Base 1: Meadows
Base 1 provides a calm, nurturing and highly structured environment for pupils working within EYFS and early KS1 developmental pathways. Learning begins through play, sensory exploration, intensive interaction and co-regulation, progressing towards more structured participation when pupils are ready. Visual timetables, communication systems, predictable routines and individual workstations support engagement and security. The curriculum prioritises functional communication, early literacy, phonics, practical maths, physical development, emotional regulation and independence. Themes begin with familiar experiences, including self, family, toys, growing and the local environment. Teaching is practical, repetitive and personalised around pupils’ EHCP outcomes, developmental assessments and individual communication needs.
Our Curriculum
Our Teaching Approaches and Evidence-Informed SEND Practice
Teaching in the Base is rooted in quality-first teaching adapted through specialist knowledge of autism, communication development, sensory regulation and learning differences.
Key approaches include visual timetables, first-then boards and now-and-next supports; TEACCH-informed structured teaching; Attention Autism; intensive interaction; PECS, Makaton, gestures and AAC; social stories and comic strip conversations; sensory circuits, movement breaks and sensory diets; and concrete, highly scaffolded modelling and repetition.
The curriculum also makes use of motivating themes such as WOW Wednesdays and Food Fridays, alongside carefully chosen texts and practical, experiential learning opportunities that connect subject learning with pupil interests and real-life function.
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Preparation for adulthood is the central thread that runs through all that we do. The school prioritises successful preparation for adulthood through learning that develops independence, social understanding, decision-making, self-care, communication, community participation and wellbeing.
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Across the year, the curriculum is organised through six themes: Self-Awareness, The World I Live In, Managing Feelings, Healthy Lifestyles, Self-Care, Support and Safety, and Changing and Growing. These themes are structured through Milestones 1–6, enabling pupils to progress from early engagement and identification to reasoning and increasing independence.
