Specialist Communication Assistant

Brookfields is a special school with 233 pupils on roll. All pupils have a statement of special educational needs or an Education, Health and Care plan and are placed in the school by either the local authority or one of the neighbouring authorities. As the school is located in the East of West Berkshire we have a large number of Reading pupils on roll. The school caters for pupils from 2 to 19 years old with PMLD, SLD, MLD, ASD and Sensory Impairment covering a wide range of needs and abilities.

The school’s previous 2 OFSTED ratings have been Outstanding, the last taking place in 2010. Brookfields was also the winner of Reading ‘School of the Year’ Award in October 2014 having been nominated by a parent.

Brookfields has 3 main buildings catering for the Primary School, Secondary School and a new purpose built Sixth Form for our Sixth Form pupils. The school is situated in large grounds with areas designated for Horticulture, including 2 working allotments; one for the whole school and one for Early Years, an orchard with chickens, a wildlife area with a pond, a quiet Sensory Garden with a fountain and plants selected specifically for their sensory qualities and a Multi-Use Games Area. The school also has a hydrotherapy pool on site, a Splash Pool and 2 Sensory Rooms, one with an integral soft play area.

The school offers a daily After School Club, a weekly Youth Club for Secondary pupils and a Holiday Club which runs for 2 weeks in the Easter Holidays and for 4 weeks during the summer break. Pupils in the Upper School also have the opportunity to go away on residential trips and to take part in overnight activities including D of E Bronze, Silver and Gold, Sports Leadership and Key Stage team building activities.

Brookfields is a Total Communication Environment. All staff are trained in and use daily the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), other visual support such as Objects of reference, photos, individual timetables and signing to support understanding. Small classes and a high level of staff support mean that pupils’ individual communication can be observed and acted upon. Individual pupil motivators are used to increase engagement if appropriate and all staff follow a comprehensive training programme on joining the school.

Staffing is organised within each Key Stage by pupil need and is largely determined by the agreed weighting given to each pupil by the authority and school. This means if a child is deemed to be operating at ASD4 they will attract more funding then a child deemed to be ASD1. These weightings are agreed by the school and authority based on the needs of the pupil as assessed through the statementing /EHCP process. Pupils may have an allocated member of staff working with them on a 1:1 basis or more rarely, a 2:1 basis, when behavioural needs, medical issues or sensory impairment mean this high level of support is required for the individual to access their curriculum. In the Secondary part of the school assistants may be attached to one of our Subject Specialists to support high quality curriculum delivery.

Each tutor group in Secondary and class in Primary has a teacher or full time equivalent and a Specialist Support Assistant or Specialist Subject Support Assistant within the class. There may then be up to 3 additional assistants within each class to enable pupils to access the educational opportunities at their own pace. Work takes place on one to one, small group and whole class basis and key stages come together regularly in either a Sensory or Reward Assembly, depending on the individual’s needs. Staff within each Key Stage are trained in Rebound Therapy enabling pupils to access trampolining as an option in PE as well as use of the hydrotherapy swimming pool or swimming facilities locally on a regular basis. The school also make good use of Thames Valley Adventure Playground with each class in Primary attending in rotation once a term and trips to the local woods, farm and playground areas using the school minibuses which are allocated to Key Stages depending on their curriculum needs.

We have a full time Speech and Language Therapist (SaLT) on site, physiotherapist and Sensory Processing Consultant as well as access to an NHS Occupational Therapist (when stipulated on a pupil’s statement/EHCP). Our SaLT team join a class for a half term period at a time to assess and advise on the environment, strategies in use, and to model best practice. They then provide on-going support as required to the staff teams and families through termly Joint Assessment Clinics (JAC’s) held with the OT, Physio and medical teams as appropriate to ensure that all are working on the same goals for the child in a holistic manner. Our Sensory Processing Consultant (SPC) advises on how to support each child to access the curriculum and environment, providing equipment and programmes to enable sensory modulation and self-regulation.

We have an Autism and Behavioural Support Service (ABSS) on site with 2 teachers with advanced qualifications in Autism available to help staff and families in supporting their child with ASD. The Head of Service, is fully off timetable working with staff, pupils and families to improve outcomes for pupils with ASD and offers monthly clinic appointments to parents and carers to facilitate that. The referrals are usually around toileting, sleep, diet or challenging behaviour. Both specialist teachers for Autism along with an Assistant Head are currently part of a Special Interest Group based at Reading University, led by Dr Fiona Knott, looking at Autism and Anxiety. We also have strong links as a school with Dr Luci Wiggs a specialist in Autism and sleep disorders at Oxford Brookes University, and have undertaken trials of new approaches to help counter sleep difficulties prevalent in this group of children.

An Autism Support Worker is available out of hours to support families in the home or out and about in the local community working on programmes drawn up in conjunction with professionals from within school often to do with eating difficulties, toileting or behaviour. We also have a Family Support Worker who is able to signpost families to other sources of support or to provide that emotional or practical support herself. We have a full time school nurse and access the community nursing team as required, to help offer further input in the home. The Nurse provides regular training to all staff on the use of medication including but not exclusively epilepsy medication and the use of the Epi-pen and all staff are required to attend yearly refreshers that are pupil specific.

A team of PROACT SCIPr-UK® Instructors train staff in management of behaviour and are available to work individually with pupils if required. All staff have a minimum of 6 hours training on Positive Approaches to Behaviour Management each year and incidents of challenging behaviour are well managed. Behaviour and Safety was rated as Outstanding at our last inspection. We have 2 Emotional Literacy Support Assistants at the moment, with 2 more training, who work across the Secondary part of the school providing pupils with tools to overcome minor problems and working with them in conjunction with their Tutors to overcome greater challenges which supports our philosophy of helping pupils manage their own behaviour evident throughout the school.

Parents and Carers are invited to attend Progress Meetings 3 times a year to discuss how their child has settled and the progress they are making. They are also invited to the Annual Review of their child’s Statement/EHCP and other meetings such as medicals and Joint Assessment Clinics held throughout the year at school. Parents and Carers are invited to Assemblies, productions, Sports Day and coffee mornings as well as Stay and Play sessions in Early Years. Parents and Carers are also able to access the Autism and Behavioural Support Clinic by contacting the school to make an appointment. We hold regular Parent / Carer courses namely; Families Matter, Communication, Understanding and Managing Behaviour, Signalong, and the All Join in Early Years Group.