Rowan Class

Natalie Marsh
Class Teacher

Kevin Broadway
Class Teacher
Rowan Class – Mission Statement
Intent In Rowan Class, our primary intent is to provide pupils with the highest quality of education, ensuring they are well-prepared for Key Stage 4 and the challenges of life beyond school. We believe that a robust educational foundation will equip our students with the necessary skills, knowledge, and confidence to thrive in their future academic and personal endeavours.
Implementation Our strategy involves a carefully curated curriculum that aligns with the National Curriculum standards while also addressing the diverse needs and interests of our pupils. We employ a range of teaching methods and resources to cater to different learning styles, fostering an inclusive environment where all students can flourish. Our pedagogical approach encourages critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration, enabling pupils to engage meaningfully with the content. Furthermore, we incorporate assessments that are not only formative but also summative, allowing us to monitor progress and identify areas for improvement effectively.
Impact The impact of our efforts is measured through both academic achievements and the broader development of our students. We expect our pupils to demonstrate significant progress in their learning outcomes, ultimately attaining their full potential. However, our focus extends beyond mere academic results; we aspire to nurture well-rounded individuals who exhibit resilience, adaptability, and a sense of responsibility. By cultivating these attributes, we prepare our students not just for school but also for the complexities of life after school.
In summary, our commitment in Rowan Class to a high-quality education through intentional planning, effective implementation, and meaningful impact ensures that our pupils are ready to face Key Stage 4 and the future with confidence and capability.
This mixed key stage class will provide a Total Communication, highly structured environment to support the students personalised learning. Whilst they continue to follow the subjects in the National Curriculum appropriate to their age, there is an emphasis on physical and sensory learning. Many students follow a MSI (Multi-Sensory) Curriculum within Rowan, which ensures their learning experiences are targeted, functional and meaningful to the individual.
Pupils will have inclusion where appropriate within key stage/ability groups. There will be a focus on nurture, behaviour awareness and management, sensory integration and therapy.
Pupils in Rowan will be given the structure and systems to enable them to access all learning opportunities.
Pupils in Rowan are all assessed using P Levels and National Curriculum Levels, alongside other tools which measure and celebrate progress including the MSI (Multi-Sensory) assessment.

Rowan Class – Bank of Dreams and Nightmares
On Wednesday 17th September, The Bank of Dreams and Nightmares came into Rowan class to carry out a workshop on speech writing. This was a really fun and engaging morning and we all wrote some excellent speeches. Many thanks to Ed, Nick, Diana and Lizzie who came in...

Visit to Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis
On Wednesday 9th July, the drama ensemble attended a workshop at The Marine Theatre in Lyme. We worked with a group of year 10 drama students from Woodroffe school. We began with some warm up games and then produced a small abstract tableaux to share our thoughts on a...

Science Day – “What lays beneath?”
What lays beneath? As part of Science Day Chestnut Class and Rowan Class buried some organic and non-organic items the day before we broke up for Easter. On our return we dug up our buried ‘treasure’ to see what had happened. We had buried an apple core, some leaves,...

Rowan Class – Sensory Trust & Holi Celebrations
Rowan class have had a great few days. We have had the Sensory Trust: we planted small plants and seeds. We have also had a great time tie-dying this week as part of our Holi celebrations. We used up the dye to create items for Mountjoy Market Place next week. We are...

Magdelen Residential
Rowan, Juniper and Oak had an amazing 2 night residential to Magdalen Farm. We enjoyed orienteering, feeding pigs, goats, chickens and cows. We also made smoothies on the blender bikes, built dens in the woods, made pizzas in the outdoor wood oven, collected eggs,...

Rowan Class at Kingcombe Wildlife Centre
Rowan have been visiting Kingcombe Wildlife Centre every Tuesday this term. We’ve had a great time working towards our Silver Outdoor Learning Award. Some of the activities have included; river dipping, a 1 mile walk, bird watching, identifying of plants, trees, and...

Visit from SSCO Pepper and SSCO Hann
Today, we had a great visit from SSCO Albert Pepper and SSCO Stuart Hann to talk to our older students regarding online safety. They spoke to the students about how to stay safe and how to speak to each other whilst online but also who to talk to if they are at...

Chestnut & Rowan went Kayaking
On Friday Chestnut & Rowan visited Sandsfoot beach in Weymouth for a kayaking session run by Weymouth Outdoor Education Centre . Most of the students had either never kayaked or only done it once before. After helmets and life jackets were on the first group set...

Rowan Class – Hampton Court Visit Jan 2024
On Wednesday 17th January 2024, Rowan class went to Hampton Court Palace to learn about Tudor Britain. We found out so much about Henry VIII and his 6 wives! We had an amazing time exploring the palace, dressing up in Tudor costumes, feeling replicas from the time;...

Christmas Jumper Day 8th December
We are celebrating Christmas Jumper Day on 8th December, which will hopefully bring some colour to this very gloomy December, and to raise funds for Save the Children. Please wear something Christmasy tomorrow and if you can, spare some change which will be...