Information for Schools

 

Educational Diversity

LINK Primary Provision 

 

 

We offer a 12 week programme to primary aged children (Year 1 to Year 6)

We have 3 programmes running across the academic year for primary aged children (Year 1-Year 6). We group children according to their age/accepted applications to ensure children access the most appropriate support.

Our model of delivery is based around a 12 week intervention programme. The intervention programme provides early intervention for learners who are experiencing difficulties within mainstream settings and supporting colleagues in exploring whether there are any underlying causes behind these difficulties.

We aim to provide a stimulating learning environment with an emphasis on developing resilience, raising self-esteem and supporting self-regulation. We also work to embed independent learning which in turn enables children to begin to get back on track with academic learning.  

Our programme also focuses on enhancing relationships between a child, home and school by supporting a child to develop skills and strategies so they can self regulate, which in turn supports them to access learning in their school setting.

There is an expectation that children are supported on placement visits from relevant staff within their referring school.  This will ensure engagement from their mainstream school and provide opportunity for strategies to be shared amongst professionals.

Educational Diversity Primary LINK (placement with reintegration) is for children who would benefit from a short term intervention to support their personal, social and emotional skills, which leads to positive behaviour

Our Approach

• A nurturing team and environment which promotes positive behaviours.
• Based on the ‘Six Principles of Nurture’ 
• Reflecting Trauma Informed Schools approaches  
• To support self regulation, by offering co-regulation, soft landings, belonging,  promoting self confidence, resilience and independence.
• Developing PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity & Empathy) approaches to supporting children.

Our Offer  

• A  teacher led, small group provision with experienced staff to support.
• A nurture based curriculum with small group teaching.
• A focus on personal social skills, such as turn taking, sharing, getting along with one another, cooperating and behaviours for learning etc. 
• A focus on developing communication and language skills
• A focus on being able to understand your own emotions/ describe emotions and feelings.
• A focus on developing early emotional Literacy and emotional responses.
• A focus on identifying gaps in learning and supporting children with these 

Our Model 

A 12 week programme including support for reintegration to their mainstream school. 

That:-

• Provides early intervention for children who are experiencing difficulties within mainstream settings and support for colleagues in exploring whether there are any underlying causes behind these difficulties..
• Supports and empowers children to remain and succeed within mainstream education.
• Supports children to make positive behaviour changes with key strategies to help them take more responsibility for their actions.
• Develops resilience, raises self-esteem and encourages independent learning.
• Quickly identify priority areas for us to work on with the child, these will be bespoke to the child so their specific needs can be supported and provide recommendations that will help address barriers to learning.
• Offers support to parents/carers including practical advice and support
• Has close working with other professionals who are already supporting the family.
• Insists on strong links being maintained with the mainstream school to support the child to have a successful reintegration.  
• Requires partnership work with colleagues to identify strategies to support their students upon return to their  mainstream setting
• Ensures there is an expectation that the children are supported on placement visits from relevant staff within their referring school.  This ensures a partnership with their mainstream school and provides opportunities for strategies to be shared amongst professionals.
• Weekly updates will be provided about what the child has been doing, successful strategies and next steps.

Curriculum

  A key focus of the placements is ensuring referred children are ready to access learning on their return to mainstream.  We also ensure they have the opportunity to consolidate basic skills and for staff to identify the next steps in learning.  Our  Provision supports children to access learning at their own pace/level, whilst providing opportunities to interact with others in learning activities.

The Primary  Link curriculum  includes the following aspects:

• Communication, Speaking and Listening skills 
• Personal, Social and Emotional skills 
• Phonics
• Reading
• Writing
• Fine/Gross motor skills 
• Maths 
• Creative activities 
• Topic/theme based learning linked to stories/shared experiences 

The curriculum is underpinned by the six ‘Principles of Nurture’:

• Children’s learning is understood developmentally
• The classroom offers a safe base.
• Nurture is important for the development of self-esteem.
• Language is understood as a vital means of communication.
• All behaviour is communication.
• Transitions are significant in the lives of children

Who is Primary Link for?

Where a school identifies a child that it believes needs specialist educational support due to their presenting behaviours, it should, in liaison with parents and external agencies involved, complete the relevant referral forms for consideration by the Primary Link Referral Panel.

The criteria for referring Blackpool learners for consideration of a 12 week placement within the Primary Link programme due to their presenting behaviour are:

How to Apply

Our Referral Criteria 

• Children are in school years 1 -6 (Year 6 children are only eligible for the Autumn Term cohort)
• Children have SEND team involvement and have engaged in the Plan, Do and Review Process 
• Children are struggling to engage in mainstream class activities because their behaviour is impacting on their engagement 

 Principles

  The protocol is based on the following agreed principle:

• Learners accepted onto the Primary Link programme will start at the set times with the rest of the cohort.
• All admissions for specialist support at the Primary Link programme will be temporary, with an agreement to return full-time to mainstream education at the end of the 12 week placement.

Our Admission Process

Referral 

• Children referred through the Primary Link referral panel from mainstream colleagues in consultation with agencies involved with the individual 
• School completes an initial application - Link on website
• The application includes a Boxall Profile Screening 

 

PANEL MEETING 

The panel will consist of:

• Primary Headteacher representative
• Local Authority Admissions Team
• Our Children Education Team
• Local Authority Senior SEND Manager
• Headteacher Educational Diversity
• Deputy Headteacher Educational Diversity
• Head of Schools’ Standards, Safeguarding and Inclusion (Chair) 
• Other professionals will be invited to attend as required

The panel will meet regularly to evaluate referrals of learners who have been referred by the above process.  The panel will consider each referral and make a decision which will be based on a majority vote.  In the case of a split decision, the Chair will make the final decision.

The panel will aim to only admit 1 learner per school to avoid multiple learners from 1 school within a cohort.

There will be no second decision making process by the school’s admission authority or headteacher, as the decision of the panel is binding.

Placement 

• Prior to the placement a member of our Primary Link team will visit the child and meet parents to discuss arrangements. 
• Prior to the placement starting the child and their parent and key person from mainstream school will be invited to attend our provision for a visit and to meet the staff who will be working with them.
• New children will be invited to attend a session to see our provision and a start date will be arranged at this visit.
• Our placements are for 12 weeks.  Our team, parents and school staff will work together to develop a reintegration programme bespoke to each child.

Reporting/Feedback/Reviews/Reintegration

All children on our Primary Link have 

• Daily feedback provided to parents. 
• Weekly feedback shared with the home school.
• A written report is provided at the end of each placement which includes a range of information, data and strategies to help support the children as they transition back to their mainstream school.
• Review meetings, that take place at regular points/when required 
• A Reintegration Planning Meeting before reintegration starts to agree the plans for reintegration.
• The review meetings must be attended by representatives from the school, Educational Diversity, the parent/carer, the child (or the voice of the child is represented), and other relevant professionals (for example: health, SEND, Children Social Care, police).
• The review meetings are to discuss the child’s social & emotional,  behavioural and academic progress and the strategies that are working well.

The referral and access protocol

The referral and access protocol seeks to ensure that children are admitted to the Primary Link programme quickly, efficiently and equitably across all Blackpool schools and that placements are reviewed regularly with an agreement that children return to their schools at the end of the 12 week intervention.

The aims of the protocol are:

• To ensure that Blackpool children that are in need of  support with their personal, social and emotional skills, that lead to negative behaviour are identified and supported quickly to maximise inclusion and attendance.
• To minimise the time that children spend out of school.
• To involve key agencies in the decision process as to how best to support and place individual children.
• To be fair and transparent.
• To have the engagement and confidence of all schools and agencies. 

Key Dates             

 

 

To refer a Primary student please complete the form Primary LINK Referral Form

Home, Hospital Education Service

Part of our service supports young people with medical or emotional needs who are referred by medical professionals and CAMHS practitioners. This is within our Home, Hospital Education Service based at our Athena site on Whitegate Drive. The young people are referred via the Home, Hospital Education Service (Athena) multi agency panel of professionals who give consideration as to whether the young person’s needs can be best met at Athena or whether additional support could be given to retain them within their mainstream setting.

Athena Admissions

 

Crisis Prevention Training 

To support schools/acadamies with their inclusive practices, SEND support and behaviour management, Educational Diversity is able to support with Crisis Prevention Training package outlined below. 

The Crisis Prevention Training (CPI) is one of the behaviour management training options available for colleagues in school. It provides strategies and skills to safely respond to anxious, hostile or violent behaviour with a trauma informed approach. The aim of safety interventions is to prevent behaviour escalation through non-physical interventions. Participants are taught verbal and non-verbal strategies to prevent the development of a crisis situation.

The trained instructor will teach staff how to quickly de-escalate a situation or how to physically intervene and hold in a crisis situation. 

Type of Training	How it is delivered	Duration	Cost
CPI safety interventions (formally known as MAPA)	Online learning via the CPI website link (link is sent directly from CPI). This must be completed prior to the face to face training session .   Face to face session and assessment.	2.5h online learning AND 2-3hrs face to face session	£33.55 per person for online training    £125 per hour for face to face session

 

Staff Training