Chailey Heritage School curriculum

Our Innovative CHILD Curriculum

The Chailey Heritage Individual Learner Driven (CHILD) Curriculum is a bespoke curriculum created to accommodate each individual’s learning needs.

The CHILD Curriculum covers eight key areas:

Alongside each learner’s journeys, we also have a busy calendar of events, from Harvest Festival to our end-of-year Celebration Day. Pupils enjoy sensory sessions themed around holidays like Easter, Christmas, and Diwali, helping them engage with the world around them. Supported by teachers and education assistants, they also make seasonal gifts, join workshops with local drama and music groups, and go on school trips.

Physical activity is not an add-on to the curriculum, it's an essential part of the curriculum

All pupils at Chailey have some level of difficulty with communication. We believe that every individual has a need and a right to communicate.

Working closely with Speech and Language Therapists, we develop a wide variety of Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) approaches to meet the individual needs of our pupils. These range from subtle body language and sensory cues to advanced communication technologies.

Specialist techniques and resources include:

Bespoke sensory cues, including objects of reference and touch cues
The Chailey Communication System designed by Speech and Language Therapists
Voice Output Communication Aids (VOCAs)
Eye-Gaze technology
Makaton and British Sign Language (BSL)

As part of their curriculum, all pupils at Chailey can take part in our extensive physical programme. Working closely with Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists, a bespoke physical activity programme is developed for each student.

Activities include:

Rebound therapy
Hippotherapy and therapeutic horse-riding
Aquatics
Games
Trikes, walkers and standers
Innowalk

Every young person has the opportunity to experience appropriate forms of powered mobility. Our award-winning engineering team have developed a range of advanced assistive technologies to develop driving skills and aid independence.

These include:

Versatile magnetic track system
Powered standers
Universal Power Base
Effort reduction wheelchair – making free-driving easier
Voice-activated platforms

We have a dedicated Engineering and Assistive Technology department who work on innovative solutions to help pupils interact with their environment and provide them with new control opportunities, as well as enabling them to move around independently.

Working in partnership with the Rehabilitation Engineering Services team at Chailey Heritage Clinical Services allows us to:

Adapt, modify and problem-solve issues with equipment
Mount equipment for optimal use by the student
Carry out on-site repairs
Design and manufacture bespoke equipment

Having the breadth of this service in a school setting is unique to Chailey Heritage School.

School brochure

Read more about the wonderful things that happen in our very special school.

Chailey_Heritage_School_Brochure