Avenue Primary School Statement of Provision

School: Avenue  [External Link]

1. **School/base Expertise and Capacity **

Student numbers:

Numbers of classes - 8 (approx 7-10 per class) taught by one teacher. 

Children grouped broadly by key stage and more specifically by ability/level of need 

Aims and Outcomes:

Make good progress from individual starting points;

To access some mainstream lessons/opportunities where appropriate for individual pupils needs; 

To develop social communication so pupils can interact socially and build meaningful, reciprocal relationships;

To interact appropriately with adults, even those not known well;

To learn to manage emotions, i.e. implement self-regulation strategies and cope with unpredicted changes without losing self-regulation;

To use therapy outcomes within class and home environment and embed them into practice, supporting self-management of these areas; 

To develop skills for life such as independence, communication and self-care;

Curriculum Adaptations:

The curriculum follows the EYFS and National Curriculum; pupils progress through the curriculum at their own pace and the implementation allows for their engagement and progress.  The curriculum is therefore modified to allow for embedded therapy approaches and additional focuses on prime areas of need such as emotional regulation.   MFL is part of the core curriculum for pupils in Trailblazers. In some classes, support for social and communicative curriculum is allotted a dedicated time but overall, the curriculum is designed to support an embedded approach to this area of need.  

Staff support pupils and break and lunchtime to develop social skills, communication and self-care such as feeding, hygiene etc.

The school provides information on the school website which gives families easy access to relevant details about the base.  There is also a link to the Sutton Local Offer.

2. Provision

• High adult:child support in lessons (ratio of 1:2.5), social times and support for learning. Adult support for integration into mainstream activities, including lessons, with a view to enabling independent integration if appropriate. Taught and practised emotional self-regulation strategies; use of Zones of Regulation.

• Learning environment within the mainstream provision:  Classrooms are situated on the same corridors as the main school and pupils have access to their own outdoor spaces and lunch hall  and where appropriate pupils can access playgrounds and lunch halls etc with their mainstream peers.  The base learning environments are low-stimulation and adapted to meet the needs of the pupils. 

• Explicit teaching of social and communicative programmes and use of positive language.

• Opportunities to experience and integrate for enrichment activities such as Genius time, if appropriate.

• SALT, OT and other Therapy input (link to individual EHCPs) are embedded within the curriculum and supported by withdrawal sessions and small group focuses.

• ELSA input and support for short term specialist input is available

• Regular reviews of progress towards EHCP outcomes for individuals with parents to focus on next steps

• Advice/support for how parents/carers can support therapy and other outcomes including the social and communicative programme

• Specific support, such as:

Intensive interaction

Attention Autism

PECs/Coreboards

TEACCH approach

Social skills/friendship groups

Lego therapy

Multi-sensory teaching

• **Preparation for Adult Life: **

Exposure to mainstream school environment e.g. socially, through access to some mainstream lessons or activities, joining peers for play and lunch time (where appropriate)

Developing further increased independence through developing self-help in learning, emotional regulation and sensory environmental control

Preparation for transfer to next setting or provision 

Communicative and social programme of support covers these topics; social interaction cues, self-awareness; making and keeping friends; anxiety and managing disappointments

Life-skills curriculum

Where appropriate pupils to complete statutory assessments (i.e. SATS)

• Enrichment/social activities:

The focus of trips is primarily to enhance the National Curriculum learning but also to practise travel and social skills and develop social and communicative experiences. 

Enrichment activities are planned to practise life skills e.g. cooking a snack lunch, planning travel and build confidence

• **Support staffing **

2 Teaching Assistants per class.

• Support staff are used within lessons to support academic progress, implement social curriculum and therapy targets, support self-regulation and develop confidence and independence.  They also play an important role in social times as well as providing interventions as required on a 1-1 or small group basis.

3. Admission Process

Whilst we recognise that many children and young people may benefit from our provision and the caring, nurturing environment that we offer, we recommend placement only for those pupils who we feel require our provision in order to meet their full academic, social and emotional potential.  The final decision as to where a child is best placed to meet their needs remains with the Local Authority, taking into account consultation outcomes and parent/carer input.

**Criteria for Admission **

The ASD base may be the right place for a pupil if they fulfil some or all of the criteria below: 

Pupils who have Autism as their primary need and all other needs are secondary.  Behaviour needs are not the prime need and do not adversely affect the individual or host groups’ ability to benefit from the resource. 

Children whose behaviour and mental health allows them to consistently work in a small group teaching environment and to implement taught self-regulation strategies with support and prompts from trained staff.

Pupils who are able to access a mainstream, non-secure environment safely and have some awareness of risk and expected safe behaviours.

Pupils may have sensory processing and regulation needs but are able to tolerate a mainstream environment.

Pupils who are accessing some subject specific learning, or the ‘engagement model’ or non-subject specific curriculum

Pupils who have an awareness of intent to communicate and are able to verbally communicate their basic needs.

Pupils who are able to follow a simple, adult led agenda with appropriate support i.e. able to engage in an activity not of their choosing for a short period.

Pupils who have an awareness of the presence of their peers and social interaction/communication skills are in early stages of development. 

Pupils whose ability levels could allow some access to the mainstream curriculum offer.

Dates and Process etc

Families interested in the base should follow the procedure set out on the school website, following a process of visit, referral, assessment and transition.

4. Review of student provision: Every student will have an Annual review of the EHC Plan with any recommendations for change.

In addition:

• Pupils may reach the point where the base is no longer an appropriate placement.  This may occur when:

• Pupils are accessing predominantly mainstream classes and social experiences.  This means that they no longer require the highly specialised social curriculum and embedded therapy provided by the base, or that targeted support of 1-2 hours is sufficient to cover these areas.  

• Pupils’ lack of emotional self-regulation, even with support and intervention, means that they are unable to access group lessons and/or group social times in the base due to their extreme levels of anxiety, mental health needs, or the impact of their behaviours on others’ learning and/or well-being.  

• Pupils are unable to access the curriculum offered by the base, even when differentiated by the teacher with support from a class teaching assistant to give further help during lessons

• Pupils’ mental health is such that they are a risk to themselves or others (either or both of pupils and staff) and do not respond to strategies available to support their well-being.

Before any decision is made regarding a change of placement, the following stages would take place (except for extreme and exceptional circumstances):

ASSESS and PLAN:

1. Multi-professional meeting with parents/carers to consider concerns and the strategies that could be implemented (eg SALT, OT, CAMHS, EP, EHC Case worker) ie Team Around the Child (TAC meeting)

2. Input from the EP –this may be additional strategies after consultation, or a full-re-assessment 

**             DO and REVIEW:**

3. Evidence of implementation as a result of stages 1 and 2 above

4. Review of the impact of this work 

Should this not resolve the problem, then an Interim Review will be called in order to:

• Review the provision needed

• Consider whether reasonable adjustments could be made to maintain provision and whether additional funding was required to deliver this

• If there are no reasonable adjustments that can be made, then requesting an alternative placement.

5. **Outreach commissioned:  **

We are also interested in offering outreach – for future reference, but only if we are funded to release that person as there is no capacity currently.  Staff responsibilities have to be ‘back-filled.’ We are happy for people to come to visit us. 

**F Funding and moderation processes: **

The Council will develop and put in place governance arrangements that ensure that the different pathways and numbers within them are part of a moderation process involving specialist provision leaders so that cohort changes are recognised and there is parity across provisions in terms of judgements. 

G Transition processes:

Transition: When placement has been agreed, contact will be made with the child’s current placement to arrange a transition programme with exchange of information and reciprocal visits where practical and appropriate.