Pinderfields Hospital

Physical Development and Physical Education

Below you will find the progression document for the Physical Development Curriculum. You will also finds information about the ways in which we support pupils with sensory needs through provision and specific programmes.

The video below highlights some of the ways in which we develop gross and fine motor skills, alongside sensory needs.

Meeting Sensory Seeking Needs

Many of our children have sensory issues around foods which means their diets are very restrictive. Our Speech and Language Therapist supports our delivery of a programme called 'Fun with Food', which uses fun, play and tactile exploration to try and support pupils in overcoming their sensory barriers with food. The video below demonstrates how we deliver the programme and use the principles more widely across the setting.

TACPAC and our Sensory Spaces

We are lucky in that we have two indoor sensory spaces to support our pupils, as well as sensory areas specifically developed in our outdoor space, to allow pupils to seek the sensory input they need in order to regulate themselves and be able to learn. This process can be a long one for many children, and their sensory needs can sometimes be overwhelming, and the low demand of our learning environment is designed in such a way as to support children in their regulation until they are able to do this for themselves. 

TACPAC

TACPAC is a programme which  draws together touch and music to create a structured session of sensory communication between two people. Tacpac creates sensory alignment and helps people of any age who have sensory impairment, developmental delay, complex learning difficulties, tactile defensiveness, and limited or pre-verbal levels of communication. This is used with our children under the supervision of our Speech and Language Therapist and takes place in our Quiet Room, with the lights low and the music relaxing! While we do structure the programme into the school day for pupils, we also deliver ad hoc sessions to meet the needs of the pupils if this is required.

Occupational Therapy

The setting works closely with a range of Occupational Therapists who support the team and the pupils. This programme of work is always ongoing as the needs of our children changes. We review the resources available, the programmes used and the routines of the day regularly to ensure that our pupils are able to access the support and sensory input they need.