Vikings and The Lab

All children deserve a high quality education in which their unique strengths are celebrated, and their unique needs are met. Whilst the majority of children can do this in the mainstream classroom, there are some for whom a slightly different learning environment is needed for part or all of their timetable. At Cotmanhay Junior School, the Vikings room and The Lab offer these environments so that all children can succeed.

In both of these rooms, we make reasonable adaptations to our school curriculum, starting with where children are on their learning path, and planning ambitious next steps of progress towards or within the National Curriculum. Children learn to communicate and socialise well in a smaller group and reduced sensory environment, so that they can re-join the larger mainstream class when they are ready to do so with increased confidence, skill and resilience. Wellbeing is paramount, and children thrive with the additional nurture we offer in this setting, feeling safe enough to take appropriate risks and make mistakes without fear.

We provide a broad and balanced curriculum for pupils requiring more specialist support where multisensory learning is maximised  through adult-led tasks and through child-initiated play sessions. Children grow in their confidence to choose and to express their views with this approach. With advice from external agencies, including the Educational Psychologist, Autism Outreach, Speech and Language Therapists and the Specialist Service for Special Educational Needs, we plan sequential learning with a spiral approach so that children revisit new knowledge frequently in order to apply and secure it. We use whole-school schemes - including White-Rose Maths, Little Wandle Phonics and Jigsaw PSHE - where they are relevant to a child’s learning levels and needs. We use interventions such as Attention Autism, precision teaching and Lego Therapy where they are required. We are committed to working in partnership with parents and carers to make sure that children progress in all areas, develop a love of learning and get ready for an exciting and fulfilling future.