Information for Schools

Educational Diversity

LINK Provision 

2023 - 24

 

 

 

Our aim is to enhance relationships between a child, home and school by supporting a child at the earliest opportunity to develop skills and strategies so they can self regulate, which in turn supports them to access learning in their school setting.

Educational Diversity Key Stage One Link (placement with reintegration) is for children who would benefit from a short term intervention to support their personal, social and emotional skills, that 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 
• Developing PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity & Empathy) approaches to supporting children.
• To support self regulation, by offering co-regulation, soft landings, belonging,  promoting self confidence, resilience and independence.

Our Offer  

• A small group provision in purpose designed in/outdoor areas
• A play based curriculum (continuous provision approach) 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.

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.
• Offers support to parents/carers including practical advice and support, home visits/time in class/centre
• Has close working with other professionals who are already supporting the family.
• Links with community activities and groups to signpost families to
• Insists on strong links being maintained with the mainstream school to support the child to have a successful reintegration. 
• 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.
• Quickly identifies priority areas for us to work on with the child, these will be bespoke to the child so their specific needs can be supported.
• Ensures each child will be supported to visit their mainstream school. Keeping in contact with the child 's will promote a sense of belonging.   We feel it is important that children are invited to key events such as class assemblies/sports day etc.  Weekly visits and link in via zoom chats etc by the mainstream school are also key to the success of the placement
• Weekly updates will be provided about what the child has been doing, successful strategies and next steps.
• Has a maximum of 6 children in each group so needs can be supported.

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 next steps in learning.  Our Continuous Provision, supports children to access learning at their own pace/level, whilst providing opportunities to interact with others in learning activities.

The Key Stage One Link curriculum will be include 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 Key Stage One 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 Key Stage One Link Referral Panel.

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

 

How to Apply

Our Referral Criteria

• Children are in school years 1 or 2
• 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 Key Stage One Link programme will start at the set times with the rest of the cohort.
• All admissions for specialist support at the Key Stage One 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

Stage One

• Children referred through the Key Stage One 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

Stage Two

• Following this a member of our Key Stage One Link team will visit to observe the child in their normal school environment, talk to relevant school staff about the child’s strengths and needs.  They will meet parents/carers for an informal chat regarding their feelings/wishes.  This will enable us to build a picture of the child and inform the decision of whether it is an appropriate placement for the child.  If there is a scheduled Plan, Do and Review Meeting a team member will try to attend.

Stage Three

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 Key Stage One 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 Key Stage One Link have

• Daily feedback provided for parents.

• Weekly feedback shared with school.
• A written report 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 Key Stage One 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 leads 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

	Term 2 2024	Term 3 2024	Term 1 2024
Deadline for referrals from schools	15th November 2023	21st February 2024	29th May 2024
Panel meeting	22nd November 2023	28th February 2024	5th June 2024
Start	9th January 2024	15th March 2024	2nd September 2024

 

To refer a KS1 student please complete the form KS1 LINK Referral Form

Educational Diversity

LINK Provision 

2023 - 24

 

• To support, and empower young people, to remain and succeed within mainstream education.
• To provide young people who are ready to make positive behaviour change with key strategies to help them take more responsibility for their actions.
• To develop resilience, raise self-esteem and encourage independent learning.
• Ensure that all young people make progress academically, alongside their social, emotional, and mental health needs.
• To identify any unmet learning needs such as SLCN and provide recommendations for primary & secondary colleagues that will help address barriers to learning.
• To support successful re-integrations back into mainstream provision.
• To work with primary & secondary colleagues to identify strategies to support their students upon return to mainstream.
• To support mediation between the young person and school where relevant, using restorative approaches.

• Know How - NLP, CBT - child focused, emotional wellbeing and mindfulness. Celebrating their successes, team building and promoting diversity. This will be developed and will be bespoke to the students, aiming to help them better understand themselves and their behaviour.
• Project based learning, will include employability and aspirational work.
• Enrichment opportunities.

• 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

• KS2- 08.45- 14.15, providing 25 guided learning hours.
• KS3- 09:00 - 14:30, providing 25 guided learning hours.

• Review meetings will take place at regular points- at 7 weeks a review meeting will take place before reintegration starts. Review reports will go to schools at 6 weeks and at the end of the 12 week period.
• At the 7 week review meeting those attending will agree to the plans for re-integration
• 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.

• To ensure that a Blackpool learner that is in need of making positive behaviour change are identified and supported quickly to maximise inclusion and attendance.
• To minimise the time that learners spend out of school.
• To involve key agencies in the decision process as to how best to support and place individual learners
• To be fair and transparent
• To have the engagement and confidence of all schools and agencies.

• Learners referred through the Link referral panel from mainstream colleagues in consultation with agencies involved with the individual
• Year 6 are not eligible after the first term of the academic year
• Year 7 students are not eligible until after the first term of the academic year
• Referred children must have Blackpool postcode. This is a commissioned placement from Blackpool Local Authority and is not accessible to children from out of the Blackpool area.

• All admissions for specialist support at the Link programme will be temporary, with an agreement to return full-time to mainstream education at the end of the 12 week placement.

• Secondary Headteacher representative 
• Primary Headteacher representative
• Local Authority Admissions Team
• Our Children Education Team
• Local Authority Senior SEND Manager
• CAMHS Team representative
• Headteacher Educational Diversity
• Deputy Headteacher Educational Diversity
• Head of Schools’ Standards, Safeguarding and Inclusion (Chair) 

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.

 

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