Explorers Hub

Explorers are starting out on our learning journeys and beginning to explore the world around us.

Our Explorers Hub has two parts. We have provision for pupils who are at the earliest stages of development often with Profound and Multiple Learning needs and /or complex Autism.

Sophie Loydell is the Explorers Hub lead with oversight of provision for pupils with complex needs. Sophie Milner-Smith is covering her maternity leave.

Key themes focus on giving pupils experiences of and developing understanding of the immediate world around them through sensory exploration. Topics for classes in the Explorers Hub form an initial stimulus from which to hang learning and provision. Children’s engagement in learning is actively promoted and personalised through considering children’s individual interests / likes and dislikes and in exploring familiar or unfamiliar stimuli. Learning and provision are child led and encourage children to take an active role in making choices within their learning.

 Developing the aspects of engagement is highly promoted within our provision with pupils learning to explore the world around them in increasingly complex ways, making links to stimuli they have explored before and developing an awareness of objects that have encountered before making links to those that are similar. Pupils are supported to develop their anticipation through developing awareness and understanding of their routines and understanding cause and effect in a range of experiences. Pupils are supported to develop persistence in how they explore and, in their communication, building into being able to initiate interaction in a range of ways.

 Within our learning environments, pupils are supported to develop their engagement with provision that promotes building curiosity, awe and wonder through exciting and motivating real life stimulus and experiences. We plan taking account of and providing opportunities to support different schemas of exploration and teachers use their knowledge of pupil’s individual patterns of play to build upon these and broaden their explorations. Pupils sensory and physical development is promoted through active learning experiences within our planned independent learning provision.

 Pupils in the Explorers Hub may be developing their subject specific learning or may be using a targeted approach to learning where the focus is on developing their aspects of engagement within cognition and learning. Pupils with profound and multiple learning needs are taught using the ImPACTS curriculum.

 Some children may be working within the Explorers’ Hub for their school career and will be working to consolidate, master and embed their learning across the 4 areas of need, which will be personalised to each child’s learning journey. Planned coverage ensures there are sufficient opportunities to revisit, consolidate and build upon emerging skills as children progress.

The classes in the Explorers Hub for 2024-25 are: