Core Curriculum

Emotional Literacy

This programme includes learners’ development and understanding of their autism, their emotions and their impact on themselves and others helping to facilitate a more rewarding and independent life.  The specialist programme includes peer support, social skills groups and individual counselling.

Acknowledging that many learners have had difficult or negative experiences in the course of their education we have placed a strong focus within the curriculum on developing self-esteem and confidence.

The Emotional Literacy curriculum explores and includes:

• Self-awareness
• Positive thinking and increasing motivation
• Self-esteem
• Decision-making
• Goal-setting and planning for the future
• Making relationships
• Taking personal responsibility
• Team building and supporting others
• Men’s/women’s issues
• Empathy
• Exploring aspects of sexuality and relationships
• Self-presentation

“ Learners on the Emotional Literacy Programme develop very good levels of personal and social skills which helps to prepare them for life and work, learners develop a better understanding of their emotions and behaviour” OFSTED 2016

Behaviour Self-Management

We promote the development of behaviour self-management as an essential component of learners’ programmes.  Learners work with staff to formulate their own behaviour support plans, enabling them to become more independent.  Interventions are always positive, sensitive and individualised.  There is clear evidence of exceptional learner achievement in this area.  All staff are trained in non-aversive approaches to working with learners with challenging behaviour.

Social Communication

The College teaches social communication skills within classroom-based sessions and includes speaking and listening themes such as, ‘conversational skills’, ‘social rules’ and ‘relationships’.

These skills are further extended and developed in a range of more informal settings such as social, leisure and community environments.  We encourage the use of mobile technology as a communication aid and learning tool, recognising the importance of functional communication to help learners self-manage their lives and/or behaviour.