School Curriculum
In St Catherine’s Special School we recognise that all students learn at their own pace and that each student is unique and has their own talents. To maximise the students learning each student follows an Individual Education Plan. This document outlines the student’s targets for the school year.
Primary
The Primary aged students of St Catherine’s Special School have access to a broad range of curriculum experiences based on the Guidelines for Teachers of Students with General Learning Disabilities and the Primary School Curriculum.
Within our Primary, Junior and Senior Cycles our core curricular areas are
- Communication and Language
- Social Personal Health Education
- Mathematics and Thinking Skills
Alongside our core curriculum areas, the students follow the curriculum guidelines for the following subjects
- Drama
- Music
- Physical Education
- History
- Geography
- Science
- Visual Arts
The curriculum guidelines can be found at: www.ncca.ie
Junior Cycle
NCCA Junior Cycle Level 1 Learning Programmes
Level 1 Learning Programmes (L1LP) will target the very specific group of students with general learning abilities in the range of lower functioning moderate to severe and profound categories. The programme will be capable of personalisation to suit the individual needs of the target group of students.
The Level 1 Learning Programmes are made up of six Priority Learning Units (PLUs) which explicitly identify and develop the key areas of learning needed to prepare the students for their future lives.
- Communication, Language and Literacy
- Personal Care and Wellbeing
- Being part of a Community
- Numeracy
- The Arts
- Physical Education
Senior Cycle
ASDAN
ASDAN (Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network) provides a range of modules covering preparation for life and work. Each modules is designed to develop student’s skills through an engaging and challenging range of activities, leading to certification of achievement.
The ASDAN programmes are complementary and work alongside the curriculum already on offer in St Catherine’s Special School but ASDAN can provide students with award certification to celebrate achievements which may be momentous for our students and provide them with success and a feeling of accomplishment.
Since 2012 some of our senior students have received certification for ASDAN modules completed. St Catherine’s Special School is committed to enhancing and improving the level of educational services for every student who attends the school and we welcome the ASDAN awards programmes as a positive and beneficial move towards certification and accreditation of our students learning achievements.
