Additional support provided for pupils |
| Posted by School Website Administrator (siteadmin) on Nov 21 2010 at 4:51 PM |
Additional support provided for pupils
Speech and Language Therapy
A Speech and Language therapist (SLT) is currently employed at Alderman Knight School 2 days per
week. The Health Service and the Children and Young People’s Directorate fund this jointly.
Speech and language therapy support for pupils may be offered in a variety of ways and includes:
• advice to staff on adaptations of the teaching and learning environment that will support
children with communication difficulties;
• assessment of the pupil’s communication skills and needs;
• setting joint targets regarding communication on individual education plans though discussion
with teaching staff;
• advice on how such targets can be achieved; and
• in those cases where it is appropriate, group or individual work with the Speech and Language
therapist. This could include input into C&I sessions.
All involved with the pupil including parents or carers as well as teaching and support staff, support the
skills being developed through the pupil’s communication targets. This helps to ensure that the pupil’s
communication skills are developed consistently in all situations.
The Educational Psychologist
The school is supported by an educational psychologist who supports the school in meeting the needs
of children in the school. The Educational Psychologist visits regularly and supports in a number of ways including:
• individual assessments of pupil’s educational needs including 1:1 assessments and in class
observation
• advice to staff [including training as needed] on planning to meet the identified needs of
individuals and groups through appropriate adaptations to the learning environment
• working with teaching and support staff to devise challenging but realistic targets for pupils as
well as ensuring advice and guidance is given regarding appropriate strategies to support the
meeting of those targets.
Occupational Therapy at Alderman Knight School
What is Occupational Therapy?
• Focuses on improving a child’s independence in performance of their daily tasks.
• Uses activity as assessment and treatment.
• Looks at student occupations, primarily attending school, interacting with others and play.
We use play for example, to help children learn about themselves and the world around them. In doing this we review diverse skill areas such as concentration and behaviour or eating and drinking.
We also consider the use of fine and gross motor skills in the performance of all activities and look at
individual habits, roles, routines and motivation; key to identifying individual challenges.
We currently have input from two Occupational Therapists for a total period of fourteen hours over
Wednesday and Thursday.
Methods of Assessment
• Clinical Observations including classroom observations
• Developmental history
• AMPS – Assessment of Motor and Process Skills – This is a standardised assessment simultaneously assessing motor and process skills; identifying how a task is physically completed and the mental processes in doing it. This uses standardised tasks of every day living such as sandwich making. It’s not whether they can make a sandwich it’s the way they do it!
• Intervention to address challenges
• Group and individual work such as ‘How does your engine run?’ This programme addresses the ability to identify when body and mind are running ‘just right’ and how to achieve and maintain this. A whole class approach is often used such as, quiet space within the class, use of movement breaks, alerting and calming approaches.
• Fine and gross motor – FIZZY programme, compensatory techniques (equipment), Hand Gym.
• Social and emotional – dance group, individual self esteem programmes, awareness and group work.
The School Nurse
Mrs Linda Ebdon is the school nurse and is employed by Gloucestershire Primary Care National Health Trust and is part of the Community Nursing Service. She is also the school nurse for Battledown Children’s Centre and Belmont and Bettridge Schools and is based at Bettridge School Cheltenham. Parents of children in these schools are welcome to contact her at any time regarding the health and well-being of their child.
The school nurse works closely with other health professionals and school staff to help support and meet the health needs of all pupils.
Connexions [Careers Advice]
Connexions Advisers work with young people and their parents and carers, helping to support young people in their transition to adult life. They provide information, advice and guidance on post-16 options, including colleges, employment, training and voluntary work.
There is a specific Connexions Adviser linked to Alderman Knight School, who is invited to all annual
reviews from year 9 onwards.
From year 9 onwards, the Connexions Adviser will meet up with pupils before their annual review, to
discuss and start planning for their future. These meetings take place at school. At the review, the Connexions Adviser will discuss a Transition Plan which will look at your child’s needs over the next few years and consider the options open to them.
Pupils can also ask for a meeting with the Connexions Adviser at other times if they have something they would like to discuss.
For more information, please see the Connexions Gloucestershire website: www.connexionsglos.org.uk
Destinations
Alderman Knight School works very hard with all pupils and their families to ensure that on leaving every pupil has a secure placement for the following September. Many go on to further education with
some attending local colleges and others going onto a more specialist setting. Some pupils choose to
go straight into employment. The colleges and courses that pupils have chosen to attend in recent
years include:
Derwen Specialist College
South Worcestershire College
• Motor Mechanics
• General Foundation Programme
GLOSCOL – Gloucester and CheltenhamLife Skills Entry Pathway - Life Skills courses are available to 16-25 year old learners who require and will benefit from - high levels of additional support, guidance and supervision. Courses available are:
• Introduction to Life Skills
• Life Skills Foundation
• Life Skills Horizons
• Adult Transition.
Work Skills Entry Pathway - A range of work skills courses are available for learners aged 16-25, who require additional support to help them move on to higher level courses and/or employment. Courses available are:
• Introduction to Work Skill
• Work Skills Specialist
• Work Skill to Employment
• Work Skills Adult.
Hartpury College
• First Diploma Outdoor Education
• Rural Skills
• Farm Mechanisation
National Star College
• Health and Social Care
• Skills for Working Life
Pershore College
• Horticulture
Stroud College
• Hair & Beauty
• Childcare
Outreach Support
In Gloucestershire we believe that the education of all young people, including those with SEN, is greatly improved by strong partnership between everyone involved with them. The school works in partnership with its local community and is able to provide advice and support for teachers and teaching assistants in all educational settings to help each child and young person achieve their full potential and the Every Child Matters (ECM) outcomes.
A large part of the support involves groups of pupils from local schools attending the school for one morning or afternoon session a week to work with specialist staff and use the excellent resources within the school. Specialist staff visit local schools and provide advice and support in the school setting. In addition a number of mainstream pupils benefit from joining pupils at Alderman Knight for part of their timetable where they are able to access curriculum provision that is more appropriate to their needs.
Total Communication
As part of Gloucestershire’s Total Communication Project we are all learning to sign. Each week we learn the signs for 10 words and during the week we all practice them as much as we can.
We also regularly run courses for parents, carers and people from the community to learn the GTC Induction and Intermediate Vocabulary.
If you would like to attend one of our courses please contact the school for more information.
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