Interventions/Enrichment
At St Martin’s we endeavour to meet the needs of a child with SEN, a flavour of the interventions currently used are detailed below.
The Learning Hub
This is our own communication and interaction resource hub, supporting children who have complex communication and interaction difficulties and/or SEMH (social, emotional mental health) challenges. We have informal partnerships with a specialist setting supporting us to ensure we are delivering a curriculum designed to improve children's self esteem, reduce their anxiety and support them to make progress in their learning. See more information in the Classes section.
Enrichment
Through our vision of wanting children to be able to live ‘life in all its fullness’ John 10:10; enrichment opportunities are offered to small groups of children who might struggle to access the whole curriculum in the classroom.
All enrichment sessions start and finish with a calming transition, and a reflection at the end of the session, encouraging children to see each others’ strengths and development over time. Enrichment sessions may include a variety of cooking, textiles, music, forest and computing.
Fun Fit
The Fun fit programme is designed to support children in developing fine and gross motor skills for example throwing and catching a ball, using scissors and handwriting skills. This intervention also allows children to grow in terms of self esteem and confidence on both a physical and emotional level.
Speech and language therapy
Pippa Norton, Speech Therapist
Speech and language therapy is a specialised programme tailored to your individual child’s needs. The program has been developed by a Speech Therapist. The therapist will assess your child’s speech needs when a referral has been made by an education or health care professional. This programme will then be followed and interventions put into place by trained speech and language TAs within the school. Please read this PDF about the Speech and Language Pathway at St Martin’s
Sherborne
Sherbourne is a movement programme which develops children’s confidence in their ability to move and their ability to make successful relationships with others. It has been particularly successful with some children in developing their understanding of an appropriate use of strength.
Balance Board
This intervention has been used in school to support the development of fine and gross motor skills, coordination, focus and concentration. Additionally it has also supported children to manage their behaviour.
Phonics
Additional Little Wandle sessions support children to improve their reading and writing skills.
Reading Recovery
This is provided across Key Stage 2, supporting those children working in the bottom 20% of their year group for reading. In addition to closing gaps in children's phonic knowledge; reading fluency is also developed as children begin to access accelerated reader.
Reading with Roddy
This reading intervention provides children with the opportunity to read to our school chaplain's dog. The intent is for children to develop greater confidence through developing fluency reading to a captive audience.
Nurture Group
This is a small group to support children who struggle within the classroom environment on a daily basis. The nurture group spends time together in the forest where the focus is to improve the child’s self esteem enabling them to be more successful in the classroom.
Attachment Based Mentoring
We have trained nearly 2 of our school staff in Attachment Based Mentoring which combines our understanding of attachment, solution focused coaching and mentoring to help children, who experience feelings of low self worth which impacts on their ‘confidence, motivation and identity as a learner’
This is a 1:1 relationship for 30 minutes a week with the aim of co creating a project, while developing a supportive and nurturing relationship, building capacity within children to navigate school life more successfully.
Play Therapy
We employ Liz Butler – a qualified Play therapist for a day a week to work with children we have identified as needing a little more than mentoring ‘Whatever the nature of the problem, teachers, parents or carers can often tell that something just isn’t right for a child, play therapy often helps children to make sense of their feelings and hopefully become a happier individuals’
Counting to Calculate
Is one of two maths interventions we offer. This one is aimed at developing early number sense, supporting learners to understand the link between counting and the skill of calculating and is normally provided for learners Year 2 if they still require support with their understanding of Early Number.
Mind The Gap Maths Intervention
This is provided in Early Key Stage 2 to support learners to secure their understanding of the whole number system, using manipulatives to embed their understanding of the relationship between numbers within our place value system.
Number Stacks
'Number Stacks is perfect as a whole-school intervention to help address gaps in understanding for pupils in all primary year groups. With its Initial Assessments and Fluency Activities at the end of each video tutorial, it is easy to evidence progress as pupils work their way through the Key Skills.' https://www.numberstacks.co.uk/schools/
Lego Therapy
Using the well loved building resource, this small group intervention supports children to collaborate, follow instructions and improve their social skills while working towards a common aim.