Supporting the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities at Birmingham-based school
BCHC directors visited Springfield Primary Academy in Moseley to see first-hand how a partnership with our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Therapy team is making a big difference for pupils.
In partnership with occupational therapists and senior therapy assistants, the school has developed a suite of additional support for children with identified needs around, for example, toileting, feeding or emotional/behavioural regulation.
Following an initial series of five training sessions for school staff plus a final session for parents, Springfield has rebadged the 'Ready, Steady, Reception' framework group as 'Ready, Steady, Grow' - reflecting the broader age range of pupils identified as in scope for support.
Additionally, following the Fun With Food training, sessions are carried out support children to overcome issues relating to fussy eating and diet.
Dedicated indoor and outdoor spaces have been allocated for SEND activities and sessions to support individual pupils which are incorporated into their weekly timetables.
Chief operating officer Reva Stewart and non-executive director Jan Teo joined paediatric occupational therapy team lead Lorraine Griffiths and occupational therapy apprentice Laura Potter for the visit, which followed a patient story presentation about the impact of the work to the full BCHC board earlier this year.
Lorraine said: “Springfield Primary is a perfect example of how much of a difference these strategies can make to children when they are embraced by a school team and embedded into pupils' routines.
SEND teacher Emily White said: “The training from the SEND Occupational Therapy Team has been incredibly valuable and has helped us embed Ready, Steady, Reception at the heart of our specialist curriculum, with plans to extend the approach as the children grow. Fun with Food has also made a real difference to children's confidence, communication and early feeding skills, with positive progress seen both in school and at home.”
During the visit, Reva paid tribute to the impact of agencies working in partnership to deliver child-centred, individualised support.
She said: “It's brilliant to see the impact of that broader team of health and education professionals 'wrapping around' the child to provide flexible, personalised support.”
Read more about the impact of our SEND therapy team in Birmingham schools.