Secondary 4
Head of Department: Gary Smith and Angela Burnett
With a focus on preparing for adulthood, Secondary 4 promotes independence, life skills, and giving our young people work experience. We offer a variety of activities that are linked to our School Curriculum. We promote many forms of AAC (PODD, Makaton, PECs ) and use a variety of access methods including Eye Gaze technology. All young people are encouraged to have their own voice and make informed choices.
We provide our young people with fantastic sporting opportunities including dance, Panathlon events each year (we are the reigning champions!) and links with Tottenham Hotspur football club.
There are 4 classes in Secondary 4. Oak class, Larch class, Beech class and Redwood class.
Our young people access our enterprise curriculum on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We currently have four businesses in our enterprise: cafe, gardening and landscape, washing services and a craft/print studio. Young people generally remain in their form class for the duration of their time in S4 until their final year which is spent in Redwood class. This enables more transition work to be completed. They work within their business for 1 year and then move to another business.
What do we offer?
Students in Key stage 4 and 5 attend full-time.
- Young people are supported by staff who are committed to supporting young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
- High levels of staffing ensure young people are safe.
- Staff expertise enables young people to further develop the skills they require to further their educational journey.
- Work experience 3 days per week
- Careful transition to settings beyond Waverley
Oak Class offers a fun, vibrant, and stimulating environment in which young people are encouraged to be independent as possible. They have access to computers, tablets and Ipads, which all encourage the use of the internet, playing games and exploring educational apps. Young people are encouraged to communicate in many ways using a range of
AAC which include; the use of
PODD, PECs and intensive interaction.
Our class enjoys taking part in-school activities including swimming, hydrotherapy, and trampolining. Young people who require physiotherapy receive regular sessions appropriate to their individual programmes, supported by class staff as well as physiotherapists based in school. All medical, physical, and behavioural needs are addressed and strategies devised at the beginning of each year. Working closely with parents, we ensure that each young person is working to the best of their potential.
Beech class work hard on their communication and physical skills within a topic based
curriculum. Exploration of the world indoors and out are important to us as we
preparing for adulthood. Our
Curriculum allows us to focus on the needs of each of our individual young people. We use
PODD to support our communication and we encourage all of our young people to make choices, express our wishes, and chat throughout the day. We use switches to create cause and effect and control our environment. We have a lot of fun during the day, in our dramas, music sessions,
intensive interactions, sensory stories, and physio which is integrated throughout the school day as well as in the pool for hydro. We work and play together, building great relationships.
Larch class is a fun and lively class. We work using a range of routine and structure and practical sessions to help us to become as independent as possible. We encourage our young people to work together to help develop friendships and independence. We use exercise and physical activities to help us prepare to learn. We encourage positive communication from all students and regularly use
PODD and Makaton to ensure all our students are making their own choices and decisions.
Redwood class : The Leavers Class focuses on preparing young people for adulthood and what the future holds for them. We have very positive links with family, social workers, professionals, and external providers (Day Centres and Colleges) and as a team, we all work together to ensure each student is supported and placed appropriately in a suitable adult provision when they leave school at aged 19. During their final school year we will focus on supporting young people into an appropriate adult placement (Day Centre, College, supported living, residential provision). Parental relationships and communication is very important in the final year and we hold regular meetings to discuss transition into adult services. We will continue to provide extensive physiotherapy, swimming and hydrotherapy programmes for all students, as well as ensure they receive changes of position in appropriate equipment every day. Communication will continue to be promoted through the use of PODD and Makaton.
