Teaching & Learning
Our school has a dedicated staff team who have vast experience supporting pupils with Autism, Asperger’s, social, communication learning difficulties and moderate learning difficulties. We have a high staff to pupil ratio across the school with the flexibility to teach in small classes, small groups and the expertise to provide bespoke interventions. We have three teaching and learning teams with a wide range of teaching expertise which spans across the:
- Provision Classes
- Primary Class
- Secondary Classes
All our staff are passionate and committed to providing bespoke education and care.
Our curriculum is broad and balanced. It is aligned to the national curriculum for both primary and secondary aged pupils but it is also carefully designed to meet the individual needs of our pupils. Our curriculum is embedded into an autistic-friendly environment and taught by staff with a profound understanding and empathy for the challenges facing many of our pupils.
Social skills, life skills, communication and interaction are emphasised in the curriculum, along with teaching respect and a moral understanding of difference and diversity. Our pupils are able to access a wide range of enrichment opportunities both in the formal and informal areas of the curriculum which enable them to increase in confidence, enjoy learning and grow in independence.
As pupils progress throughout the school they have the opportunity to gain a wide range of experiences, nationally recognised qualifications and develop skills which will prepare them for life beyond Northcott.
We have a designated Careers Lead and trained form tutors who liaise with Connexions to support our pupils (and their families) when making post-16 choices. As part of our commitment to informing our pupils of the full range of learning and training pathways on offer to them, we involve partner businesses in work placement as well as experience opportunities.
Our Provision classes provide the highest level of support for pupils struggling with emotional regulation, social interaction, communication and behaviour management in a protected, carefully managed environment. Pupils with the most complex needs have a personalised timetable, Individual Progress Plans, De-escalation plans and or Sensory plans as needed.
In our primary class, we follow the Primary National Curriculum and adapt it to meet the needs of all our pupils. Our pupils enjoy the security of established routine in a creative environment, with access to a wide range of indoor and outdoor spaces that supports their sensory needs and encourages social interaction, independence, and regulation. We also believe that, whilst our pupils need a certain level of predictability, learning through play is essential for their social and emotional development.
Here at Northcott, we offer a safe, nurturing and caring environment that allows each child to flourish and develop to their full potential by providing a curriculum that is tailored to meet each child’s individual needs. We build firm foundations of literacy and numeracy, on which children can build as they move through the school. The pupils enjoy cross curricula topic work in humanities and science and theme days, often working with projects such as Colours of Music or Lab Rascalswho provide specialist enrichment for our pupils.
Our pupils in both key-stage 3 and key-stage 4 follow the national curriculum. We provide a secondary curriculum which is very similar to mainstream but in smaller classes, in a protected environment which supports pupils with social communication, interaction learning needs. Our curriculum combines core, foundation and statutory subjects alongside lessons which: improve communication and social interaction; builds independence and resilience; and prepares our pupils for life post-16.
Extended School & After School Clubs
After School Clubs run on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 3.35 p.m. to 4.45 p.m..
In these clubs pupils can do: sports activities; life skills such as cooking; social skills; senior’s computing; even art therapy activities. Pupils can choose to relax and socialise in our music room, or community space where they can play snooker, watch a film or go to our library.