These are extra interventions/support that can be put into place for a child if needed: 

Sensory Circuits

Sensory circuits are a great way both to energise and settle children into the school day. Particularly when they need to focus or engage in learning. The aim of a sensory circuit is to focus concentration in readiness for the day’s learning. The circuit also encourages the development of the child’s sensory processing skills. Sensory circuits are done first thing in the morning, but can be done at home too. 

The children really enjoy working with each other and the adults leading the sessions. They complete a series of activities as detailed below and for the majority of children this leads to improvement in alertness and co-ordination in class.  Children are reviewed every 6 weeks. 

The three Sensory Circuits areas are:

Alerting: These activities stimulate the bodies’ central nervous system in preparation for learning. These include spinning, bouncing, skipping and jumping.

Organising: These activities demand the brain and body to work together. These include balance, co-ordination and concentration.

Calming: These activities give awareness of their body in a space and increases the ability to self regulate sensory input. These include heavy muscle work and deep pressure.

Balance Education and Movement (BEAM)

A physical activity programme aimed to support children’s core muscles, posture and coordination skills. This helps the child develop classroom skills, such as the ability to sit still, to concentrate and listen, and hand-eye coordination. It was devised by paediatric physiotherapists and occupational therapists. 

Speech and Language groups
These 1:1 or group sessions are for children who either have speech or communication difficulty. Their difficulty can be either in their receptive and/or expressive language. 

Speech and Language Link groups
Speech Link and Infant and Junior Language Link are computerised assessment packages that give teachers and teaching assistants the ability to screen for the child’s understanding of the spoken language. It offers information and resources to implement appropriate support programmes and strategies which are used with identified children.

Reading/Comprehension groups
An intervention to help improve a child’s reading accuracy plus their understanding of different types of texts. A variety of fiction and non-fiction books are used, including play scripts and poetry. Questions are answered verbally and in a written format. 

English/Phonics Booster

This intervention supports children who require additional help with a particular concept in class.

Handwriting
To help develop fine-motor and perceptual skills for effective handwriting, such as hand-eye co-ordination. This is achieved through various activities such as colouring, tracking and drawing. Through this they will develop the control required for exact placement of the pencil on a specified point, skilled control over movement and the correct pressure required. 

Maths booster

This intervention supports children who require additional help with a particular concept in class.

Plus 1 and Power of 2

Plus 1 and Power of 2 puts in place the building blocks of number and developing skills with mental calculations. The clear language and repetition benefits students with dyslexia and those with English as an Additional language.  Students with dyscalculia benefit from the highly structured approach with clear explanations.

Plus 1 covers basic number work, such as counting forwards and backwards with numbers up to 10, adding and subtracting numbers up to 10, and introducing doubling and halving.   

Power of 2 begins with teaching number bonds to 10, and then moves on to introducing doubling, halving, addition and subtraction, rounding numbers, multiplying and dividing. It then introduces fractions and looks at worded problems and time. 

Plus 1 - From 5 Years Old 

Power of 2 - From 8 Years Old 

Timestable Rockstars

TTRS is a carefully sequenced program of daily timetables practice designed to improve speed of recall. Each week concentrates on a different times table, with a recommended consolidation week for rehearsing the tables that have recently been practised every third week or so.

Numbots

A highly engaging platform that helps pupils add and subtract. Regular use helps improve understanding, recall and fluency in mental addition and subtraction, so that children can move from counting to calculating.

Lego as an intervention

LEGO-Based as an Intervention is a social development programme that uses LEGO activities to support the development of a wide range of social skills within a group setting. 

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. 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.

During a LEGO-Based Intervention session, three or four children of similar ages work together to build a LEGO model.

Each child takes on one of four specific roles to do this:

The Engineer oversees reading and relaying the instructions. The Engineer must tell the Supplier what pieces to retrieve and tell the Builder how to build the model.

The Supplier oversees finding the correct LEGO pieces. The Supplier must listen to the Engineer and figure out what piece to retrieve, and then given these pieces to the Builder.

The Builder oversees physically building the model. The Builder must listen to instructions provided by the Engineer and receive the pieces that are retrieved by the Supplier.

The Foreman makes sure everyone is doing what they need to do. They provide help to other roles when needed and look out for social challenges that may need problem-solving by the group.

Social Skills Group

Supported by our Speech and Language Therapist, we use ‘Talkabout’ to deliver a twice weekly intervention to children in Key Stages 1 and 2. The Talkabout Resource supports children, through practical activities and games, to develop their understanding of social situations, body language, conversations and assertiveness.

Drawing and Talking

Our Mental Health First Aider (Emma Khan) is fully trained to deliver the Drawing and Talking intervention. Drawing and Talking utilises drawing as a way to help pupils express their feelings differently and helps support children with their anxieties or worries. Sessions take place weekly for selected children across all year groups.

Fegans Counselling

Provided by the Weald Family Hub, fully trained Fegans counsellors deliver 1:1 counselling to children who are struggling with their mental health. 

Mindfulness

We use mindfulness children's resources, such as: mindfulness games, visualisations and exercises, divided into 5 categories, to help children feel grounded, find calm, improve focus, practice loving-kindness and relax.

Clever Fingers

Clever Fingers is an activity package created and designed, by Occupational Therapists. It is used to support children with poor fine motor skills and difficulties in: dressing, using a knife and fork and scissors, as well as handwriting. Children work for about 10 minutes, either individually or in a small group, from a “Clever Fingers Box” which has been put together to meet the child’s individual needs. Activities include threading, posting, construction toys and plasticine moulding.

Accelerated Reader

Accelerated Reader is a program which encourages our pupils to independently choose and read books at their own level and pace. Each book they choose has online ‘reading practice’ quizzes to allow children to demonstrate their understanding of what they have read. Our teachers use these quizzes to track each pupil’s progress and set appropriate goals.

Social stories
These are personalised stories which are drawn up with the child to suit their particular need and/or anxieties. The child will read this daily and at specific times of need. They are used to: prepare children for change and new events, help them overcome anxieties, help them become aware of what is required in set social situations and reinforce good behaviour. 

 

This list of interventions is not exclusive and other interventions and support may be suitable for your child.