Welcome to Elm

Instructor - Elm Rachel Sanders
Photo of Rachel Sanders

Welcome to Elm Class!! 😃

We are a group of 6 pupils aged from 14-19 years. We have 5/6 members of staff working with us each day as we all have very high medical, physical and sensory needs. All our learning is done via a total sensory and communication approach. We have our own tailored PMLD curriculum and assessment which we follow that helps us to meet all of our learning needs. We have a very spacious classroom which is sectioned into different learning areas. Within this room we have a lovely sensory corner which we love to spend time in. We love to get out and about in the community and mixing around the school with others, we have lots of fun and our staff members help us to feel very happy, relaxed and safe when we are with them. We enjoy activities such as trips out, Hydrotherapy, switch work, rebound therapy, sensory stories, Art, Cooking, music, sensory room sessions, massage sessions, problem solving, exploration and communication work.

Elm class timetable – Autumn Term 1

 

Auterm Term 1 Curriculum Info for parents
SubjectSession focus for this half-term
Community Awareness Trips to local parks to use different senses to explore the environment and plants/trees/leaves. To also visit supermarket to get our half termly snacks and food ingredients for cooking/ pupils to explore food in supermarket using there sense to visit the bakery and fresh food sections fruit/veg and fish counter.
CommunicationOur communication session will focus on turn taking with voice, gesture or sign. The aim will be to develop consistent ways to express needs and wants. In the lesson the work will be a mixture of 1 to 1 and small group. We will also focus on rhyme and rhythm in our story sessions, giving the pupils the opportunity to hear poems and stories read aloud. Communication targets are worked on across the curriculum and throughout the school day, for example we use objects of reference to show where we are headed when we change rooms. Objects of reference and on body signs are always supported by a spoken word or phrase.
Problem SolvingTo explore a range of sand and water trays with toys in, to experience pouring skills/ exploring toys. To also explore gloop and dried rice in big trays, listening to the sounds of rice/water/sand and gloop being poured etc
Social and Emotional A focus on Hand and foot massages in the sensory room on a Thursday to begin to anticipate the routines of these and tolerate adult touching hands and feet. Friday massage session in sensory room adult using their hands to massage different parts of pupils bodies by tapping, patting, rubbing, squeezing etc.
CreativeIn art the pupils will be creating hand and foot saltdough prints, helping to make the saltdough up and explore the texture. They will be making a life sized collage of themselves, printing with paint hand and foot prints, decorating the body with paint and materials and making their own face out of paint/pens etc.
Exploration In exploration we are going to be using a range of toys and games from the twentieth century, to give some low-tech experiences. We will be exploring marbles, hoops, bubbles and kites with all the senses. The pupils will be encouraged to develop hand strength and coordination. We will also go outside every week, weather permitting, to explore the large play equipment and share the space with pupils from other classes in school.
MusicIn music the pupils will encounter a range of stringed instruments including guitar, cello and violin. They will be able to listen to recordings and live music on stringed instruments and they will have opportunities to explore the instruments themselves. We will also sing some action songs to help to develop body awareness and responses to song, rhyme and rythmn.
CookingWe will be making pizzas , learning to make pizza dough, exploring the texture of dry/wet/sticky dough, learning to pour or feel the movement of pouring ingredients into a bowl, smelling and feeling different pizzas toppings.
Ideas for at home- Go out to local parks for walks and explore. Collect leaves, twigs, Autumn items to feel and explore on the walk. Take home to explore at home, make leave prints/collages. - Give your child hand/foot massages. - Explore saltdough at home. Helping your child to explore rolling dough with hands, squeezing, pulling, rolling with a rolling pin. - Play music, choose strings, there are some great guitar tracks, string quartets, all sorts - Read rhyming stories or poems, or listen to these via the internet or in other formats