The Oaklands Centre is a specialist setting for pupils with social communication and emotional regulation needs. Pupils are placed at The Oaklands Centre by the Local Authority. All pupils have an EHCP which names the setting. It is not possible to access a place in the Oaklands Centre by joining the mainstream school. 

The setting is designed for pupils for whom social communication (including autism) is a key area of need, but this is in the absence of significant cognition and learning needs. Children in the setting will be able to access a curriculum closer to age-related expectations, although this will be variable and will need to be tailored to each individual. The main barriers to learning for children in the setting are often linked to accessing large and busy spaces, regulating emotions and challenges with executive functioning. Some children will present as highly anxious and avoidant; others may display more externalising behavioural challenges when overwhelmed.

The setting provides; specialist, neurodivergent-friendly teaching approaches; a low-sensory environment and access to a broad and flexibly delivered curriculum.

Placement Indicators

The Oaklands Centre has some ‘placement indicators’ that help the Local Authority, School and parents identify whether the setting would be suitable for a child.

Placement in EYFS (Reception) and KS1

In EYFS and KS1, pupils may initially require access to a multi-sensory curriculum based on a pre-formal pathway, but pupils’ developmental trajectory will suggest that it is likely they will progress to access subject-specific study and will benefit from access to an adapted mainstream curriculum.

For children entering Reception, they will typically be at or above Step 7 in the ‘thinking’ area of the Developmental Journal. This means they will already have secured the following skills:

• Shows interest in new experiences – for example, when you show a new toy
• Repeats actions that have an effect – for example, kicking or batting a mobile to create movement including actions to make a sound again, for example, shaking a rattle
• Shows anticipation and enjoyment of familiar caring routines and simple games – for example, sucks or licks lips in response to sounds of preparation for feeding or gets excited upon seeing spoon or familiar toy
• Watches toy being hidden and tries to find it
• Struggles to get objects that are out of reach and pulls a mat towards them to make a toy or object come closer
• Engages in simple pretend play with soft toys – for example, hugs and kisses teddy or pretends to be asleep (covers self with a blanket and closes eyes)
• Matches shape of piece to hole – for example in a shape sorter

In EYFS and KS1, pupils will have emerging verbal skills. They may be minimally-speaking but with evidence of developing receptive and expressive language skills.

For children entering Reception, they will typically be at or above Step 6 in the ‘communication’ strand of the Developmental Journal. This means they will already have secured the following skills:

• Turns eyes and or head towards you when you speak
• Reacts by smiling, looking and moving when you interact
• Vocalises back when talked to (making own sounds) especially to familiar adult and when a smiling face is used
• Begins to babble by repeating a series of the same sounds – for example, ‘baba-ba’, ‘ma-ma-ma’
• Begins to point to objects and people, using index finger
• Uses approximately five different words without any help

Placement in KS2

In KS2, pupils will have the capacity to access and benefit from subject-specific study on a semi-formal or formal pathway. For children entering KS2, they will typically be working at or above Pre-Key Stage Standard 3. This means they will already have secured the following skills:

Reading:

• say a single sound for 20+ graphemes
• read accurately by blending the sounds in words with two and three known graphemes.
• respond to questions that require simple recall about a story

• recount a short sequence of events from a story they have heard

Writing:

• make up their own phrases or short sentences to express their thoughts aloud about stories or their experiences
• write a caption or short phrase using the graphemes that they already know.

• form correctly most of the 20+ lower-case letters in Reading Standard 3
• identify or write these 20+ graphemes on hearing the corresponding phonemes
• spell words (with known graphemes) by identifying the phonemes and representing the phonemes with graphemes (e.g. in, cat, pot).

Maths:

• identify how many objects there are in a group of up to 10 objects, recognising smaller groups on sight and counting the objects in larger groups up to 10.
• demonstrate an understanding that the last number counted represents the total number of the count
• use real-life materials (e.g. apples or crayons) to add and subtract 1 from a group of objects and indicate how many are now present
• copy and continue more advanced patterns using real-life materials (e.g. apple, apple, orange, apple, apple, orange, etc.).

In KS2, pupils will have receptive and expressive language skills that enable them to access teaching and benefit from learning in a primarily verbal medium with suitable total-communication support.

Emotional Regulation

Pupils may have difficulties self-regulating related to their neurodivergence but pupils will not have SEMH identified as their primary need and will not require ongoing 1:1 support for regulation. They will be able to learn in a group alongside others safely.

Pupils will not require a high level of access to a therapeutic, alternative or entirely personalised curriculum to be able to progress.