Different needs. Different pathways. Equally valuable learning.

At Oak Farm Primary School, we believe that every child deserves a curriculum that recognises their strengths, celebrates their individuality and supports them to achieve meaningful progress.

For some children with significant developmental differences, traditional classroom learning may not yet provide the most appropriate starting point. These children may need additional opportunities to develop the foundational skills that underpin communication, engagement, emotional regulation, independence and learning.

Our Strong Foundations: Developmental Pathway to Classroom Readiness provides a carefully structured, personalised approach to understanding and supporting these needs.

Rather than focusing solely on a child's age or academic attainment, we consider where they are developmentally, how they learn best and what they need to develop next.

What Is the Strong Foundations Pathway?

Strong Foundations is Oak Farm's developmental assessment and curriculum framework, designed to support children who require a highly personalised approach to learning.

It draws upon established developmental guidance, including the Early Years Developmental Journal, Department for Education SEND assessment guidance and foundational Early Years and Key Stage 1 learning skills.

The pathway supports development across seven interconnected strands:

• Cognition and Learning

• Communication and Interaction

• Social and Emotional Development

• Sensory and Physical Development

• Literacy

• Mathematics

• Writing and Fine Motor Development

Children may demonstrate strengths in one area while requiring substantial support in another. Our approach recognises these differences rather than expecting every child to progress at the same rate or follow an identical route.

Six Phases of Developmental Learning

Our pathway is organised into six broad phases, progressing from early engagement towards greater independence and access to classroom learning.

Phase	Developmental focus
A – Engagement	Steps 1–3: Early awareness, responses and engagement
B – Intentional Action	Steps 4–6: Developing purposeful actions and interactions
C – Exploration and Control	Steps 7–9: Exploring, experimenting and developing understanding
D – Connection and Independence	Steps 10–12: Building communication, relationships and independence
E – Classroom Readiness	Steps 13–14: Developing foundational skills for increased classroom participation
Beyond Readiness	Foundational Year 1 access skills

These phases are not age bands or fixed expectations. A child may be working across several phases simultaneously, depending on their individual strengths and needs.

The pathway helps staff identify meaningful next steps and celebrate progress that might not always be captured through traditional academic assessments.

What Does Progress Look Like?

Within Strong Foundations, progress is measured from each child's individual starting point.

This may include:

• Communicating a choice, need or preference more effectively.

• Showing greater curiosity, engagement or purposeful exploration.

• Developing shared attention and positive interactions.

• Becoming more comfortable and regulated within learning environments.

• Building early problem-solving, literacy or mathematical understanding.

• Participating more independently in everyday routines.

• Increasing access to group activities or classroom experiences.

These achievements can represent significant developmental milestones.

Progress is not always linear and it does not always look like traditional academic progress.

We recognise and celebrate the different ways children demonstrate learning, including through gestures, signs, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), movement, play and other forms of expression.

Our approach is neuro-affirming: children are not expected to demonstrate learning through eye contact, spoken language or conventional participation where these are not appropriate to their individual profile.

Assessment, Planning and Review

Every child accessing our specialist developmental provision has an individual profile informed by assessment against the Strong Foundations Pathway.

Staff use this information to identify strengths, developmental priorities, barriers to participation and appropriate next steps.

Learning is then carefully planned, delivered and reviewed, with progress monitored across the relevant developmental strands.

We consider not only whether a child has developed a new skill, but also whether they can use it meaningfully across different activities, environments and relationships.

Where appropriate, assessment also informs decisions about increasing opportunities for mainstream classroom participation.

There is no expectation that children must complete every developmental step before accessing wider school experiences. Decisions are based on each child's functional skills, wellbeing, engagement and individual readiness.

Communication, Belonging and Inclusion

Communication sits at the heart of Strong Foundations.

We recognise that communication is much more than speech. Our staff use responsive interactions, visuals, objects of reference, signing, AAC and other personalised strategies to ensure that children can express themselves and be understood.

This approach reflects Oak Farm's whole-school commitment to Total Communication.

Explore Our Total Communication Approach

Children accessing specialist provision remain valued members of the Oak Farm community. We actively seek meaningful opportunities for friendships, shared experiences, enrichment and participation in wider school life.

Every child can make progress. Every developmental milestone matters. Every pathway deserves to be celebrated.