer) so that
learners have a real opportunity to become familiar with it
and so practice their sequencing, turn taking, anticipatory
and memory skills – all essential base elements of
communication.

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Music/TACPAC

Music is a fantastic medium for motivating learners of all abilities, especially if we get away from the idea
of conventional tunes and allow, encourage, facilitate our PMLD learners to make musical notes for
themselves, especially using music technology. It really doesn’t matter what order the notes are in as long as
the learner is playing because they want to, rather than because they are being made to by hand over hand
holding of a drum stick or other beater. Nor do teachers need to able to play an instrument (though of course
it helps if you can) since the musical playing should be done by the learners rather than us.

Music can allow our learners to; have fun and to develop an inner satisfaction at communicating effectively;
tolerate the closeness of another person; enjoy being with another person; initiate and maintain social
interaction; develop and understand early communication, such as meaningful eye contact, body language,
facial expression, anticipation and turn-taking exchanges; develop sound production and vocal imitation
skills; explore and understand the given physical environment; and so much more!

TACPAC is a course of actions using different textures to music. It is a way of connecting physically with a
group of children whose experience of touch is often only functional, to meet their own needs or using hand
over hand. It combines the sense of touch and music through social interaction and is delivered via an
interaction between 2 people – a giver and a receiver. The session is structured and takes place in an
emotionally safe environment, clear of other sensory interferences.

There is a specifically composed piece of music specifically to match the texture and emotional quality of the
touch experience. The child hears what they see and what they feel on their skin; sensory alignment and
sensory reinforcement for seeing, hearing and touching. Their proprioceptive system is receiving regular
steady input and giving them opportunities to further develop spatial awareness.

Soundabout Resonance boards are a focal point for musical activities and are invaluable for
bringing a group together. With children sitting or lying on or around them, staff and children can create
sound and rhythm games together and build sound conversations. If children lie on the board, they can feel
the sound resonating through their whole body. 

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Haptic Exploration

The items involved in Haptic exploration link to the key stage themes:

It is suggested that we teach properties of items through a guided/facilitated approach involving exploration
of specific items from the environment.

Placing items under cloths whilst going through the sequence will encourage students to become familiar
with the routine, whilst also using their touch & cognitive skills to recognise the item.

Use fun familiar items, a real carrot, a pebble, a lump of play dough etc., giving lots of opportunity for
facilitated exploration with the appropriate movements to experience hard, and soft, rough smooth.
According to responses move on the learning to the next in the sequence.

A formalised approach to investigating items in the environment is likely to allow students to continue to
gain information regarding the item – giving hardness, temperature, texture, cues, as well as environmental
context.

It is recommended that initially the procedure approaching the exploration is in the same order – ensuring
that the last exploration results in the appropriate use of any functional item. i.e. hat on etc. Language used
in exploration should focus on the item, e.g. hard ball, or soft sock.

Carry out the “exploration” whilst encouraging movement as appropriate to the occasion up, down, hide it
behind you etc., fun!

Exploratory procedures in relation to object

properties.

Exploratory procedure – lateral motion, pressure,

static contact, unsupported holding, enclosure and
contour following.

Object property – texture, hardness, temperature,

weight, global shape/volume and global shape/exact
shape.

Suggested sequence for Haptic/sensory exploration:

Texture (Lateral Motion)

Hardness (Finger Pressure)
Temperature (Static Contact)
Weight (Unsupported Holding)
Shape (Contour Following)
Enclosure (Shape & Volume followed by function)

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PSHCE

Community and integration activities:

PMLD pupils form a small but growing number of children in generic special schools.
‘Fitting in’ is not always easy or considered appropriate by everyone. It is, therefore,
important to raise the profile of our pupils. Opportunities within school are usually
around social activities, workshops etc. but where ever possible appropriate academic
integration should be facilitated. Being part of the wider community should be a regular
activity for all pupils and can take many different forms from a walk to the local park,
shops, cafe, library etc. to joining in local clubs. Encouraging groups /individual pupils
from mainstream schools to come into school to help with activities such as Tac pac etc.,
as well as arranging return visits by our pupils. These are excellent ways of developing
links within the wider community.

Nature Detectives:

This is an exciting and unique learning opportunity for pupils with PMLD and sensory
impairment to learn through what they do, through what they encounter and through
what they discover. In this sensory project our pupils will learn about outdoor
environments, themselves and each other, while also learning outdoor skills. These
experiences will compound and consolidate the pupils’ learning skills of enquiry,
experiment, responses, reflection and cooperative learning. Activities will take place in a
variety of places, including natural environments where the pupils can see, hear, touch
and smell the real thing in an arena where actions have real results and consequences.

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Sensory Cooking

SENSORY COOKERY
This is another classic process based activity that allows an infinite
variety of sensory exploration and experience for pupils with PMLD.
For those wishing to equate traditional National Curriculum subjects
to this document, cookery is a fantastic vehicle for mathematical
thinking and scientific exploration. Depending on the cognitive
abilities of the learner, just the process of baking a cake covers areas
like size, quantity, position, measurement, weight, structure of
properties, temperature, sequencing, cause and effect, estimation,
counting, addition and subtraction, fractions, division etc. The state of
the finished cake is neither here nor there – this is process based
teaching and learning rather than objectives (skills) based teaching
and learning - of course we can always buy a cake to eat at the end of
the lesson!

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Physical Education

Hydrotherapy and Physiotherapy

Formal sessions of both physiotherapy and hydrotherapy will clearly need the input of the
Physiotherapy department, but there is much that we can do in the classroom, especially if
we encourage the physiotherapists to give us practical and do- able programmes for each
learner who needs one. For this reason we work in close partnership with the
physiotherapists.

Rebound

Rebound Therapy is primarily a form of physiotherapy, although the benefits of it are clear
for children and young people with a wide range of physical skills and abilities. It does not
have to be delivered by a physiotherapist, although at Riverbank Academy it is delivered by
staff with specific training.

It uses trampolines to provide therapeutic exercises to people with a wide variety of

disabilities and additional needs. The therapy involves the adult using the moving bed of
the trampoline to promote movement, and different sensations, in the
[Link]

Sensory Massage

Pupils with PMLD are likely to have

very little awareness of their own
bodies. They may not know how their
body parts are connected (our
proprioceptive sense) and may not
know where their bodies are in relation
to the space around them (our
vestibular sense). These two
kinaesthetic senses need to be worked
on as much as the conventional five,
and massage can be an excellent focus.
Massage sessions might: concentrate on a particular area of the body per half term; last for
at least 20 minutes; use base oils but not essential oils (which may cause sensory
confusion); be a quiet, calming and relaxing activity.

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Technology/Switch Work

Technology:

The use of technology across the curriculum is vital to support choice-

making, access and communication skills, such as switches and touch screen
devices. Facilities like the sensory room help students to learn they have
control over the environment and develop a sense of cause and effect.

Switch work:

Children with severe physical disabilities or profound and multiple learning

difficulties find it very difficult to control their environment. They are denied
many of the early learning and interactive experiences other children have. In
order to provide activities that they can control, it has become common to use
simple, battery operated toys and other devices which can be adapted for
switch use. In a similar way mains operated equipment can [Link] these
devices a simple, single switch can be used to provide control over equipment
that the user would otherwise find impossible to operate for themselves.

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Art

Art
Art and messy play are key elements of the sensory curriculum.
The emphasis will always be on the process not the product.
Students’ start to develop sensory awareness and showing
preferences for one texture over another. It also supports physical
development, through reaching and stretching or making finger
patterns.

Care needs to be taken to ensure that learners are participants

rather than merely observers (of the adults making the work) or
possibly worse, objects to do things to – making learners put their
hands in paint in order to create a picture full of handprints for
example. Like music above – we need to move away from the
idea of conventional paintings, and allow, encourage, facilitate
our PMLD learners to make art for themselves. The key to
teaching Art is that the process of undertaking the sensory
experiences relating to the materials and the cognitive
experiences derived from combining materials is far more
important than the finished work.

Continuous Provision

Continuous Provision - This part of our Discovery curriculum recognises that

no day is ever the same. Occasionally, curriculum adaptations need to be made on a
lesson by lesson, day by day basis. When an adaptation is made to a timetable to
support the individual needs we refer to this as continuing provision. This is
designed to support the happy and safe culture that underpins all of our curriculum
models at Riverbank. This could involve and is not limited to any of the curriculum
areas outlined above.

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Assessment Method
Students’ progress will be monitored in annual reviews
and recorded using seven engagement indicators…

Responsiveness: Assessment of responsiveness should evaluate any change in a pupil’s behaviour that demonstrates he
or she is being attentive to a new stimulus or reacting in a meaningful way. This type of assessment is important for
establishing what differing stimuli motivate a pupil to pay attention. This is a prerequisite for learning. It is particularly
relevant for assessing pupils with multiple sensory impairments who have reduced and/or atypical sensory awareness and

Curiosity: Assessment of curiosity demonstrates how a pupil is building on an initial reaction to a new stimulus, perhaps by
reaching out or seeking the source of a new stimulus.

Discovery: Assessment of discovery provides information about the changing ways in which a pupil interacts with, or
responds to, a new stimulus, sometimes accompanied by expressions such as enjoyment and excitement. Curiosity and
discovery are closely linked. At a more advanced point of development they both help to demonstrate a pupil’s degree of
interest in, and exploration of, activities and concepts. These both help to drive the acquisition of new knowledge and skills.

Anticipation: Assessment of anticipation should demonstrate whether a pupil is able to predict, expect or associate a
particular stimulus with an event. This is important for measuring a pupil’s concept of cause and effect.

Persistence: Assessment of persistence measures the extent to which a pupil is sustaining attention towards a particular
item or action and is therefore beginning to develop conceptual understanding. The ability to sustain attention is important
for maintaining an activity long enough to develop the learning associated with it and for consolidating that learning.

Initiation: Assessment of initiation demonstrates the different ways, and extent to which, a pupil investigates an activity or
stimulus in order to bring about a desired outcome. It is an important part of developing the autonomy required for more
advanced cognitive development and learning.

Investigation: Assessment of investigation measures the extent to which a pupil is actively trying to find out more about an
object or activity via prolonged, independent experimentation. This demonstrates a more advanced degree of autonomy than

Routes for learning is also adopted where the seven

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Capturing Evidence

Evidence is captured in a variety Each student will have:

of ways:
x1 Engagement Steps
Video Assessment folder

x1 Learning Journal

Annotated photographs
Written observations, including
post-its, completed by staff team
and other professionals

Formal accreditation documents

r nal
Technology/ Music/ TAC Art Jo u
Switch work PAC

Sensory Sensory PSHCE

Stories Cooking

Physical Sensology Haptic

Education Exploration

Continuous
Provision

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