Our Values

Respect

Empowerment

Independence

Communication

Confidence

Collaboration

Aspiration

Individuality

Intent

The Federation of Heathfield and St Francis is a family of 2 schools that promotes an ethos of collaboration and respect and represents itself as a family of learning.

A variety of special educational needs are met across the Federation within the range of learning difficulties from moderate learning difficulties (MLD) at Heathfield School for pupils aged 3- 11 years and severe learning difficulties (SLD) and Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD) at St Francis School for age ranges 2-19 years.

The Federation seeks to achieve its ethos of collaboration and respect through good communication between pupils, students, families, staff and outside agencies. We believe this partnership is fundamental to support our young people in reaching their true potential, securing and improving their future life chances and wellbeing.

Aiming to empower its students and pupils, the Federation focusses on communication skills, building confidence, celebrating individuality, developing independence, personalising approaches and having high aspirations. The ultimate aim of the Federation is for our young people to be as prepared and equipped as possible for the future and the next stages of their life.

We value the journey our pupils and students take with us, seeking their continued growth and enabling them to bloom. This is achieved by recognising and valuing the individuality of every young person in our community, celebrating this diversity and utilising it to support learning and growth. This is modelled by staff and the aim for all members of our community.

We recognise the challenges our pupils, students and young people face. We aim to support them through an approach that considers their individual needs, recognising these evolve as they build resilience, grow and develop. 

Implementation

The Federation of Heathfield and St Francis use a range of approaches to engage our pupils and students and the strategies used are based on the advice of other professionals, EHCP direction, evidence-based research and implemented considering individual needs, preferences and learning styles.

The school places a strong emphasis on adapting learning to remove barriers to learning. Assessment and questioning are utilised to ensure good understanding of the gaps in pupil and student learning and to establish starting points for each individual. The Federation recognises that barriers can be linked to special educational needs as well as non-special educational needs and seeks to provide to support and intervention with pupils, students and their families. This collaboration ensures the primary needs for individuals are met and can be delivered through class teachers, support team and the Federation’s SHIP workers as appropriate.

Communication

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is utilised across the Federation and include the use of unaided forms of communication utilising Makaton and gestures and aided forms, utilising communication boards and picture/symbol boards. Where it is prescribed on an EHCP and provided by the NHS electronic devices will be used, these are provided in consultation with the NHS speech and language service. The Federation also utilises Blank Level and Zones of Regulation approaches to support developing communication across the Federation and to support access to the curriculum. Staff undergo ongoing training in these areas and is developing a range of individual staff expertise to support interventions. Where other approaches are prescribed on EHCPs we will assess our ability to provide these and seek training and support as appropriate where this is possible and reasonable.

Where pupils and students have an NHS Speech Therapist, the school works with these professionals to ensure the correct provision is in place for individuals.

Access to the Local Authorities Communication Universal Offer is directed by the Special Educational Needs (SEN) department, there is no Speech and Language Therapist ordinarily on site at the current time.

Other approaches are implemented to support modifications of behaviours and social understanding of desired behaviours through the use of Zones of Regulation, social stories, scripting and comic strips.

TEACCH Provision

Some of our young people have a requirement for TEACCH interventions to be in place to support learning in the classroom and to reduce anxiety. This is implemented by classroom staff and the hierarchy of the intervention is applied:

• Objects of reference
• Photos
• Coloured symbols
• Black and white symbols
• Symbols and words
• Words only

The Federation also gives access to work stations for individual pupils and students to access as required and in line with stipulations within EHCPs as well as following professional judgement of school staff.

As appropriate, pupils access a range of schedule types including but not limited to ‘Now and Next’ and ‘To Do Lists’.

Independence is promoted through the TEACCH strategy, including use of work bays.

Emotional Wellbeing

The Federation has a range of people trained in approaches to support the emotional wellbeing of pupils and students, these include ELSA, TALA, Zones of Regulation and Thrive Approach. The school is also lucky enough to have a Pets as Therapy Dog based at Heathfield School and they provide emotional support across the Federation. Pupils and students access these interventions via school referrals and this is directed by the school. The Federation is further developing its use of the Thrive Approach and this is an emerging area of development that will provide the underpinning for the Federation’s approach to behaviour management and emotional support because we recognise that behaviour is communication.

In addition to the above approaches the school contracts, for as long as it is able to sustain the intervention, Music Therapy, access to the Music Therapist is at the direction of the Federation. If such intervention is included in an EHCP this would require funding by the Local Authority and would require their commissioning of this service.

Personal Development

The Federation places great emphasis on personal development seeking opportunities throughout the curriculum to support wider personal growth and achievement; this underpins our curriculum because we recognise it is very important for our young people. The Federation has a full PSHE and RSHE curriculum in place that scaffolds the personal development encompassing SMSC, Fundamental British Values, Rights Respecting Education and Diversity. Pupils have access to a careers programme that is interwoven throughout the curriculum at all ages and pathways appropriately.

Occupational Therapy including Sensory Processing

The school employs a qualified sensory processing occupational therapist, this is in place to support our staff, pupils and students on a more general basis and referrals to them take place at the discretion of the school. Where sensory processing and OT is directed on an EHCP this would require funding by the Local Authority and would require their commissioning of the service. Where this has been directed by the NHS they are responsible for commissioning this intervention.

Physio Therapy

If a young person has Physio Therapy on their EHCP this will be in the health section, in some circumstances daily exercises and access to the Hydro Pool are delegated to Federation staff and this is done through the NHS physio team.

Curriculum

The Federation has developed its curriculum which is split into the following areas:

• Early Years
• Sensory
• Enquiry
• Discovery
• Post 16

The Federation recognises that some young people perform within and across the learning pathways of the curriculum depending on their areas of strengths and the curriculum is adapted for them as appropriate. Our young people build their knowledge, skills and understanding along the pathways supporting them to progress at a pace that enables consolidated learning, with opportunities provided to overlearn. Learning is carefully scaffolded given the learning pathway of individuals’ and appropriate sequence of learning applied.

More information on the curriculum can be found in the curriculum area of the school website this includes further information on implementation and pathways.

Functional Skills

The Federation recognises that are young people are vulnerable and require key functional skills in order to flourish, this includes speech, language and communication, reading writing, mathematics and IT. The Federation feels that these skills are empowering and supports the best possible opportunities for life beyond school, protecting our young people from exploitation later in life.

Read, Write Inc is used across the Federation to develop phonics skills and knowledge, this is adapted appropriately to meet ability and age needs of individual pupils and students in their reading and writing functional skills areas of learning. This provision starts in the Early Years and continues into the Post 16 provision as appropriate. Reading is practiced regularly and opportunities to incorporate into the curriculum are embraced at the Federation.

Maths is taught as a functional skill across the Federation as well as information technology skills and opportunities to practice these functional skills are embraced as appropriate.

Opportunities to practice communication skills are planned throughout the curriculum and embraced to support language development and communication.

In addition to academic functional skills the Federation recognises that our young people must develop their independence, organisational, social skills and recognises the need to provide opportunities to build on cultural capital. The curriculum utilises opportunities to practice these basic skills both within and outside of the classroom environment, this does include visits out into the community to apply the skills that have been taught. To assist pupil and student understanding of desired behaviours the use of social stories, comic strips and scripting are utilised to support success.

Functional skills are visited at every opportunity they arise across the curriculum.

Forest School

Heathfield School has a Forest School onsite which is constructed using the natural environment of the designated site. This provides opportunities to learn outside of the classroom in a safe environment and supports developing cultural capital. The resource enables the development of links with the natural world and enables opportunities to learn in a natural environment and fosters a natural curiosity of the World.

Forest School additionally allows our young people to develop an understanding of risk and managing risk in a safe environment with a high adult ratio by staff trained in Forest School interventions.

We find this provision supports our young people across the Federation to access a provision that promotes holistic aspects of their learning including communication, independence, physical, social and physical in turn building individual confidence.

Cultural Capital

The Federation seeks to provide opportunities to support the development of cultural capital. This includes trips and visitors into the schools. The activities experienced range from trips on public transport, accessing local cafes, supermarkets, theatre trips and productions in school. In addition to this the Federation participates in inter school activities and supports in leading these across the local authority, for example the Marvellous Music production, as well as Hampshire Music opportunities.

Impact

The Federation strives to meet the special educational and academic needs of the young people attending. The Federation seeks to ensure each young people reaches their potential through the curriculum offer underpinned by having high aspirations for every individual’s outcomes.

The Federation aims to provide support and intervention that develop the good communication and independence skills required to support transition across the Federation, phase or the next school of a young person’s education and life.

Our young people will access programmes of study that lead to appropriate progress, accreditation and experiences.

We aim to promote an interest in learning and the World around our young people preparing them for adulthood. Achieved through the provision of support and information to form future aspirations and interests.