Building a Curriculum for Children with Complex Needs

This book provides a clear, user-friendly curriculum designed to support primary aged children with Severe Learning Disabilities (SLD) and Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD).

Drawing upon the Communication at the Heart of the School (CATHS) approach, the curriculum is based on the premise that children learn when they are engaged. It provides practitioners with the skills and knowledge to personalise and create lessons that will engage their children according to their assessed levels and considers how activities can be adapted to meet many different learning needs. The book includes:

• A quick screening assessment to supplement the complete CATHS assessment
• A curriculum framework
• Discussions on how to select appropriate curriculum objectives
• A long-term activity planning map with National Curriculum links
• Advice on how to plan lessons which engage and challenge
• Individual topic plans as well as full lesson plans
• Guidance on how to resource classrooms

Above all, this curriculum is realistic and is based on a practical formative assessment which enables children to be taught in groups and allows teachers to focus on creating both engaging and challenging lessons. It is an essential resource for both mainstream and special school staff, including SENCOs, classroom teachers, and senior leadership teams.

Rachel Sawford is a highly specialist speech and language therapist who helps schools to address the challenges of developing communication for children with a learning disability. Rachel believes that speech and language therapists have the biggest impact when they give time to developing good-quality environments where all children can benefit. She recognises that all those around the child have a role to play in supporting their communication.

Ann Miles is a special education teacher who spent her career working in schools for children with learning disabilities. Drawing upon her classroom experience and extensive knowledge of early communication, she has packaged up all the elements of CATHS to share with other professionals. Ann is a firm believer that for communication to be successful it needs to be both natural and meaningful. The development of communication skills should be embedded within all aspects of teaching and the curriculum.