Welcome to Octopus Class

Welcome to Octopus class. We aim to develop learners’ independence, with life skills and encouraging independence within the classroom by sourcing their own equipment to complete a task. We aim to help them to develop work skills through class jobs and tasks throughout the day. This will also be supported through our Careers sessions. Learning will be taught through play-based activities as well as real life activities. Adults will support the learners in developing their communication, self-regulation and self-help skills.

Learning Showcase

Exciting moments from Octopus will appear in this space, including any pictures or videos we take.  Please keep checking in, in order to see what the learners have been up to!

Spring 2 2024

Octopus is a Key Stage 3 investigator class comprising of 8 learners. Our Class Teacher is Lucy and Alex, Katherine and Tash help us too.  Together we are working towards growing our independence, practising real-world skills and growing our academic knowledge and understanding.

This term we are learning about the following topics: 

English - Character and Setting Descriptions linked to Aesop's Fables.

Maths - Multiplication and Division.

Science - Healthy living, including learning about the human heart.

Phonics - Phase 5 phonemes and Phase 6 spelling rules.

History -  Robert Peel and the development of the Police Force.

Careers - Mini Enterprise. 

ICT - Branching Databases and Presenting using PowerPoint.

This term, we also visit Forest School and have African Drumming lessons weekly. 

Summer 1 2024

In English, we have been focussing on the text “The Day the Crayon’s Came Home”. As a hook for this lesson, learners came into school to find that our Book Corner Sofa was missing! Learners made predictions about what they thought may have happened to the sofa and why. Next, they received a letter from the Blue Book Corner Sofa to explain that it had gone on strike! Learners had to think of solutions to the Sofa’s problems and then wrote letters back explaining the changes which would be made. Shortly after the letters were received the Sofa returned to class! Next, we focussed on the adventures of the Pea Green Crayon and thought about the different places which he may travel too, we did lots of role-play and then wrote a story about the adventures which he had been on.

In Maths, Learners have developed their understanding of telling the time. Most learners are now able to tell the time at five minute intervals which is fantastic progress! We also learnt about statistics. We now know how to record and interpret information using a tally chart, block chart and pictogram.

In Careers, we have embarked on a really exciting project! We were invited by Warwickshire Careers Hub to enter a mini-enterprise competition. We were given £20 and had to think of ideas to increase this amount. Collectively, we decided to have a raffle. We wrote letters to local businesses asking for prize donations and we were REALLY lucky to receive so many! Next, we designed and sold tickets to our friends and family and then finally we held a raffle draw. We raised £460! We are now waiting to hear from Warwickshire Career’s hub to find out our next steps.

Additionally in Career's we have lots of visitors to school to tell us about their professions and the roles and responsibilities which come with their job.  We were lucky to have visitors from AA, Network Rail, A Detective, A Paramedic, An Artist, A Carpenter and Co-op Funeral Care. Learners engaged really well with each of the sessions, and this has supported them in starting to think about future careers which they may wish to have. 

In Science, Octopus have been learning about states of matter and have identified solids, liquids and gasses. Learners have explored how the shape and volume of liquids can change and also the dissolvability of different liquids too.

Finally, in our My Place in the World sessions, we have been learning about Rivers, Floods and Disasters. We learnt the stages of the water cycle and created our own mini versions. Next we learnt how rivers are formed/ changed over time. Finally, we focussed on a picture book called ‘Flood’. We added descriptive sentences to match the events in the pictures.