Phonics

Sometimes a pupil has not learned or remembered reading skills when they were young, and this can make it harder to read independently and ‘break down’ the sounds of words.

This intervention helps pupils spot the sound patterns in words and improve their reading and spelling.

• Accuracy in reading.
• Confidence with reading.
• Learning to connect sound to letter and use patterns.
• Connections between unfamiliar print words and verbal knowledge.

As in phonics, there are often gaps in our knowledge of key sounds and patterns and this can affect spelling. Pupils are supported in spotting and using spelling patterns.

Pupils learn the combinations and sequences of letters to produce the intended sound.

• Understanding and meaning in writing.
• Legibility of writing.
• Confidence to use technical terms and a broader vocabulary.

Once a pupil can decode text, remember common words and then comprehend meaning, the next step is improving fluency  and supporting selection and retrieval of information from the text.

Reading supports pupils with their reading fluency and speed, and their basic comprehension and understanding of a text, through 1:1 reading with our team.

• Improved fluency and recognition of common words.
• Improved understanding of the text.
• Ability to locate specific information in a text.

• Engagement with the lesson.
• Ability to complete tasks with minimal support.
• Improved understanding of lesson texts and vocabulary.

Supporting pupils to locate information in a text and use methods such as graphic organisers to form inferences based on these facts. It is ‘reading between the lines’ or ‘clue hunting’, and is an essential skill for modern life – and higher grades at GCSE. Good readers with reasonable grades may still struggle with inference and deduction.

• Learn methods to independently infer in a range of situations.
• Remove barriers from high grade attainment.
• Improve analytical skills.

If a pupil is struggling with maths in general, or with a particular process, we use Numicon as it provides a range of visual and physical tasks to help pupils learn and remember skills.

• Organisation, including telling the time.
• Independence and confidence with mathematical processes.
• Knowing times tables and number bonds.

Most handwriting is legible, but when it isn’t, our team uses a range of strategies to prevent work being illegible in exams and build pupil confidence.

• Legibility of writing.
• Confidence and engagement with writing tasks.

Handwriting is linked to fine motor skills, and for some pupils, just working on their handwriting would ignore significant other needs, such as an inability to use certain equipment in school, or to perform certain tasks like tying their laces or using cutlery. These are essential skills for independent living.

• Handwriting.
• Engagement with tools and equipment used in class and around the school.
• Reduced frustration or refusal to use these items.

This intervention involves a range of activities to stimulate, focus and calm pupils, preparing them for a calm start to the school day.

• Focus in class.
• Preparedness for school and learning.
• A calmer, more settled start.
• Brain processing efficiency.

• Communication skills.
• Confidence.
• Trust.
• Learn strategies for coping with emotions and trauma.
• Learn how to communicate needs.

Settling strategies and good organisation can help to start the day or lesson well. We provide targeted support for specific needs at the start of the day or lesson for pupils who struggle with organisation, focus and engagement. By adding and embedding a routine, we help them have a calmer, more productive day and, hopefully, continue those skills when they leave us.

• Engagement.
• Organisation.
• Routines at the start of the day.

An intervention based on the exercise “3 Good Things” and research by Dr. Seligman.

Pupils focus on three positive experiences that make their lives happier. It has been shown to promote confidence, increase calm and a sense of inner peace, and to improve their acknowledgement of themselves and their experiences or achievements.

• Confidence.
• Focus on positive experiences each day, not negatives.
• Calm and inner peace.
• Awareness of own achievements and progress.

• Confidence and self-esteem.
• Improved understanding of the causes of feelings and anxieties.
• Strategies to support themselves in challenging situations.

We have two sensory rooms: one is a calming space to help pupils who struggle with overstimulation, the other is a stimulating environment for pupils who need additional sensory input. They are used for bespoke scheduled sensory interventions and for as-needed spaces to support pupils who are struggling.

• Emotional regulation.
• Focus on returning to class.
• Engagement with learning and peers.
• Mental health.
• Reduced distress and discomfort.

Nurture groups assess learning and SEMH needs and remove barriers to learning, with emphasis on language development and communication. Using two staff to demonstrate nurturing and supportive relationships, provides a role model that children observe and begin to copy.

• Focus and engagement with learning.
• Social and communication skills.
• Confidence and self-esteem.
• Focus on self-regulation, taking pride in their work and achieving personal goals.

Based on the research and book by Marc Brackett, this intervention helps pupils identify, understand and communicate their emotions and needs.

Pupils discuss the situations they encounter, and begin to understand and manage their emotional responses to a range of situations.

• Self-esteem and confidence.
• Mental wellbeing.
• Skills to understand and regulate emotion.
• Focus and engagement.
• Reduce stress and burnout.

A speech and language profile tool and support method to ensure pupils have appropriate communication skills for the workplace.

• Confidence for interviews and work experience.
• Communication skills in general.
• Communication skills for the workplace/post-16 placements.

Supporting pupils, particularly those with SEMH needs, to develop social communication skills.

The sessions focus on key elements of communication: self-awareness and self-esteem; body language; conversational skills; friendship skills; assertiveness skills.

• Self-esteem and confidence in social situations and interactions.
• Improved peer interactions and reduced conflict.

A significant proportion of children find it difficult to understand the increasingly complex questions asked by teachers in lessons, including those with autism, social communication disorder, developmental language disorder or learning difficulties.

• Improved communication and information processing skills.
• Understanding of situations / people.
• Improved analytical skills and ability to infer.
• Improved confidence with work and social situations.

LEGO Therapy supports speech and language skills, turn taking, sharing, cooperating, following instructions, group work and social skills. Pupils work in pairs or small groups to boost their confidence and social skills.

• Communication and social skills.
• Team work.
• Giving and following instructions.
• Taking turns and sharing.
• Problem-solving skills.
• Vocabulary.