A day in the life of a snowflake
During the first few weeks, your child will develop a strong bond with all of our grown-ups. Over time, they’ll usually grow attached to one or two in particular, often because of a process we call pairing. We call these important grown-ups Key Workers.
Key Workers carefully observe how, when, and why each child thrives. With this information, they give sensitive and tailored support to guide each child so that they are at their happiest and most engaged. All support is individualised based on strengths ad needs and individual preferences
Each day comes with a whole new set of possibilities. We all know how wonderful a child-like imagination can be, so we let that, with some gentle guidance from our Key Workers, steer their adventures.
That said, we offer a huge variety of activities to choose from, and each of our schools interacts uniquely with its environment.
Here’s a little preview of what to expect…
On arrival, the children independently place their bags and jackets in the classroom area and get ready to explore. The day starts with a registration time, usually followed by natural environment teaching or table work. Sometimes music sessions, PE, swimming or trips make our days special.
While one child finds great pleasure in building a huge tower in the outdoor area, another is in the classroom experimenting with instruments from around the world. In the creative area, children discuss the different shapes their paint brushes make as they collaborate on an enormous piece of art.
All activities are designed to help children develop. For instance, you’ll find tools for building fine motor skills, activities such as threading, pouring and sorting, and things which help to provide an understanding of size, shape and dimension. They’ll also start to learn about the concept of number and sound.
Stories in the cosy book corner and regular music sessions help to bring about early reading skills. And when snowflake tummies begin to rumble, the home brought lunches and snacks keep hungry tummies full until they’re ready to go home.
Just as things are getting fun, it’s back to the classroom to get ready. It’s home time!
Please see an example of a pupil’s individual timetable below:
Secondary
Secondary School is a place of learning and fun! Most pupils have a 1:1 tutor who are responsible for their key pupil’s progress. In the morning, pupils enter the school escorted by their tutor and straight away start practicing independent skills as they bring their bags and coats to the classroom and hang them up, before heading to the pupil kitchen to drop their snack & lunch bags. After this, it’s off to registration and circle time, where pupils will engage with heir peers, supervisor and other adults who work in the class. All pupils have an individualised curriculum based on their assessments and needs. These programmes are tailored specifically for each pupil. Each class has six pupils and is overseen by a Supervisor who designs and monitors the pupils’ programmes and progress. Data is taken t the day by tutors. Lessons last from 20 to 30 minutes. These lessons range from ITT and NET, where pupils will work towards their individualised pathway objectives, with an emphasis on increasing functional communication. Other timetabled sessions throughout the days and weeks include OT & SaLT sessions, life skills, drama and music therapy sessions.
At lunch, snack and play times, pupils can choose from a range of activities: some prefer to go scooting in the playground or complete a sensory circuit!
At the end of the day pupils join in their classes to sit as a group, say goodbye and get ready to leave school and prepare for a new day. Tutors prepare a detailed home-school record each day, to share pupil wellbeing and progress information with families, and once their pupil is safely on their way home, they spend the rest of the day collating data on pupil’s learning and progress that day.
Please see an example of a pupil’s individual timetable below:
