Our class teacher is Darren.

The support staff in class are Nicola, Julie, Gemma, Megan and Bethany.

In Puffin Class we are on the pre semi-formal, semi-formal and formal curriculum.  This ensures everyone's learning style is met in the most effective way.

In Puffin Class we love to learn through hands on, play-based and creative ways to experience a meaningful curriculum to develop our skills in a wide range of areas.  These activities help us to improve our functional skills, independence and increase our access to the curriculum by developing important life skills, allowing us to be creative and learn new things in a way that suits us all.

Throughout or learning journey we focus on the following key areas:

Cognition and Learning

Communication and Language

Social, Emotional and Mental Health

Physical and Sensory

Independence and Self-help

Our progress and achievements are recorded in our class learning journey, books, individual learning folders and our learning goals are ste through Evidence for Learning.

Communication and Interaction

In Puffin Class we spend lots of time developing our communication skills.  During registration time we discuss the day, date, weather and the timetable together and share any exciting news from the previous day or the weekend.  We ask and answer questions about stories and show interest in each others' news.  This helps us to build and maintain relationships with our peers and familiar staff.

Throughout the school day we use Intensive Interaction, PECs, Makaton and visual symbols as well as our verbal and body language communication.

Reading and Phonics

In Puffin Class we love to read and share stories with each other.  We take part in daily guided reading sessions and have opportunities throughout the school day to develop our 'reading for pleasure' and our love of books.

We use drama, small world and sensory experiences to explore texts and stories.  The children have access to audio books and online texts through Bug Club, reading games and weekly library time.

In Puffin Class we take part in several phonics sessions a week, exploring games, books, songs and videos to support this at each child's level.

PHSE and Life Skills

In Puffin Class we focus on PHSE and Life Skills to support and develop independence.  These are taught daily within our class curriculum, as part of our class routines and within specific timetabled weekly sessions.  The skills we focus on are functional self-help skills, social and vocational skills, rules and responsibilities, money, relationships, staying safe (including online) and health and wellbeing.

Sensory

Some children in class follow a personalised sensory diet and all children engage in many sensory activities, snacks and breaks throughout the day.  These include using a trampette, scooter boards or a weighted-walk around the track or simply a brain break song between activities to get the body moving.  Puffin Class also take full advantage of sessions such as:

Sensory Processing

Rebound Therapy

Deep Pressure - Listen and Move

Attention Autism

TacPac

Intensive Interaction

Sensory Lightroom Sessions

Spring 1 Dates for the Diary

Puffin Class Timetable Spring 1