Below are some of the example interventions that we offer students at Sir Peter Hall School.
Lego Play Sessions
Intent
Playing with LEGO in a therapy setting promotes social interaction, turn-taking skills, sharing, collaborative problem-solving and the learning of concepts. It can be used to target goals around social skills, language and motor skills. By using a commonly adored tool like LEGO it capitalises on its existing motivation and supports self-esteem by allowing the participants to demonstrate their skills in a social situation. It also sets up a positive opportunity for guided social problem-solving to help develop social skills that can then be used in other situations.
Implementation
Children with autism sometimes find it challenging to understand what is expected of them in a social situation, particularly within unstructured play activities. LEGO-Based Therapy provides a highly structured environment where everyone plays a specific role within the group. Our sessions take place in small groups or one-to-one. A programme will usually last around six weeks.
Impact
Lego therapy can help children with autism feel calm and relaxed as they are doing something that they enjoy and know precisely what to expect and what is expected of them.
Sand Play Sessions
Intent
Sand Play sessions aim to provide an expressive platform for students to explore their thoughts, feelings and experiences. Sessions are 1:1 or group, and programmes will usual last for 6 weeks,
Implementation
Guided sessions are a collaborative process where pupils can play, explore and have an opportunity to reflect on experiences, both in and out of school.
Impact
Sand Play can impact pupils emotional wellbeing, as well as support motor skills, sensory experiences and social and emotional development.
ELSA
Intent
ELSA support in schools is a project designed to help schools support the emotional needs of their pupils. ELSA acknowledges that children and young people learn best when they feel happier and their emotional needs are being addressed..
Implementation
A lot of work that ELSAs do will be on an individual basis with one child, however, there are cases where group sessions may be appropriate such as when working on social skills and friendship skills. Sessions are fun, using a range of activities such as: games, role-play or therapeutic activities such as mindfulness or arts and craft. ELSA sessions take place in a calm, safe space so the child feels supported and nurtured.
Sessions will typically happen once a week across the length of half a term to a term and last between half an hour and an hour. Not all changes will happen quickly, and one programme may not be able to meet all the needs that a child has. So when planning the work that will go into a programme ELSAs need to be aware of what aims they want to target.
Impact
ELSA help pupils to find their own solutions to the emotion issues mentioned above. The ELSA isn’t there to ‘fix’ the child. For pupils with complex or long-term needs, it’s unrealistic to expect ELSA support to resolve all their difficulties. Change is a long-term process that needs everyone’s help and may need to be repeated.
Children who need help and support with any of the following:
- Social Skills
- Loss & Bereavement
- Social Situations
- Therapeutic Stories
- Anger Management
- Self-esteem
- Real-life problem-solving skills
- Friendship & Relationships
- Recognising emotions
- Anxiety
- Behaviour
- Bullying & Conflict
Thrive
Intent
Sir Peter Hall School is a Thrive School. This means that the Thrive approach underpins our curriculum and ethos. At our school, emotional wellbeing and growth is a priority.
For children to be able to engage in learning, they need to have positive emotional health, wellbeing and social skills. This is where Thrive supports the development of these skills in order to enable learning to take place. Some children may have obvious reasons why they need extra support, these could include bereavement, family breakdown or an identified medical condition such as ASD or ADHD. For others the reason they have developmental gaps may not be so obvious and they may just be finding some aspects of school/home life difficult.
Implementation
The Thrive approach is based on growing evidence that the brain develops through personal and social interaction. Activities can be 1:1 or within a group and are designed to make the child feel better about themselves, become more resilient, form trusting relationships, be empathetic and be able to overcome setbacks should they occur. Action plans are reviewed and updated regularly to monitor progress made and identify areas to work on.
Impact
By using the Thrive online assessment tool it can help us to identify where these interruptions may have occurred and support needs on an individual basis, as well as offering ways to deal with challenging behaviour. A Thrive action plan is a plan of activities tailored to support a child’s identified social and emotional learning targets.
Read Write Inc
Intent
Read Write Inc. Fresh Start is a catch-up and intervention programme with proven results, for 9 to 13-year-olds still learning to read. It offers a simple but powerful solution to accelerate reading progress in just 25 minutes a day.
Implementation
Developed by Ruth Miskin, Fresh Start teaches students at their challenge point, so they learn to read accurately and fluently. They will also develop good comprehension, spelling, and punctuation skills through targeted activities.Resources are age-appropriate, matched to students’ increasing knowledge of phonics, and finely levelled to accelerate progress.
Impact
At Sir Peter Hall School, we carry out a baseline assessment at entry point to assess pupils reading ability. If they are found to need further reading support, they will have three, individual, 20-minute reading sessions a week with our trained Fresh Start practitioner.
Talkabout
Intent
Talkabout is a structure programme for teaching and measuring social skills. It is a whole scheme of work which helps assess, teach and measure impact. Focus is on skills such as listening, conversation skills, body language, awareness and assertiveness.
Implementation
A lot of work is done 1:1 and sessions can be weekly as required to complete the scheme of work. Pupils can do this in school, or some prefer to do this as “walk and talk” outside of a room.
Impact
Students develop confidence in communication skills, reducing negative behaviours and supports positive engagement in school.