Ash Meadow School

Our singular vision is to support young people with autism and complex needs to ‘awaken their potential’ by providing the highest quality personalised, achievement-driven education.

Our starting point will be to reengage students in their education from their varying crisis points by teaching them to regulate their emotional needs and helping them understand their motivations, enabling them to access the waking curriculum.

We have created a broad, balanced, knowledge-rich curriculum that is coherently planned and sequenced to promote engagement, independence, and personal growth and achieve relevant academic qualifications and life skills, ready for future learning, active citizenship, and employment.

Our curriculum aims are for every student to:

• Have respect for and tolerance of others to develop safe and meaningful relationships. 
• Understand and maintain their well-being to live a happy, prosperous, and fulfilled life.
• Have the communication and reading skills to confidently express their views, opinions, and choices enabling them to play an active role in school, family, and community life.
• Gain the essential knowledge needed to prepare them for navigating the world they live in.
• Develop the skills, resilience, and independence to have a lifelong pathway meeting individual aspirations, interests, and career choice.
• Develop their creativity by encouraging them to express themselves, make connections, use their imagination, and explore possibilities.

Students will access the curriculum through different Curriculum Pathways: Ready to Learn,  Engagement, Pre-Engagement, Pre-Key Stage, Key Stage, and Post 16).

Each Pathway has a modified version of the National Curriculum and is based on the EQUALS scheme of work, which provides a robust framework for assessing and enhancing individual abilities.

There are coherently planned opportunities to support students in developing their character, life skills, communication, and mental, physical, and emotional health. In addition, the school promotes social, moral, spiritual, and cultural development and understanding of Britain’s fundamental British values through planned subject-specific cross-curriculum activities and other organised events and focus weeks.

Many aspects of the curriculum are taught or strengthened through community-based activities with pupils accessing work encounters and WEX placements.

Engagement Pathways

Different pathways in line with the EQUALS framework have been created to support students to engage with learning.

Key Stage 1-4 Curriculum

These pathways are made up  of a wide range of subjects ensuring a holistic educational experience. Key areas of focus include:

• Communication and Language: Developing effective communication skills through speech, language, and social interaction.
• Personal, social, and emotional development: Fostering self-awareness, confidence and emotional regulation and wellbeing.
• Physical Development: Enhancing fine and gross motor skills through tailored physical activities
• Cognitive Development: Encouraging critical thinking and problem-solving skills across the subjects delivered.

Each Pathway Programme is tailored and adapted to meet the various needs of students so that they are prepared for and can lead a fulfilling life.

The school is committed to research and uses evidence-based practice to deliver the curriculum.

Accreditation

The school offers a variety of accreditation options through AQA units, ASDAN, and EQUALS. Other accreditation routes are also considered where a student has a talent or ability to access other accreditations.

Each qualification provides opportunities for students to achieve recognised qualifications that reflect their progress and achievements. We celebrate every milestone and ensure that each student is recognised for their unique contribution and successes.