The virtual school Oak National Academy has launched a new specialist curriculum for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities today.
The content will be free to access for schools and families from next week, created in collaboration with over 20 teachers and therapists from special schools nationwide.
The lessons are designed for families to work through with their child, as many pupils with the greatest additional learning needs cannot access online learning independently.
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Topics covered include language and communication, numeracy, independent living and creative arts, as well as additional video content covering speech and language, and occupation and physical therapies.
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One lesson on independent living focuses on household chores such as washing up, while lessons on creative arts include activities such as making a rocket or dancing the Charleston.
Oak National Academy is also introducing new accessibility features across its wider curriculum, such as lessons signed in British Sign Language and subtitled lessons to support pupils with hearing impairments.
Since its launch, Oak National Academy, which is backed by the Department for Education, has been accessed by over 4 million people. It offers 180 lessons a week, the equivalent of three hours per day for primary pupils and four hours a day for students in secondary school.
Matt Hood, principal of Oak National Academy, said: “When we set up Oak we wanted to make it accessible for as many learners as possible, so I’m delighted that we’ve been able to work with teachers, therapists and special schools across the country to launch our new specialist offer.
“We’ve also increased access to the wider curriculum through signed and subtitled lessons.
“Schools who support pupils with additional needs are facing huge challenges at this time. No one knows or understands a young learner better than their parents and carers, and nothing can replace the unique relationships between teachers, pupils and their families.
“However, we hope our new offer will go some way in helping teachers and families to support learners while schools are closed.”
Karen Wespieser, curriculum lead for specialist content at Oak National Academy, said: “This has been a hard time for all schools, teachers and families. One thing that will have made it especially hard for those supporting learners with additional needs is that there are far fewer dedicated online resources.
“We hope that the new Oak specialist curriculum will help plug this gap.”
