For pupils aged between 5-16 years of age, their entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum, including the National Curriculum, is also provided through cross-curricular, topic-based wider curriculum lessons, music lessons, art lessons and PE lessons. Each topic has a ‘lead’ subject drawing from the National Curriculum programmes of study in:

• Science
• History
• Geography
• Religious Education (locally agreed syllabus)
• Art & Design
• Design & Technology
• Music
• Physical Education
• Modern Foreign Language

The topics also provide an additional opportunity to practice and generalise core curriculum skills, knowledge and understanding. Pupils are encouraged to use their communication system and ICT to further enhance their meaningful access to the topics.

Pupils may access the topic content in individual or small groups, although always have personalised learning objectives, targets and support when participating in these activities. Decisions about the amount and balance of time allocated to each part of the curriculum are made on an individual pupil basis. 

TreeHouse Key Stage 1 & 2 cross-curricular topics include:

• Holidays and Celebrations
• Animals and their habitats
• Growth and Gardening
• Our bodies
• Our school
• People who help us
• Light & Sound
• My Community
• Movement, Forces and How things work
• Water & Materials

Key Stage 3 topics include:

• Clothing and materials
• My relationships
• People who help me in my community
• Leisure & pastimes
• Being healthy, staying safe
• Jobs in my local community
• People
• Myself
• My local community

Key Stage 4 topics include:

• Knowing How
• Making Choices
• Mini-enterprise
• Feeling Good
• Taking the Lead
• Moving Forward

Pupils’ progress in the Key Stage 4 topics is recognised through the ASDAN Transition Challenge award scheme. Transition Challenge provides a framework of activities to develop and accredit independent living and personal skills for learners with severe learning difficulties. Transition Challenge works through areas of activity relating to statutory programmes of study for Key Stage 4 National Curriculum subjects, complemented by activities contributing to the skills required for adult life.

The Key Stage 4 topics also provide pupils with opportunities to ‘sample’ the curricular pathways open to them in the 6th Form. These structured sampling opportunities are designed to support pupils in making an informed choice about which options to choose for their 6th Form pathways. This is important as many of our pupils find it difficult to make choices about things that are abstract to them (for example, what does following the ‘Catering & Hospitality’ pathway actually mean?).