Meet 3R

Welcome to 3R. We are part of the Willow Department where we put great emphasis on nurture and sensory needs. Rachel is the main class teacher who is also a licensed Thrive practitioner. Nathan teaches lessons on a Wednesday and Thursday afternoon. Joanne, Paula and Sim are specialist teaching assistants. Everyone has a wealth of experience to support the pupils varying needs in class.

We always start our day with a form of exercise to get us ready for some great learning throughout the day, this is often a dance routine or a brisk walk outside. Our classes are lively and interactive and full of discussion to help support language, communication and social interaction. We also use Lego Therapy in class to support speech & language, social skills and fine motor skills. We have a great outdoor learning programme which covers gardening, exercise and forest school activities during the year.

During 2022-2023 we will be covering a range of topics which support holistic, enriching and thought-provoking learning experiences, all linked to acquiring relevant knowledge and skills:

Autumn 1 – Moon Zoom (Design & Technology focus)

Autumn 2 – Superheroes (PE focus)

Spring 1 – Muck, Mess & Mixtures (Art & Design focus)

Spring 2 – Scented Garden (Science focus)

Summer 1 – Land Ahoy! (Geography focus)

Summer 2 – Coastline (Geography focus)

Sitting alongside topic work and core subjects, we spend time outside of the classroom during our ‘Beyond Bennerley’ sessions. This term we will be visiting Bennerley Viaduct for a sensory walk and later in the term launching rockets from the viaduct for part of our topic work. We will also be taking a trip to the Theatre Royal in Nottingham to see the Tiger Who Came to Tea. We will be going into the local community to visit shops, cafes and the library to support pupils to gain independent living skills outside of the home. Later in the year pupils will develop their life skills in the home by participating in activities such as how to wash clothes, use an iron and vacuum cleaner.

SPRING 2

Our new topic The Scented Garden, has had the pupils exploring all things plants, as well as having the fantastic opportunity to revitalise our Sensory Garden. We have taken a trip to Shipley Garden Centre, where pupils explored the plants on offer, making note of plant tags to see what the plant would mature into. Pupils got to touch the herbs and smell the wonderful aromas. 

Also this term (and into next term) pupils have been developing their own Enterprise Project. As our current topic is garden based, the pupils have decided to grow plants and make garden decorations to sell at our Market Place event in the summer - details to follow later, as you'll be invited to the event.

For Beyond Bennerley we have visited the Woodlands Trust site at Shipley Park, where the Ranger has been teaching the pupils about leaf and tree identification. We also became nature detectives for the afternoon, looking for a variety of flora and fauna; as well as talking about all the volunteering opportunities that young people can get involved in with the trust which supports the local community.

As always, we will keep you updated on the Facebook page with all of the activities we've been doing, with lots of pictures of our learning journey.

SUMMER 1

It's been a great summer term so far. During the Summer Term 1, our class were getting inspired by life at sea! Pupils have been learning about boats - from pirate adventures on Tall Ships to life onboard Narrowboats. Pupils have made their own boats out of different materials to see if they would sink or float and in art have been making sketches of boats, concentrating on their shading skills. Our memorable experience took us to Mercia Marina, where we all travelled on the Trent and Mersey Canal to Willington. Pupils really engaged with this experience and a great day was had by all. Also this term, we have been practising our home management skills; pupils have been learning about kitchen safety and have been learning how to make various hot drinks and snacks independently.  We are continuing this into summer term 2, where they will also be practising how to use a washing machine, peg out and successfully make a bed. I hope they continue to use these skills at home!