MSI Unit Curriculum - Sense

Victoria School: MSI Unit CurriculumDevelopment of the CurriculumThe Curriculum is not a new project in terms of practice within the MSI Unit.We have changed nothing in terms of what we do. Our new venture has been tostructure and formalise our practice onto paper, to make it accessible to othersand to help our planning and evaluation.The Curriculum was developed in a culture of detailed observation of pupils andconstant discussion of teaching and learning practices and underpinning theory(see ‘Sources and resources’ below). In this context, further discussions helpedto identify the key factors in supporting pupils’ learning and to differentiatethe four Phases and eight domains. The Curriculum was drafted and repeatedlyrevised until we felt that it accurately reflected our practice. The Profiles weredeveloped to formalise our assessments of progress and our evaluations ofpupils’ strengths and current needs. They were drafted, trialled, evaluated andredrafted until they accurately reflected pupils’ relative strengths and theirprogress through the Curriculum.Once Victoria School’s 2007 Ofsted inspection had approved the Curriculum,describing it as ‘excellent’, it was offered for pilot to MSI specialists workingin other settings. We wanted to know whether it was of use to staff elsewhere,or whether it was too dependent on high levels of expertise, flexibility, staffingand resources. Teachers from ten settings (including small specialist MSI Units,schools for pupils with learning difficulties including pupils with MSI, advisoryservices supporting a range of settings, services for pre-school children andhome education) trialled the Curriculum in full or in part and returned detailedfeedback.Most comments were positive – for example:• the structure and presentation are accessible and user-friendly;• the domains are appropriate and useful in thinking about the learning ofpupils with MSI;• the Profile summary sheets are clear and informative;• it is potentially useful for children with complex needs other than MSI;• it has great potential as an awareness and training document;• the Profile is useful for thinking about specific aspects of a child’s developmentand highlighting which areas could be focused on next;• it has proved useful in structuring discussion (between specialists and nonspecialists)about individual pupils’ MSI-related needs;8