Extra targeted support for children
The SEND therapy team supports staff and young people across Birmingham’s mainstream early years, primary and secondary education settings.
Specialist paediatric occupational therapists (OTs) support children, young people and professionals working within education settings to enable engagement in meaningful school-based tasks - promoting improved focus, motivation, and engagement in learning as well as emotional and social wellbeing.
Established in 2020, the team includes 21 staff working across six Birmingham localities, providing universal and targeted levels of support. Children can be referred for individualised intervention within the community OT if needed.
The SEND OT service offers a wide range of free support to education settings, including:
- face‑to‑face training for education setting staff
- virtual and in‑person advice sessions
- environmental audits (eg. sensory impact of classroom lighting, acoustics, layout)
- help setting up targeted groups
- Family support eg. primary/secondary transition, food‑play sessions and informal “spill the tea with OT” coffee mornings. (an opportunity for parents to have training and support with managing daily tasks with their child).
Schools may also buy additional OT time through the BCHC Plus additional support service .
Support for primary schools
Education professionals working in nurseries and infant schools across the UK have reported a clear rise in developmental delays and skills required for school readiness, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Areas of difficulties include self-care skills, delays with toilet training, limited diets, delays in communication and social development.
In nursery and infant schools, staff report a rise in issues related to eating, including:
- fussy eating - only accepting a few familiar foods, often “beige” foods like chips, bread, crackers, plain pasta;
- refusal to try new foods - distress or anxiety when unfamiliar foods are offered;
- sensory aversion - rejecting foods because of texture, smell, or mixed/wet consistency;
- poor cutlery skills - difficulty using a fork or spoon; relying on fingers or requiring adults to feed them;
- struggle with mealtime routines - difficulty sitting at a table, wandering off, or grazing outside of set mealtimes;
- unbalanced packed lunches - sugary snacks or drinks, limited fruit/veg;
- anxiety around eating - upset in busy dining rooms or reluctance to eat with peers.
Learning to eat is a fundamental part of childhood development. Particular skills are required when learning to eat and some children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) require extra support and advice.
To meet this growing need, BCHC’s SEND Therapy team devised “Fun With Food” - a programme available free to all mainstream schools in the city, offering support from the SEND therapy team to establish a group within their education setting.
Moor Green Primary School in Moseley is among a growing number of Birmingham schools benefiting from the team’s specialist support.
High level teaching assistant Vicky Bailey has worked with the team in school to devise short, age-appropriate sessions for nursery and reception pupils identified as needing support with developing good eating routines.
“We identified some children who found eating a challenge - for example if they were just sticking to the same one or two bland food items, or perhaps they were nervous about the smells of certain foods, or getting their hands dirty or sticky,” she said.
“In those cases, we then discussed the issues with parents, who confirmed they were concerned about the same habits at home and were all very grateful to find there was additional support available.
“It’s been so positive for the children and for their families. The children can be a bit wary to start with, but you can see their confidence with food increase
“It’s a very simple but effective approach - we have a maximum of six children at a time who join in a fun session with a range of foods - some familiar alongside some that are new; with different textures and smells. And the emphasis is on having fun with food - so no pressure, the children just interact as they wish.
Parents are invited to join in a session in the school after the first few weeks to see how their child has progressed and find out more. Senior therapy assistant Marie Butler said that supportive partnership with a pupil’s family is key.
“There is a whole range of factors behind the increase in issues with food and a lot of it is due to changes in our home routines and mealtimes in particular - families not eating together as much; parents feeding young children while distracted by other things; the affordability and availability of easy ‘beige’ food options.
“It’s about forming a supportive partnership between ourselves, the school and the pupils’ families. There’s no criticism or judgment - raising children is very challenging - and we’re finding that parents are very appreciative of the support and advice.”
Support for secondary schools
Birmingham Community Healthcare is working closely with Ark Boulton Academy in Sparkbrook to embed a structured programme that supports pupils with their social, emotional and sensory needs.
Now in their second year of partnership, the school and BCHC’s SEND Therapy team have developed a flexible, whole‑school approach that is improving engagement, behaviour and wellbeing.
A key part of this innovative approach is the introduction of sensory circuits - short, structured sessions designed to help pupils regulate their sensory systems and prepare for learning.
Sensory circuits are a strategy proven to be particularly effective in education settings to support focus, motor skills and sensory processing for pupils who appear lethargic, fidgety or struggling to focus on tasks or emotional regulation.
A half-day in-person training session designed to upskill one or more member of staff with the knowledge to set up a sensory circuit is offered to all mainstream Birmingham schools.
Following training from the SEND OT team, Ark Boulton staff now use sensory circuits both across school and discreetly within lessons through “secret circuits” - small, personalised strategies that allow pupils to choose and carry out alerting, organising or calming activities at their desk to help them stay focused.
Vice-Principal Vicky Hudson said the collaboration has helped staff understand pupils’ needs more deeply and respond more effectively.
“This academic year, the school and OTs have worked very effectively together to really narrow in on how they can support pupils, not only in the classroom but socially and in their lives at home,” she explained.
“It’s been very pleasing how staff and pupils alike have been willing to embrace sensory circuits and to recognise the impact it has had on their classroom relationships and quality of learning.
“We’ve been so impressed with what we’ve achieved so far that we’ve become quite an advocate for it and are encouraging neighbouring schools to come and see what we’re doing and think about how they can adapt the strategies for their needs.”
Year 8 pupil Abbas described how he uses his secret circuit card during independent tasks.
“When I need to stay alert, I look at my secret circuit card and I do things like tapping my toes or flicking my fingers. I like it - it helps me get focussed again.”
If school staff feel extra support is needed, there is the option for Abbas to be accompanied to the sensory circuits room, where he particularly enjoys using the trampoline as a way of re-energising and re-focussing before returning to his lessons.
The sensory room is available to any pupil who needs support, with some attending at scheduled times - for example, to help with transitions from one part of the timetable to another - while others may be referred by teachers if they appear dysregulated or unfocused in the classroom. Typically, pupils will use the room for around 15 minutes before returning to lessons.
Another pupil to have benefited is 14-year-old Ahmed, who attends the sensory circuits room at least once a week and also benefits from time spent in the calming environment of the school’s sensory regulation room.
He said: ”I use sensory circuits when I feel nervous, distracted or out-of-control in class and I need to get out and calm down for a bit.
“After I’ve done my sensory circuits, I feel much calmer and not hyperactive - I just feel calmer.”
OT Vicki Smith praised the school’s commitment to embedding the approach: “The willingness to be flexible to make the support work for each pupil has shone through here.
“Our job is very much about empowering a school team to take the framework of support, adapt it and make it work with their pupils.”
Ark Boulton staff have reported improved relationships with pupils, fewer behavioural incidents and a significant reduction in detentions; pupils are spending more time in lessons because they can regulate more effectively and return to learning more quickly. And the school has also involved families, with parents attending hands‑on sessions led by BCHC OTs to find out more and use the techniques at home.
Head of Year 9 Darren Bickerton said: “The reason we brought in the secret circuits, sensory room and sensory circuits was that lots of students get dysregulated at times and we felt there was a need.
“The major benefit for the students is that they’ve got somewhere to go when they’re feeling dysregulated and then they work through the sensory room, and different activities.
“This has helped with them gaining confidence and helps them reduce the amount of detentions they get and create better relationships with their teachers.”
Professional lead for occupational therapy Jenny Gregory said: “The collaboration between BCHC and Ark Boulton Academy demonstrates that, by equipping schools with practical, evidence‑based tools, you can really build staff confidence, improve teacher-pupil relationships and get families more closely involved.
“Our aim is to work in partnership with schools to help create more inclusive learning environments that support children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). ”
More information
A range of free resources can be accessed via the paediatric occupational therapy website , including advice packs detailing strategies to support children to engage in occupations and both home and school.
Education staff or parents can speak directly with a senior occupational therapist for further advice.
Website: bhamcommunity.nhs.uk/child-OT
Email: bchc.sendtherapy@nhs.net
OT helpline: 0121 683 2325 (9am-4pm Monday to Friday)