Access

ACCESS is our curriculum ethos that shines on all we do at Mill Ford. ACCESS stands for Aspire, Contribute, Communicate, Enjoy, Skills and Self. At Mill Ford we have high aspirations of our pupils and want them to achieve beyond what society expects. We believe each of our pupils has a contribution to make. Teaching our pupils how to communicate is one of our most important goals. We ensure teaching and learning is fun and pupils enjoy their time in school. Another important part of our curriculum is teaching skills that pupils can use in life. We also teach our pupils to self regulate, self worth and self-fulfilment.

Aspire

At Mill Ford School we have high aspirations of our children and young people to achieve their full potential in personal, social, physical and academic aspects of their lives. We work in partnership with children/young people and their families to ensure each individual is challenged to aspire to achieve greatness and reach as high as they can.

We build aspirational children and young people by providing them with a supportive environment, in which they have an individualised curriculum that allows them to progress, overcome challenges and achieve their full potential. We encourage our pupils to develop their own aspirations through a curiosity to learn and build on skills that enable them to become the best they can be. We challenge our pupils to become involved in local community, national and international projects so they become active citizens who can contribute so much.

Contribute

Every pupil at Mill Ford School has a positive contribution to make to the school, society and the world at large. Their contribution can be as broad as a smile that lights up a room and makes your day to the possibility of employment. All the skills, qualities and talents our pupils have to contribute have equal worth and many are priceless.

We want to support the development of global citizens, so pupils leave school able to actively be part of society. It is important to us that our pupils learn for life, for example they learn how to go to a café and order a meal, using their method of communication.  From their first day at Mill Ford every pupil contributes so much to our school and as they move up the school and work towards life after school their learning increasingly focuses on developing skills and knowledge of the work place and the world and how they can become positive and active citizens. We facilitate positive relationships with themselves and others through the use of THRIVE and SoSafe, amongst other strategies to develop self-management and respect for others. Our curriculum provides opportunities to raise awareness of and foster acceptance of others. 

Communication

It is vital to each and every pupil at Mill Ford that they have a voice and are given the opportunity to communicate using their chosen method. Communication methods at Mill Ford include signs, symbols, PECs, speech, communication aids, braille and eye gaze; but this is by no means an exhaustive list. We continually develop and evolve our understanding of total communication to ensure each and every pupil has a voice.

Communication, at whatever level and by whichever means is appropriate, is at the forefront of everything we do. Developing each pupil’s communication methods so that they can contribute to society, make choices that have a true impact of their lives and ensure they each achieve all they can. Having a means of communication is key to enabling our pupils to learn and share their feelings and knowledge. We want pupils to be making genuine choices about all elements of their lives and to have these choices respected.

Enjoy

We aim to make learning fun in a positive, stimulating environment, where pupils feel safe, healthy and happy. A love of learning and an enjoyment in what you do fosters positivity and a wish to learn more and progress.  Having fun and enjoying everything helps to improve our pupils’ quality of life. We truly believe that pupils only learn that which we wish to teach them if they are happy and enjoying what they do.

Learning activities at Mill Ford School are personalised to each pupil’s interests, to cater for a range of learning styles and motivates engagement. Pupils are given the opportunity to learn through play in order to encourage enjoyment with others. Our curriculum also allows for pupils to have opportunities to explore local environments and enjoy the world around them.  Pupils also find enjoyment and pride in all their achievements, which are celebrated regularly in lessons and at weekly assemblies with acknowledgements such as stickers, wow points, certificates and medals.

Skills

Pupils at Mill Ford School are encouraged to become effective participators who are enquiring, thinking and creative, with the skills to fully participate in life in their own individual ways. Skills for life are wide and varied but all are of up most importance if pupils are to leave Mill Ford and achieve all they are capable of in life.

Life skills are at the heart of learning at Mill Ford, to support and prepare pupils for adult life with an emphasis on communication and functionality. We know pupils live in an ever-changing complex world and therefore specific skills are embedded in daily routines. Our pupils live in a technical world and therefore we need to equip them with specific skills so they fully participate in a changing world.

 Self

At Mill Ford School it is our wish that our pupils have a strong sense of self. It is important that our pupils have a positive self-awareness, self-esteem and self-fulfilment.  Our pupils face many and varied difficulties so it is vital that they are resilient and able to preserve and achieve what we know they are capable of. 

We encourage our pupils to be confident in their abilities and proud of all they achieve. As a school every pupils’ achievements are recognized, praised, celebrated and rewarded in a manner, which applies to the individual in order to promote self-esteem, determination and perseverance. We help every pupil understand their emotions and the emotions of others around them, ensuring that they are able to manage and express themselves in a healthy and positive way.