The natural environment offers numerous learning opportunities for children, and with 70 acres to explore, the grounds at Parkwood Hall offers the perfect setting.

Forest School is an innovative outdoor learning programme allowing children the freedom to explore and experience the natural world through practical involvement. It also helps install confidence and self-esteem through an achievable hands-on learning experience.

The school currently has two trained Forest Schools Leaders, who have worked to develop areas for the students to explore , cook outdoors and learn together. We currently have 2 classes per term accessing the sessions, during which they will cook a meal of their choosing on an open fire and engage in a range of child led activities. The sessions are adaptable to meet the varied needs of our students, ensuring inclusivity.

One of the strengths of Parkwood Hall Co-operative Academy is the way in which therapeutic provision is completely integrated into the work of the school. The school employs a team of four Speech and Language Therapists, and two part-time Therapy Assistants. The team work across the school within classrooms, lunchtime enrichment groups, and the residential settings. We work very closely with the teaching and residential staff, other therapists, and families, to ensure we look at each student as an individual and tailor their targets to meet their communication needs.

Our aims are;

• To support our students to develop their communication skills to the best of their ability;
• To support students to interact with their peers and others, and develop better relationships;
• To enhance staff skills in using a range of strategies and approaches which support students communication skills and learning;
• To advise on, or provide appropriate visual resources for individual students in school and at home.

We provide therapeutic input in a variety of ways; including individual sessions, paired sessions, small group sessions, classroom support, therapy programmes. This is informed by many factors including: the amount of Speech and Language input specified on student’s statement or EHC plan; results of formal and informal assessment by the team; and any current concerns or changing needs. We actively promote a total communication environment within the school through whole school directives; such as the use of Makaton signing through in-house training and student signing helpers.

Some of the therapy approaches used include; intensive interaction, Objects of Reference; Makaton sign and symbol support; sensory play; Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS); social stories; social skills groups; Lego therapy; developing use and maintenance of appropriate high- and low-tech communication aids; developing use and understanding of functional language skills (e.g. questions, concepts, instructions); interactive story groups; vocabulary enrichment; active listening; practical life skills; support with transition to college and life after Parkwood.

We work with Goldsmith’s College to offer placements to students training to become Dance and Movement Psychotherapists. This new venture offers additional opportunities to explore emotions and relationships through movement in a safe, secure and supportive framework.  We have also made our first tentative steps into the world of Music Therapy, and we intend to pursue this further.

An increasing number of our students have medical needs, which can vary from needing to take regular medication to epilepsy and other life-long conditions. The School Nurse works core hours of 8.45 to 3.45, but can frequently be found working beyond those hours, advising or training staff in how to ensure that students have their medical needs fully met. A significant number of staff are pharmacy-trained and can administer medication, including controlled drugs such as Ritalin. Wherever possible, we aim to help students to take on an appropriate level of responsibility for administering their own medication. In this area, as in many others, the work of the school nurse has attracted particular praise from Ofsted.

In addition to ensuring that medical, first aid and key health and safety issues are effectively managed, the school nurse also takes a lead role in planning and delivering Sex and Relationship Education. This is an area that causes parents particular anxiety as their child goes through puberty – not least because of the high level of vulnerability that they have. The quality of the work we do in this area is recognised beyond the school and forms part of our training and outreach offer.

Meet our school nurse, Ro Collett:

My name is Ro Collett and I am the school nurse here at Parkwood hall. I work from 7.45am until 4- 4.30pm during the school day and, can be contacted directly by phone during these hours.

I have a very varied and interesting role which allows me to be fully involved with the life of the school both teaching and residential areas.

I receive all the medication required for the student’s, count and log in all the medication, write the relevant medication charts and care plans, transfer and distribute medication to the relevant house areas. Every week I send home any medication that is requested by the parents and send out letters requesting new supplies of medication to be sent in. The busiest time is at the beginning and at the end of the term and half terms when all the students’ medication either is coming in to school or being sent home for the holiday, and when the students go on residential trips as medication charts and medication need to be generated for day pupils as well. I volunteer and will also go on these residential trips if necessary.

I liaise closely with all the staff to ensure a good standard of hygiene is maintained to prevent infections spreading. I care for the students when they are unwell, but I do not have the facilities to keep students here so will contact parents to come and collect their child if they need to be at home.

With parents consent I can administer homely remedies, and first aid to students and staff when required. I take students to appointments (hospital, and dental) and can arrange for them to be seen at the local G.P.as a temporary patient or the local dentist in an emergency. I will also take students and staff to accident and emergency if deemed necessary.

I liaise with the schools immunisation team to arrange vaccination programmes, for the students.

I also update the medicine policies and procedures for the school, I write the medical protocols both general information and individual protocols for students who have specific needs. I also write medical care plans for all the students on admission to the school. I attend Lac meetings and annual reviews when necessary, and I also do LAC medicals here in school at the request of the local authorities because I know the students and this reduces their stress.

I liaise closely with the parents and will often write social stories to help students with upcoming hospital visits and treatments,

I teach PSHE/ SRE to all the students in the school. With the lower and middle school this concentrates on body changes as they are growing up, including emotional changes. With the senior students this is a course on sex and relationships.

I also train staff in a variety of subjects including epilepsy and the use of emergency medication, diabetes, pharmacy training and other training that is required to meet the needs of our students. I am also a registered first aid trainer and train the staff in first aid, I also teach first aid to students under the Heart start programme.

The support of the residential team is a very big part in allowing me to ensures the health and safety of the students in maintained to a high standard as they oversee the medical needs of the students in the evening and overnight ,but they know they can contact me at home if they have any concerns.

I run a monthly weighing in clinic for students to monitor weights and encourage healthy eating and exercise as an important part of school life.

I took a massage course with some of our students and now offer massage to students who are finding the school day difficult or who find the transition from school to home difficult.

I have an open door policy for both staff and students .The students are encouraged to come and see me if they have any worries or concerns.

My role allows me to be fully involved in the school life and with this in mind and when time allows I am also involved with the school choir, steel band, and the starlight players.

Many of our students need help with managing their behaviour at times during their stay with us. For some it can be an issue when they first arrive, for others it can become an issue when they move through puberty, and for others it can arise out of events away from school (bereavement, divorce, etc.). Our approach is very much one of accepting and valuing the individual, but not accepting inappropriate or anti-social behaviour. We believe in rewarding good behaviour and place less emphasis on “punishing”. This is because research has repeatedly shown that rewards are far more effective than punishments in changing behaviour. We also believe that all of our students want to behave well and that “behaviour mistakes are learning opportunities”. Nevertheless, we appreciate the importance of clear and unambiguous boundaries and that “children without boundaries go in search of them”.

One of the major tools we use for rewarding good behaviour is the scheme known as BEAM (Behaviour + Effort + Attitude = Merit). Students are set individual BEAM targets and gain points for working towards those targets. They also get points for being on-task and working in individual sessions. At the end of the week they can gain Gold, Silver or Bronze level rewards (or none at all). They can cash in rewards immediately, or they can save them towards a larger reward. This scheme is highly motivating for students of all ages and abilities.

The school has a very detailed behaviour policy, which can be found amongst the appendices. In general we would not choose to admit a student whose behaviour was a cause for concern due to the risk they present to others. However, once a student is with us we consider that we have a commitment to try to find solutions to any behavioural problems that arise. On rare occasions it may be necessary to exclude a student for 1 to 5 days, depending on their level of understanding of what they have done and their ability to control their own behaviour. It is far more likely that we will try to use strategies within the school to bring about change. In the exceptionally rare event that we feel we can no longer meet a student’s needs, we will work with the family and local authority to ensure that there is a managed move and we will try to ensure that the student is not left with a feeling of rejection as a result.

Parkwood Hall School has long recognised the importance of a healthy diet for all students, and especially for those with special educational needs. The catering and nutrition manager and his team work hard to ensure that meals are balanced and interesting, encouraging those students who tend to have a somewhat restricted diet to be more adventurous. Mealtimes are a very important aspect of social communication and interaction, and the Dining Room is carefully organised to facilitate this. Supervision levels in the Dining Room are very high, with 1 to 1 support available to those students who need it. The cost of meals is included in the fees recouped from local authorities and we do not allow day students to bring in packed lunches. Very occasionally students will have specific dietary requirements which present particular challenges for the catering team and we are always happy to receive assistance from parents with specialised items in these cases.  Staff are trained to support students with dysphagia and the school's uses the Pupil Premium to fund dysphagia specialist input.

Parkwood Hall School has a long and celebrated tradition in Performing Arts. The benefits of this for our students are wide-ranging, but one of the attributes which the performing arts develop above all others is self-esteem. Every student in the school is involved in Christmas musical productions, whether on-stage or in a supporting role. They learn the importance of teamwork and listening to what is going on around them, thus making their contribution a part of the whole. This applies also to the Steel Band, who play at least once a month in mainstream schools, showcasing skills which children without special educational needs find very hard to master. The band have also played at national conferences, on one occasion upstaging the shadow minister for schools!

Exploration of music and dance is particularly valuable for students who are less verbal, and many of them learn an individual instrument or take part in dance sessions. The benefits to their overall development are striking; they show an increased ability to concentrate, to persevere and to achieve. Many of our older students are entered for Arts Award qualifications.

As with other therapies, one of the unique selling points for Parkwood is that Art and Play Psychotherapy are fully embedded and available to all on the basis of need. We have two part-time therapists, who work through art, play and other forms of communication to explore the emotional and sub-conscious impulses and influences that affect their interpretation of the world around them and their resulting behaviour. The therapists work with verbal and non-verbal students and engage students in short, medium and long-term therapy. Solution-focussed approaches are integrated with more traditional therapeutic techniques, resulting in students making impressive progress in areas which can sometimes be the most worrying and challenging for parents and professionals alike. The work of Jonathan Shedler has shown that psychotherapeutic techniques can be significantly more effective than either medication and cognitive behavioural therapy, and that recipients of the former continue to improve after the therapy has stopped.

What is Physiotherapy?

The role of a Physiotherapist is to assess and manage the physical needs of children and young people with movement disorders, disability or illness. The aim of the physiotherapist is to help the child/young person reach their full potential through providing physical intervention, advice and support. Physiotherapists aim to improve the quality of life of children and young people by promoting independence and encouraging physical fitness and well being.

Physiotherapists who work with children are specialist practitioners who have the right skills and specific knowledge to deliver appropriate care and to promote involvement of education and families.

How is Physiotherapy provided at Parkwood Hall Academy?

Physiotherapy is integrated into the philosophy and practice of the school. Throughout the day there are many opportunities for physical activities as part of the curriculum.

Students who require Physiotherapy input will have an initial full assessment of their physical needs and difficulties. Discussion with staff, families and the student usually take place beforehand to enable the therapist to take into account individual circumstances, concerns and needs. Following the assessment and in partnership with the student, families and education staff the Physiotherapist will use clinical reasoning to ensure a suitable programme/plan is put in place.

Programmes tend to address walking ability, stamina, gross motor skills, balance and proprioception, specific muscle weakness or tightness and functional abilities.

Examples of Physiotherapy Intervention

• Individual Physiotherapy programme of stretches and exercises
• Recommendation of use of Trike, bike or scooters (especially now that the weather is warming up again)
• Walking or Running activities in the school ground
• Adapt Physical activity in playground/outdoor gym specific to student
• Recommendations for adapting PE activities
• Referral to Orthotics or other local services as needed
• Liaison with local NHS therapist, consultants or other professionals

Programmes are mostly carried out by the classroom staff and are integrated into activities during the school day. The Physiotherapist will train and work with each individual staff member and the specific student ensuring they are confident and competent at carrying out the programme.

Reviews are scheduled according to the individual needs of the student, but if there are concerns the Physiotherapist is able to re-assess. Parents are welcome to make contact to discuss any concerns or ask questions and arrange a meeting in school.

What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational Therapy improves health and wellbeing through occupation. Occupational therapy enables people to participate in daily life to improve their health and wellbeing. Daily life is made of many ‘occupations’ such as getting ready to go to school, dressing, preparing or having breakfast, playing, studying or working. An occupational therapist will help people who may need support or advice if they are not able to do their occupations as expected due to illness, disability, circumstances or as a result of changes in their lives.

How is Occupational Therapy provided in Parkwood Hall Academy?

Increasing number of our students has a need for Occupational Therapy provision on their statement. As with SALT, this is fully integrated into the philosophy and practice of the school. Our Occupational Therapists support a student’s participation in meaningful and purposeful occupations throughout the school day, such as completing a task, class participation, playing in the playground, having lunch in the dining hall, changing for swimming, toileting, transitions, preparing a snack or meal, just to give some examples.

In partnership with the school staff, the students, and their parents/carers, needs and strategies for enhancing participation of ALL students are explored and prioritised. Our Occupational Therapists devise and oversee programmes for individual students, groups, whole classroom, and/or school-wide initiatives, whether in terms of addressing gross motor skills (outdoor gym and playground), fine motor skills (using scissors, managing fastenings, handwriting, using cutlery, and mouse control), self-regulation and sensory needs (sensory circuit, sensory room, sensory diets and environmental adaptations) that impact on the student’s learning, occupational performance and participation.

Examples of Occupational Therapy Intervention include the following:

• Almost all students take part in a daily sensory circuit.
• Education about sensory processes that impact learning and behaviour. The understanding of sensory issues is deeply embedded within the whole school.
• Classroom ergonomic and adaptations for optimal learning.
• Recommendation of adaptive tools and strategies to increase participation.
• Playground equipment adaptation or design.
• Classroom, small groups and/or direct 1-to-1 therapy according to the need.
• Our Occupational Therapists work closely with the residential staff to increase the child’s independence in daily living skills needed for school and life transition.