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OUR CURRICULUM

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🌟 Willow Park School – Teaching & Learning Overview 🌟
At Willow Park, we believe every child is unique and learns best through play, relationships, and sensory experiences. Our curriculum is designed to help children communicate, explore, and grow in confidence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

🧭 Our Learning Pathways
We offer three pathways to match each child’s needs:


•    🌱 Curious Pathway (Pre-Formal)
For children at the earliest stages of learning. Focuses on sensory play, trust-building, and early communication. Activities include music, movement, and exploring textures.


•    🌿 Engaged Pathway (Informal)
For children developing independence and communication. Learning is play-based and sensory-rich, helping children build relationships and express themselves.


•    🌳 Flourishing Pathway (Semi-Formal)
For children ready for more structured learning. Combines life skills, early reading and maths, and real-world experiences to support independence and confidence.


🗣️ Communication is Key
We use many tools to help children communicate with adults and friends, including:
•    Makaton signs
•    Picture boards (PECS)
•    Now and Next boards
•    Visual timetables
•    Personalised AAC tools
These help children make choices, express feelings, and join in with others.


🧠 What about reading and maths?
We do teach early reading and number skills—but not in the same way as mainstream schools. Instead of formal lessons, we use real-life, playful moments to introduce these ideas. For example:
•    Counting scoops of sand in a tray 
•    Spotting numbers on a walk 
•    Exploring books through touch, sound, and pictures 
•    Singing songs with rhymes and rhythms
These small, meaningful steps help children build understanding in a way that feels natural, fun, and achievable.


🎲 Learning Through Play
Play is at the heart of everything we do. Children learn to:
•    Explore on their own
•    Play alongside others
•    Share and take turns
•    Work together in group play
Staff gently guide children to build these skills through fun, meaningful activities.
 

🧩 Supporting Children with Autism
Children with autism often learn in a different way. While most people build understanding through web-like connections (called schemas), autistic learners may develop more rigid, ladder-like schemas. This means they might learn something well in one setting but struggle to use that knowledge in a different situation.
For example, a child might learn to count to 100 using counters, but if you ask them to count 8 cups, they may not be able to do it—because their learning is tightly linked to the counters only.
At Willow Park, we understand this. That’s why we:
•    Teach through repetition and routine
•    Use real-life, hands-on experiences
•    Support learning across different settings
•    Focus on generalising skills (using them in more than one place)
This helps children build flexible understanding and apply what they’ve learned in everyday life.
 

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"...his progress has been nothing short of phenomenal!"...a Willow Park Parent 2025

"We found the atmosphere in school to be splendid and the staff caring and effective"...a Willow Park Parent 2025

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