Welcome to Topaz Class

Topaz Class is home to eight wonderful primary-aged children, with an engaging and highly personalised daily timetable. The class is taught by Miss Reid, supported by five experienced teaching assistants, ensuring every child receives the structure, consistency, and individual support they need to thrive.

Topaz is a class designed for pupils with higher and more complex needs. The environment is calm, predictable, and visually structured, which helps reduce anxiety and supports meaningful engagement. Our classroom is divided into three key areas that we utilise throughout the day. We have a workstation area, where children access the TEACCH approach using structured tasks and visual systems that promote independence. We also have a dedicated movement and physical development area that includes a climbing wall, offering vital sensory input and opportunities to build motor skills. In addition, our sensory and calming area features a classroom swing, which helps children regulate their bodies and prepare for learning. We are also conveniently located near the sensory light room, which we access regularly for calming and sensory exploration.

Each morning begins with a sensory circuit, helping the children regulate and transition smoothly into their school day. We then come together for our welcome routine, singing our morning song and greeting each other using Makaton, symbols, communication devices, or spoken language. We look at the day of the week, explore our visual timetable, and count the number of children present, helping to build early number awareness and understanding of routines.

Our phonics sessions follow the Little Wandle programme, which has been adapted to be highly multisensory and accessible for all learners. Communication and language development is embedded throughout the day, through reading opportunities, symbol use, mark-making, expressive communication, and interaction. Each child works on personalised learning targets, with progress recorded and shared with families through Evidence for Learning.

Mathematics is taught through practical, hands-on experiences that focus on early number, shape, and measure. We deliver learning through a thematic curriculum, allowing children to explore topics such as animals, celebrations, seasons, and familiar stories in a sensory and engaging way.

Our weekly timetable also includes cooking, one PE lesson, and daily sensory opportunities. Topaz accesses Forest School during our allocated terms, as this provision is shared across the school. We are fortunate to have our own dedicated playground, providing a safe and quiet space for sensory play, physical development, and outdoor learning. Each year, the children also attend six off-site swimming sessions, supporting water confidence and important life skills.