Building a Curriculum for Children with Complex Needs: Placing Communication at the Heart of the School

This book provides a clear, user-friendly curriculum designed to support primary aged children with Severe Learning Disabilities (SLD) and Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD). Drawing upon the Communication at the Heart of the School (CATHS) approach, the curriculum is based on the premise that children learn when they are engaged. Building a Curriculum for Children with Complex Needs provides practitioners with the skills and knowledge to personalise and create lessons that will engage children, according to their assessed levels, and considers how activities can be adapted to meet many different learning needs. The book includes:A quick screening assessment to supplement the complete CATHS assessmentA curriculum frameworkDiscussions on how to select appropriate curriculum objectivesA long-term activity planning map with National Curriculum linksAdvice on how to plan lessons which engage and challengeIndividual topic plans as well as full lesson plansGuidance on how to resource classroomsAbove all, this curriculum is realistic and is based on a practical formative assessment which enables children to be taught in groups and allows teachers to focus on creating both engaging and challenging lessons. It is an essential resource for both mainstream and special school staff, including SENCOs, classroom teachers and senior leadership teams.

• Publication date: 2 September 2026
• Page count: 154
• Dimensions: Height 297 mm; Width 210 mm
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Format: Hardback
• ISBN-13: 9781041119104