Welcome to Alder

Instructor - Elm Rachel Sanders
Photo of Rachel Sanders

        Welcome to Alder Class!! 😃

We are a small PMLD unit which consists of 10 pupils aged from 4 years to 17 years, we have 8 staff members working with us each day. We all have very high sensory, physical and medical needs. All of our learning is done via a total sensory and communication approach. We have our own tailored PMLD curriculum and use the engagement model which we follow alongside all of our own EHCP learning outcomes to help us to meet all of our learning.  We spend some of our day as a whole group for some key session’s within in the day such as morning and home time routine, physio, massage, dance, parachute sessions as well as snack and dinner time. We have two classrooms next to each other with our own outdoor space to extend or learning into the outdoor area. During times in the day we split into the two classes into two smaller mixed ability groups to focus on some key skills. Some of these sessions include communication, switch work, stories, problem solving and interaction sessions. Alongside all of this we like to go out in the community on trips, mix with other classes around school for focused play sessions and key SMSC days, we have 2 hydro sessions a week and 1 rebound session. We are very busy throughout the week and love to learn through having lots of fun, learning through play and exploration.

ALDER timetable – Spring term 1 – 25/26

Spring Term 1 25/26Curriculum Info for parents: Topic - Seasons
Strand and ProfileProfiles in ClassIdeas for Home
Communication and Literacy As a class in Talk for Writing we will be exploring the book- ‘Cold’ By Tim McCanna. We will continue to do some individual sharing of books, story time in small groups with story sacks, bag books and listening to stories on the interactive screen. All pupils will have their own tailored communication 1-1 sessions, which link to their EHCP outcomes. Explore any books and stories about Winter - either on You Tube or hard copies of books Listen to the story ‘Cold’ By Tim Macanna being read on You Tube by a couple of people — see which ones your child responds to best.
Mathematics and Problem SolvingSome Activities that Alder class will be focusing on this half term will be as follows: - Mark making in shaving foam - Small world winter scene – tuff tray - Dressing a snowman - Posting snowballs into winter posting boxes - Posting marshmallows and cotton wool into snowmen cups. - Switch activities- fairy lights, snowflake projector, fan -Using white rice as snow- using a range of pouring utensils to explore filling containers, emptying containers. Draw snowman faces on white cups- use these as a stacking cup session or build them up and use balls to knock them down. Get some snowballs of amazon and create posting boxes with old boxes/chocolate tube – cover the tubes in white/blue to create winter posting boxes.
Personal DevelopmentPlay / interaction. Pupils will be paired up or working in small groups on a range of activities such as ball games, stacking games, target games, sharing toys, exploring over wedges, learning to share, tolerating being in a close space to each other. Spend time at home just playing, interacting with your child, copying and mimicking their body movements, gesture, sounds, leave a gap and space for your child to process what they have seen or heard, see if they will respond with the same sound or movement,
Physical DevelopmentAll pupils will receive daily physio, twice-weekly hydro, one Rebound session and daily standing frame time. All pupils will have a focused session around their own individual physical targets, which link to their PLGs/EHCP outcomes. These may involve things such as wedge work, walkers, sit to stand work, laying in prone pushing upper trunk up, exploring a frames on back, physio bench time.To build in physio, tummy time, for some to encourage reaching out to items, exploring items on their trays, sitting to stand work. Regular time wearing splints, gaiters at home, for some who have standing frames to build in regular time for this.
Understanding the WorldWe will explore these key celebrations throughout this half term in lessons or as day topics and go out on class trips. - Class trip to lighthouse café in Sheringham - Exploring Chinese new year - Exploring places of worship Buy Fake snow from Amazon UK - ‘instant snow’ comes in small tubs to mix with water and creates a snow like substance - great for snow play, pouring activities, placing in fridge to turn it cold like snow, mark making in the snow, moving hands in it to explore, hiding artic animals, snowman to find and explore in the snow.
Expression and CreativityWe will be exploring Winter crafts and Winter dance sessions. - Creating snow pictures - Making umbrellas and bubble blowing to create patterns in the templates. - Winter dance session - Exploring Chinese New Year and making dragons and lanterns. - Snow flakes for our topic tree. Freeze paint and water together to make paint ice cubes - watch the ice cubes melt on paper, move the ice around on the paper to create patterns as it all melts. Listen to Chinese music, taste Chinese food, watch Chinese dragon dancing on You Tube.
Personalised LearningThroughout the week, we will have timetabled time to do some focused sessions around pupils’ individual learning. Keys areas will be switch skills, physical development, communication and social skills.