The Pre-Vocational curriculum is designed to equip pupils with the basic skills necessary for increased independence, and for some, the transition to advanced vocational training. The Pre-Vocational program assesses each pupil's vocational skills and supports development of these skills. Each pupil is assessed on a wide range of tasks and campus jobs such as sorting, packaging, collating, recycling, cleaning, delivering supplies and laminating materials. Pupils develop functional work habits, while demonstrating appropriate work behaviour. Each pupil participating in this programme has specific objectives necessary for attaining proficiency based on their Individual Education Programme (IEP).

Learning Objectives

 To provide opportunities for the pupils to build basic functional academic skills in reading, writing arithmetic and social interaction and acquire new information, knowledge and understanding of the world we live in.
 To provide opportunities to enable the pupils to acquire basic vocational skills to prepare them for independent living.
 To develop in each pupil functional work habits and appropriate work behaviour.
 To give pupils an understanding of social, ethical and moral standards in the areas of honesty / integrity, respect, trust and responsibility.
 To promote inclusion through the multi-denominational principles of the school and to engender in pupils the awareness and acceptance of diversity in our multi-racial and multi-cultural society.
 To enhance the pupils' self-awareness and self-esteem through the child-centered development of their personal skills, understanding of themselves and the situations they encounter through their lives.
 To enhance the pupils' understanding and awareness of others and develop their ability to form relationships, resolve conflicts and manage group situations.
 To help pupils appreciate and value the natural beauty of the world, care for the environment and encourage aesthetic awareness.


Curriculum Areas

Functional Academics
Self-care
Self-direction
Communications
Mobility
Learning
Independent living
Health and Physical Education

 Functional Academics

The Functional Academic programme is designed to teach skills that contribute to each pupil's ability to function in real life situations at home, school, work and in the community. The Functional Academic curriculum involves mathematics which includes telling time, counting money. Students are also taught reading, which includes recognition of important safety signs or reading a variety of books, magazines or newspapers for enjoyment.

 Self-care

Pupils are taught to develop independence and take initiatives to meet personal needs in the areas of grooming, toileting, dressing, eating, etc

 Self-direction

Pupils are taught to proceed to the next step of a task or project as needed. Areas of focus include production, directives, transitioning and initiatives.

 Communications

Pupils are taught to develop and maintain communications skills to effectively communicate with others. Areas of focus include expressions, reception, social interaction and advanced communications skills.

 Mobility

Pupils learn how to move and adapt to their environment and surroundings. Skills engendered through this program include Gross-motor skills, Fine-motor skills, Co-ordination and Exercises

 Learning

Pupils develop and use basic skills that are taught through memorization and recognition
(a) Academic - recognizing the alphabet, reading site words, writing name, universal signs, etc
(b) Production - learning new tasks and repeating steps through modeling
(c) Personal -family members' names, address, phone numbers, learning names of friends, etc
(d) Environmental - locating classrooms, places, belongings, etc

 Independent Living

Pupils develop essential skills that are needed for daily living in the home and in the community
(a) Cooking - preparing simple meals using simple appliance, etc
(b) Laundry - folding clothes, sorting clothes, measuring laundry detergent, etc
(c) Housekeeping - washing dishes, sweeping the floor, paying bills, etc
(d) Community Integration - following safety signs, using public transport, making purchases, etc

 Health and Physical Education

The PE program is designed to help create a positive attitude towards physical activities amongst the pupils. Pupils are exposed to a diverse range of sports and encouraged to lead healthy lifestyles. The Health program teaches basic health concepts, body awareness, fine and gross motor skills, safety and the importance of physical activity. The PE program provides opportunities for group participation, co-operation and leadership.

 Therapy Services

Therapy services are not part of the curriculum but are important components of special needs education. Both Speech and Occupational Therapy services will be made available by the school. Parents have the option of using services provided by the school or to opt for their own service providers.

 Speech and Language Therapy

Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) helps the child realize his or her maximum communicative ability. The Speech Language Therapist assesses the child's communicative ability and then prioritizes the intervention goals that best meets the child's needs. Intervention can begin with the child in an individual session, in a group setting or in consultation with the staff or parents.

Speech and Language therapeutic intervention for the child may cover developing basic communication (pre-linguistic) skills, verbal comprehension, spoken vocabulary, sentence expansion, articulation, voice and a more efficient respiratory system. For some children, an alternative and/or augmentative communication(AAC) system may be introduced such as signing, object/picture communication system or specific AAC devices to enhance overall communication.

 Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy is designed to evaluate, specify and treat problems interfering with functional performance in one or more areas outlined below:

Fine Motor Manipulation - Children are taught how to use their hands together, hold small items correctly and use a pencil and scissors in preparation for school readiness and dressing skills. Handwriting programme is also conducted.

Perceptual Skills - Uses puzzles and copying designs to help children develop eye-hand coordination and other perceptual skills that affect functional mobility and home safety.

Sensory Processing - Assists children in developing the perception & use of touch, movement, sight, sound, smell, the force of gravity and body position to function in their environment.

Sensory Motor - Teaches children how to use their senses to move their bodies through the environment e.g. postural control, motor planning etc.

Activities of Daily Living - Emphasis on achieving independence in daily living activities such as dressing, grooming, brushing, bathing, feeding & toileting

Oral Motor Control - Assists children in learning how to use the muscles of the mouth to suck, swallow and chew. Learning to use a spoon and drinking from a cup is also emphasized.

Behaviour - Works on children who need some sort of sensory input to focus on tasks in classroom and at home. Also helps children who are hypoactive and hyperactive to achieve optimal arousal state using sensory activities to perform better in different settings.

Equipment/Seating - Provides children with the necessary equipment to facilitate development (seats, splints, adaptive spoons, straps for chairs and other specialized equipment). When needed, the environment is also modified to suit the children's needs, and to enhance their independence where possible.