Curriculum Pathways

Pre‑Formal Pathway

(Learning through sensory experiences and relationships)

This pathway supports children with very profound needs who are at the earliest stages of communication and development.

What this looks like for your child:

• Learning is sensory‑based and highly personalised
• Adults carefully notice:
  • Movements
  • Facial expressions
  • Sounds
  • Body language
• Your child begins to show awareness, anticipation and enjoyment

 What we focus on:

• Building trust and relationships
• Early communication (for example, reacting to familiar voices or activities)
• Physical and sensory development
• Helping children feel safe and comfortable in their environment

 What progress looks like:

• Increased awareness of people and activities
• Beginning to respond in intentional ways
• Showing preferences and choices

Progress at this stage is about connection, awareness and autonomy, not tests or worksheets.

(Learning through play, curiosity and engagement)

This pathway supports children who are starting to explore the world around them but may find change, demands or social interaction challenging.

There are two sub- stages or pathways  within Explore, depending on how much structure a child can manage.

Informal Explore

• Play is low‑pressure and child‑led
• Adults support children to:
  • Stay engaged
  • Explore objects and activities
  • Begin to tolerate being near others

Semi‑Formal Explore

• Children are ready for:
  • Slightly more structure
  • Shared attention and turn‑taking

• • Some early communication and learning skills begin to develop 

What we focus on:

• Curiosity and exploration
• Communication and interaction
• Learning to cope with small changes
• Building attention and persistence

What progress looks like:

• Staying engaged for longer
• Beginning to play alongside others
• Communicating wants and interests more clearly
• Tolerating gentle adult guidance
• Tolerating uncertainty and a lack of structure

Classes in this pathway constitute between 4 and 8 pupils, a teacher and support staff. Progress within this pathway is all about self-initiation, persistence, tolerating uncertainty and sharing attention.

What progress looks like:

• Staying engaged for longer
• Beginning to play alongside others
• Communicating wants and interests more clearly
• Tolerating gentle adult guidance
• Tolerating uncertainty and a lack of structure

Classes in this pathway constitute between 4 and 8 pupils, a teacher and support staff. Progress within this pathway is all about self-initiation, persistence, tolerating uncertainty and sharing attention.

(Learning through meaningful play and problem‑solving)

Children on this pathway independently choose to engage and take part in play and learning activities.

What this looks like:

• Purposeful play that links to learning
• Early literacy and numeracy skills
• Social play with other children
• Learning begins to transfer across different situations

What we focus on:

• Thinking and problem‑solving
• Communication and shared play
• Independence and decision‑making
• Applying skills in different environments

What progress looks like:

• Using communication meaningfully
• Playing cooperatively with peers
• Applying learning in new situations (for example, using counting skills during play)
• Growing independence and confidence

Progress within this pathway is all about functional application of learning: Knowing what to do, when you don’t know what to do!

(Learning with increasing structure and subject teaching)

This pathway supports children who are ready for more structured learning while still benefiting from practical, supportive approaches.

What this looks like:

• Timetabled lessons in subjects such as:
  • English
  • Maths
  • Science
• Continued support through play, visuals and practical learning
• Clear routines and expectations 

What we focus on:

• Developing literacy and numeracy skills
• Applying learning across subjects
• Independence in learning and daily activities
• Preparing for future learning

What progress looks like:

• Using reading, writing and number skills functionally
• Working with increasing independence
• Maintaining focus on learning tasks
• Applying skills across different subjects

Progress within this pathway is all about greater functional application of learning and developing academic understanding across a range of subjects in preparation for future academic study whilst still preparing for life outside of school.

Formal: National Curriculum Pathway

(Accessing the National Curriculum with support)

Some pupils are ready to follow National Curriculum learning, particularly in English, Maths and Science. 

What this looks like:

• Structured lessons aligned with National Curriculum expectations
• Continued emphasis on real‑life application
• Support to ensure learning is meaningful and accessible 

What we focus on:

• Building secure academic knowledge
• Applying learning in everyday situations
• Preparing pupils for their next steps in education and life

What progress looks like:

• Using literacy and numeracy confidently
• Understanding and applying subject knowledge
• Growing independence and problem‑solving skills

Progress within this pathway is all about accessing the content of the National Curriculum effectively and preparing for qualification and accreditation routes.

Mixed Approaches

Cross- pathway hybrid classes will be considered where children’s learning characteristics require elements of two or more pathways.

A number of videos with examples of our curriculum pathways can be found in the News Videos and Curriculum sections of our YouTube channel here.

How We Know Your Child Is Making Progress

We don’t rely on one‑off tests. Instead, we look at:

• What your child can do independently
• How learning is used in different situations
• How confident and motivated your child is
• Evidence gathered through observations, photos, videos and professional discussion

Progress is measured against your child’s own starting point, and next steps are planned carefully to support ongoing development.

Therapeutic Support

Pupils in ALL pathways recieve appropriate therapeutic input to support their holistic development. Pupils at Sunningdale School receive individualised therapeutic input including Speeach and Language Therapy, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and other more bespoke therapies such as Music Therapy, Hydrotherapy and Rebound Therapy.

Early Years

Children that attend our Early Years Centre benefit from approaches that reflect both a cross-pathway approach generally focussing on supporting their introduction to school life and focussing on early engagement for learning. This closely reflects the principles that underpin our Explore and Functional (formerly Semi-formal Play) Pathways.

What we focus on:

• Curiosity and exploration
• Communication and interaction
• Learning to cope with small changes
• Building attention and persistence 

What progress looks like:

• Staying engaged for longer
• Beginning to play alongside others
• Communicating wants and interests more clearly
• Tolerating gentle adult guidance
• Tolerating uncertainty and a lack of structure

Early Years aged pupils that have Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties will usually attend our main site in Doxford Park and enter the Initiate (formally Pre-Formal) Pathway approach.