This Home Base area provides a learning space and seating for a medium group of up to 7 students with Severe Intellectual Disability and/or Significant Physical Disability and/or significant health impairment plus teachers and support staff.  Consideration has been given to student learning, social and mobility needs through the design of the main learning area which provides an adaptable learning environment. It supports a full range of teaching strategies and is configured to support a variety of seating plans that take into account the types of individual equipment required to support student learning and movement around the room.  Depending on the teacher’s plan, furniture available and the students’ learning and physical needs there is some scope for the teacher to modify settings during a session to support the teacher’s learning and social planning. This Home Base area is suitable for activities that include discussion, reading and storytelling, explicit teaching and demonstrations. Students can work in small groups on research and reflective activities with support. This Home Base area provides a learning space in which student work can be displayed and where students can rehearse and perform in small groups.  The Practical Activities Area with sink and bench space provides for individual and small group activities that encourage students to explore, investigate, create, fabricate and construct. 

FURTHER OPPORTUNITIES

There is potential for an indicative operable wall to connect to an adjacent IO or IS/P Home Base. Retraction of this operable wall would enable a collaborative learning and teaching model for two teachers and their classes.  Connecting Home Base areas and/or access to an outside learning area would enable greater diversity of learning settings reducing the need for constant reconfiguration of furniture.  Using different furniture and fittings to create alternative learning settings would also increase room use for more diverse learning processes including small assemblies, performances, investigative and fabrication activities, and structured play and tabloid learning activities. This room lends itself to other school and community uses subject to access to other necessary services and facilities. 

LEARNING IMPLICATIONS

Depending on the students’ learning, social and health requirements and the potential need for specialist equipment, consideration will need to be given to acoustic and spatial implications depending on the number and size of groups, the support needed and the types of learning activities planned.  In particular consideration will need to be given to the types of performance activities e.g. singing, poetry, drama and the number of groups included in the learning space, and the size and types of resources used in explore, investigate, create, fabricate and construct activities for a medium sized group. Consideration should also be given to student mobility access to these learning spaces and accessible toilets.