Our Resource Base

About Us

At Charborough Road Primary School we are proud of our Resource Base for pupils with Speech, Language and communication difficulties. Currently we are the only provision for children of primary school age in this area of need within both South Gloucestershire and Bristol Local Authority.

All pupils allocated a Resource Base place have an Education Health and Care Plan (ECHP) and are referred to us via the Local Authority. Our Resource Base has a capacity of 18 children.

Our commissioned role in the Resource Base is to facilitate inclusion for our pupils and enable them to be part of a thriving school community; whilst receiving specialist support.

Each Resource Base pupil is on roll in a mainstream class and we work towards including pupils according to their needs and abilities. Wherever possible our pupils participate in the full life of the school during the school day and are invited to participate in trips, activities and experiences with their mainstream peers.

Our aim in the Resource Base is to create a calm, structured and happy environment in which the pupils feel safe and secure and can learn and develop both their academic skills alongside their speech, language and communication skills, supported by an experienced staff team.

Although Resource Base pupil’s academic progress and attainment is important, a key focus is on teaching language, communication and social skills in context, as well as developing our pupil’s emotional understanding.

Each child is an individual and we aim to equip them with specific strategies in order to deal with stressful situations. We work towards enabling them to understand and function in the world we live in to the best of their abilities and as independently as possible.

 

We recognise that speech and language difficulties can be a life- long condition and we aim to support pupils to cope with and manage some of the challenges they face. It is our aim that this support further enables pupils to include in the mainstream classes.

We believe collaboration with parents and carers is key to ensuring the best possible outcomes for pupils. As many of the children travel to school each day on transport, our online learning platform – See Saw- provides an opportunity for parents and staff to communicate on a regular basis. It also allows the children’s learning experiences and achievements to be shared with family too. We also welcome parents and carers to telephone of email school. In addition to the statutory Educational, Health ad Care Plan Annual Review meeting, three parent meetings are held to discuss each child’s progress.

 

Comments of parents of children who attend the Resource Base;

• “Our daughter has thrived in her first year at the Resource Base. As parents, you come with many worries, however from the fabulous office staff to the teachers and TAs, we have been so impressed with the commitment, understanding and flexibility they have provided us. Together, they have made what could have been a highly stressful, upsetting time, into one where our daughter never ends the school day without a smile on her face.”

  Mrs Miles

• “My daughter has thrived in the RB due to small group teaching, several interventions tailored to her needs and outstanding Speech and language therapy. She feels safe and secure within the base and now enjoys school, she told me ‘it’s fun and helps me to learn’.

  Communication between teachers and parents is excellent and weekly updates of daughters learning is fantastic”

  Miss Black

• “I just wanted to thank all the staff at Charborough Road for the support my son has received over the past four years. He has enjoyed being at the school and even though his progress has been slow he has continued to progress to the best of his ability. He has always enjoyed coming to school and will miss everyone, as all the staff have been very supportive and always treated each child as an individual. Over the years this has enabled my son to build on his confidence and reduce any anxieties which will hopefully enable him to progress further in his new school. My only regret is that I didn’t enrol him at Charborough Road Resource Base when he first started school!”

  Mrs Todd

 

 

Welcome

Welcome to Charborough Road’s Speech, Language and Communication Needs Resource Base.

The Resource Base is at the heart of our school and positively influences how we do things at Charborough Road. Unlike main school admission, access to the Resource Base is organised separately with the Local Authority (see RB Admission page for details).

The Resource base is specially designed to cater for children with Speech, Language and communication (predominantly Speech and Language) who would benefit from inclusion into the main school for all or part of the week. The Resource Base is positioned at the centre of our school. It has 2 classrooms (Rabbits and Badges) and the children move across these 2 rooms depend of their ability to access learning within the curriculum area that is being taught. This allows the children to access learning at their level and learning style. One room provides more continuous provision, while the other provides a more formal teaching style. We also have a room which is dedicated as a reflection space for when children need their own space to self-regulate.

Whilst some children will learn predominantly within the Resource Base, particularly when they are new to the school, our ambition is for all Resource Base children to eventually include into mainstream classes (supported by a Resource Base member of staff) for all or part of the week.

Every member of staff at Charborough Road, whether attached to the Resource Base or not, is trained to work with children with the language and communication needs and SEND inclusion is central to the work of the school.

Admissions

All pupils allocated a place in the Resource Base are referred to us via a Local Authority. Once a pupil’s place has been agreed, after a period of consultation, you will receive an Education, Health Care Plan (EHCP) naming Charborough Road Resource Base as the named school and you will receive a letter allowing you to accept or decline the place offered.

Once you have accepted the place we will contact you to arrange to meet you and to visit your child in their current setting. At this time we will send you a ‘Welcome Pack’ with Parent information as well as a pack for your child to help prepare them for the move. Within this pack there are photographs of the Resource Base learning environment, teaching staff and Teaching Assistants.

Transition visits; a time for your child to become familiar with his or her new setting and staff will then be arranged.

It is usual that the first visit to our Resource Base for your child will take place after school when there are fewer distractions or pupils present; enabling your child an opportunity to explore, without the added anxiety of other children. It also allows your child the opportunity to meet the staff on a one to one basis and for the staff to meet your child.

Subsequent visits are during the school day and are usually supported by familiar staff from your child’s current setting. The number of visits will be decided upon based on individual needs.

Provisions

Having access to 2 classrooms allows all children within the Resource Base to be taught at their level of learning and their learning style and within school groups (6-10 children in each room). One of the classrooms provide learning on a more continuous provision style, while the other provides a more formal learning style. The children within the Resource Base will access both rooms throughout the week for different learning opportunities. This allows the children to increase the opportunities for communication and always have access to peer role models. We pride ourselves in having an inclusive ‘family’ feel within the Resource Base, where all the children interact and communicate with each other regardless of their ability or needs.

We promote and support speech, language, communication through a highly structured and scheduled learning environment, which is support with the use of visuals, individual timetables, class timetables and the use of Makaton to support clarity of communication.

The Resource Base is designed to provide a structured, supportive environment that is small, welcoming and inclusive. The staff team strives to give the pupils the maximum level of independence that they can achieve. All pupils have access to core subjects (Maths, English and Science) and the Foundation subjects (all other subjects). We use a topic-based approach to learning, which engages children and helps them to build skills in learning and thinking. There is also a key focus on speech, language and communication skills. The children are taught from the Primary National Curriculum, using a differentiated approach adapted to the individual needs, supported by visuals and manipulative to support speech and language.

Regular teacher assessment take place, which allow for close monitoring of the pupil’s progress.

Each child has a support plan which reflects the outcomes in each pupil’s EHCP. These targets and interventions are reviewed on a termly basis and progress and new targets are communicated with parents.

We have a NHS Speech Therapist for 2 days a week to work with the pupils on an individual and small group basis, as stated in each child’s Educational Health Care Plan. The Therapist and staff liaise closely regarding the pupils’ individual targets to ensure they are incorporated into their individual plans and also included in the daily teaching. The Speech Therapist plans and monitors all language group work and tray work (1:1 work) to ensure that the speech and language needs of the children are met and targets continually updated. They also provide key training to staff within the Resource Base and mainstream school.

The Resource Base also has other visiting professionals, who work with the children depending on their individual needs. These professionals include, Educational Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Physio Therapists, School Nurse. These professional support and give advice to ensure children’s access to their education. The Resource Base works closely with the South Gloucestershire and Bristol’s Educational Psychology team, where a specific psychologist is allocated to the school for regular liaison and review of pupils’ progress.

The start of the day and be a difficult time for children, especially as many arrive by transport, and require time to connect with the school environment. Therefore each morning we have a dedicated ‘connection time’. The aim of Connection Time is to support students in having a positive start to their day. It is a time where child-to-child and child-to-adult relationships are positively fostered and reinforced. The children will have an opportunity to prepare and enjoy a breakfast snack together, while applying communication and interaction skills. This is a time to prepare students mentally and emotionally for the day ahead and can include;

¨ Reinforcement of micro-routines

¨ Reinforcement of class values

¨ Preparation for transitions using visual timetables

¨ Brain games and quizzes

¨ Circle time, news round, topical discussions to promote speech and language

¨ SEAL activities

¨ Target setting discussions

¨ Celebrating successes

¨ Fine motor practice

¨ Promoting life skills and independence

The aim for all children to take part in Mastery sessions (accessing learning within their mainstream class). The time that a child spends in their mainstream classroom is tailored to the individual child’s strengths. There is a close working relationship with the Resource Base and mainstream school, which ensures that the child feel safe and secure and are able to continue to flourish here at Charborough Road.

Meet the Resource Base Team

Mr Matthew Lankester
Head Teacher

Miss Sally Bishop
SENDCO and Resource Base lead

Miss Martha Garcia
Class teacher

Mrs Chloe Swinney
Speech Therapist

Miss Katie Howell
Teaching assistant

 

Miss Beverly Meredith
Teaching assistant

Mrs Tamsyn Wilbur
Teaching assistant

Inclusion

Our commissioned role in the Resource Base is to facilitate inclusion for our pupils and enable them to be part of a thriving school community; whilst receiving specialist support, and our expectation is that by the time of the pupil’s first annual review there must be some inclusion within the mainstream class taking place, for at least part of the week.

Commonly, children joining the Charborough Road Primary School Resource Base will start by spending all, or the vast majority of their time in one of the two dedicated Resource Base classrooms (Rabbits and Badger) which benefit from small classes (typically 6-10) and specialist staff. Whilst in Resource Base, the children will benefit from a low-sensory environment, a highly-structured and individualised curriculum and an emphasis on developing vital speech, language and communication skills, alongside other core areas.

However, our aim is to work towards inclusion into the main school, as this is the key difference between a Resource Base and other specialist units or settings. Once we feel that a child is ready to begin including into the main school, they will begin familiarisation activities.

At Charborough Road Primary, inclusion is called Mastery. The time that a child spends in their mainstream classroom is tailored to the individual child’s strengths. Therefore the Mastery timetable often looks different for each child within the Resource Base. There is a close working relationship with the Resource Base and mainstream school which ensure that the child feel safe and secure and are able to continue to flourish here at Charborough Road.