Personalised Learning
At Imperial Oak School, we believe that what matters to the learner – Sissons, M. (2018), must be fundamental when planning for our learners. Our curriculum is based on a deep understanding of what the individual learner needs are.
Within the context of an underlying approach, all pupils are planned for and taught at Imperial Oak School in a highly personalised way, using developmental Individualised Education Plan (IEPs) facilitated through an environmental context established by individual Engagement Profiles.
‘Engagement Comes First’
(Imray, 2021)
While engagement alone is not sufficient, it is essential and a prerequisite for learning. We aim to foster high levels of engagement by:
Active, not passive, learners
Engaging in activities because they want to take part in them.
The learner at the centre
Placing preferences and priorities at the heart of their education.
Intrinsic motivations
Working because they enjoy the process.
‘We must not only answer the question of WHAT learning should take place, but crucially, we must also pay the closest attention to the questions of HOW it should happen and, even more importantly, WHY it should happen’
Imray, Kossyvaki and Sissons (2024)
Individualising Learning Process
Based on Waller, J. (2024)
Individualised Education Plan
Each child at Imperial Oak School experiences developmental challenges in a different way. We adopt a highly personalized approach to planning and teaching, utilizing developmental Individualised Education Plans (IEPs). These plans are carefully designed to integrate and align with various educational, therapeutic, and curriculum documents.
Each Individualised Education Plan (IEP) is directly linked to the student’s Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP), ensuring a cohesive connection that aligns their education with their individual aspirations.
Engagement Profile
Each learner attending Imperial Oak School has an Engagement Profile that aims to provide comfort, security, stimulation and motivation in any situation (Imray, Kossyvaki and Sissons, 2024). This document offers a live picture of a learner’s engagement and motivators, serving as the first step towards a genuinely individualised planning process.
Qualitative recordings of pupil engagement in all areas of the Engagement Model (Standards & Testing Agency 2020) are made regularly on the Engagement Profiles and used to build up a picture of how developed each of these is for each pupil.
“Without engagement, there is no deep learning, effective teaching, meaningful outcome, real attainment or quality progress”.
Carpenter, B. (2010)
A Therapeutical Approach
Speech & Language
Speech and language therapy empowers autistic learners to improve their communication abilities, fostering meaningful connections and reducing frustration.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy aids fine and gross motor skills, sensory processing, and self-regulation—enabling participation in daily routines and activities.
