Our Curriculum

A Personalised Curriculum at Aurora

Our person-centred curriculum is built around the individual. Our students follow their own bespoke route through a play-based curriculum at Key Stage 1 and, from Key Stages 2 to 3, access one of our three curriculum pathways.

A Tailored Learning Journey

Our students embark on their own bespoke educational journey:

Key Stage 1: A play-based curriculum encourages early exploration and engagement.
Key Stages 2–3: Learners access one of our three differentiated curriculum pathways:
Enjoy, Engage, and Explore.
Post-14 Onwards: Students follow our Preparing for Adulthood curriculum—designed to equip them with the knowledge, skills and experiences needed for their next steps.

The development of life skills and future aspirations is a key learning objective throughout all years and is supported by a robust careers programme specially designed for learners with Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD).

Nurturing the Whole Child

We recognise the importance of developing the whole child and deliver a character curriculum that builds:

Self-esteem
Resilience
Social skills

These qualities are embedded in our house team competitions, where students collaborate and earn points by exploring social themes like anti-bullying, charity and kindness.

This is delivered through our house team competitions, where students work collaboratively to earn points by engaging with important social themes such as anti-bullying, charity, and kindness.

These themes are carefully aligned to our Aurora values:

Caring · Ambitious · Collaborative · Trusted · Innovative

Aspirational Outcomes

We are proud to offer opportunities for formal accreditation, including the Duke of Edinburgh Award, Functional Skills, Work Skills, and enrichment opportunities in aspirational subjects such as horse riding and gardening.

Our approach is always personalised and responsive, using strategies such as:

Sensory Integration
Intensive Interaction
TEACCH
Attention Autism

Integrated Therapy for Holistic Support

We provide an integrated therapy approach, led by a skilled on-site therapy team that includes:

Physiotherapists
Speech & Language Therapists
Occupational Therapists

We also provide enriching sessions with a Music Therapist and Pet Therapist, ensuring a well-rounded therapeutic provision for every student.

Communication & Self-Regulation

We place strong emphasis on communication development. In addition to students with traditional verbal abilities, we support those who are non-verbal, pre-verbal or developing their verbal communication. A range of communication systems are used, including Makaton signing, TaSSels, Symbols, switches, and both low and high-tech devices such as eye gaze technology and communication books.

Individualised Class Environments

Our high staff-to-student ratio allows us to truly know each learner. Classes are grouped by:

Communication style
Academic level
Sensory profile
Cognitive understanding
Compatibility

Age is considered to ensure access to an age-appropriate curriculum and resources, while still meeting individual developmental needs.

Every classroom setting is designed to be personalised, developmentally appropriate, and supportive of each student’s unique pathway.