Our School Day
School starts at 9:00. Most children arrive to school by taxi or mini bus provided by Schools Transport. They are met by staff. All pupils are encouraged to be as independent as possible finding their way to their classrooms. Support is given for those who need assistance.
Some parents transport their own children to school. Children brought in by families are dropped at the front entrance where they will be collected by a member of the class team.
The first session of the day focuses on welcoming children into school, independence and ‘readiness for learning’. Pupils arrive at different times so classrooms are set up for individual learning tasks, (generally linked to their EHCPs). Pupils are encouraged to be as independent as possible, e.g. self-registration, hanging up their coats, communicating messages from home etc.
During our ‘Morning Welcome’ session many pupils will be transferred into workchairs so they are in the best position for learning. Others will be transferred into powerchairs for maximum independence or supported into or onto other equipment aimed to maintain their range of movement, comfort and mobility such as a stander, bench, wedge or Acheeva bed.
Please note – registers are taken by 9:20. Children who arrive to school after 9:20 will receive a late mark.
Registration closes at 9:40.
Class teams work together to map out the best time-tables that work for the children in their class.
Timings need to be flexible as class teams need to be responsive to our children’s needs, whether these are time-tabled needs or in-the-moment changes. Routines are also very important for our children. For this reason, the timings of our class time-tables will look different in different classes.
Time-tables are also reviewed termly to accommodate provisions such as swimming (which changes half-termly for Lower School), music therapy class rotation, blocks of enrichment, e.g. sailing or tennis in the summer term etc. You can find the latest time-table for your child’s class under the ‘time-tables’ section of this website.
Although all our children will be learning and practicing skills from many different curriculum areas in any session, classes typically deliver ‘core’ curriculum areas in the morning. These are Communication, Literacy & Numeracy. Other Cognition & Learning curriculum areas also are typically taught in the morning. These are Understanding the World and Science & Technology.
Our Early Years classes deliver Continuous Provision (this is child-led learning through play & exploration of an carefully-resourced environment). Our Early Years classes still have a time-table but the time-table sits ‘over’ the Continuous Provision; different children are likely to be engaging in different things at the same time. The names of sessions in our Early Years classes are in line with the Early Years Framework so are slightly different to the names used elsewhere in the school.
In all classes the content of the lesson varies according to the age and stage of the pupils. If you would like to find out more about what a typical session might look like for your child, please do get in touch with their teacher.
During the morning sessions, children will typically access the TWOA Phonics Scheme & and Numeracy Schemes.
During the morning, all classes will have a morning break. This is not a break from learning though! A lot of valuable communication and independence skills are practiced during this time.
Children may focus on communicating preferences of food, people or activities, developing their social interaction skills through learning to share time with others, whether eating, playing or simply being together. Children may use this time to practice independence skills: putting on a coat to go outside, unwrapping their own chocolate bar wrapper, trying different foods etc. Our therapists support our teachers in tailoring these sessions to the needs of individual pupils.
At Thomas Wolsey we adopt a ‘family dining’ model. Pupils eat with their pastoral groups in their classrooms. This model works best for our pupils, many of whom require a quieter environment for eating as eating can be very effortful.
Lunchtime is still considered very much a learning time for our pupils; many have personal targets based around feeding such as choice-making, or using a fork or trying different foods. Where possible, pupils are encouraged to use this opportunity to participate in conversation and practice life skills such as table manners or washing up.
We run a number of lunch clubs. These are run by our playworker and PD lead. These are tailored to ensure that there is a good offer for all children should they wish to access one. Most lunchclubs run from 1:45 onwards but an early lunchclub is provided for pupils who are tube-fed which focus on play or encouraging social interaction while their peers are eating orally.
The afternoon sessions start after the registers which close at 1:20.
Like the morning sessions, afternoon sessions are mapped out by classteams depending on what is right for their children.
Some classes use a specific activity immediately after lunch to help children regulate and get ready for learning again. This may be an attention-style activity, a movement activity or a calming activity.
Classes typically deliver other curriculum areas in the afternoon such as the Arts, Sensory Therapies, PD or SEWB (Social Emotional Well-Being) or PCI (Personal Care and Independence).
Afternoon sessions may often be cross-curricular and focus on the term’s topic. They will vary according to age and stage.
Home-time is staggered as pupils are called for their taxis. Children are encouraged to make their way to their taxis independently. Classes read with or to children during this time of the day.
Many children will have dedicated sessions or activities across the week which are personalised to them. Some children may have targeted intervention sessions: DESTY, Brick Club, an individual music therapy session or a particular activity that relates to their short-term targets – e.g. using their walker or their therapy bike. Some children attend sessions outside of school, e.g. Riding for the Disabled or Therapy Gym. Some have private therapy sessions in school and some may have a block of therapy sessions with an NHS therapist. Children with a visual impairment access monthly group sessions with the Specialist Education Service or may access ‘habilitation’ training.
Groups of children may access specific enrichment activities such as Sailing, Rebound Therapy or Duke of Edinburgh which are different from the peers in their class.
If you have any questions around any personalised time-tables, please do speak to your child’s teacher or your child’s Head of Department.