Specialist Support

Here at Elms Bank we work very closely with a highly skilled and experienced team of specialists dedicated to giving our pupils and students the very best support, tailored to their specific needs.

Outreach

The Service provides training/development/support for staff in mainstream schools and settings, in the domains of social inclusion, attainment and independent daily living skills, allowing them to build upon their existing skills, knowledge and expertise so that they are better equipped to cater for those children and young people with SEND in their placement.

The Service is available to mainstream schools with children and young people whose needs are not being met, and where a school or setting would benefit from specialist advice, usually short term, on how best to support them.

The majority of these children and young people will have had their needs assessed through:

• statutory assessment resulting in a Statement of SEN or Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
• the annual review process

If you would like to request outreach support please complete the request form which is available in the Downloads & Links section of this page and send it to Catherine Dent - Dent.C@elmsbank.co.uk

To view a copy of the Outreach Policy please use the button to the left of the page.

CEIAG (Careers Education Information Advise & Guidance)

Elms Bank School

We work with ‘Realistic Choices’ to provide our students access to Independent Careers Guidance in KS4. This involves a meeting to advise and a written report of guidance, which is shared with Parents/Carers.

There is no statutory guidance to say a careers adviser has be in attendance at an EHCP review but careers guidance should inform the Yr 11 review. Where a pre-review in Yr 11 has taken place between the careers adviser and young person, there should be a discussion regarding the guidance notes/summary provided to the review.

‘Where pupils have EHC plans, their annual reviews must, from year 9 at the latest, include a focus on adulthood, including employment. Schools should ensure these reviews are informed by good careers guidance.’ DfE October 2018 paragraph 54.

Elms Bank College

At KS5, in line with statutory guidance we offer students  a second interview with ‘Realistic Choices’.  The Government’s expectation is that every pupil should have at least one such interview by the age of 16, and the opportunity for a further interview by the age of 18. (‘Careers guidance and access for education and training providers’ DfE October 2018 paragraph 79). 

Teachers, students, parents and carers should discuss the student’s Yr14 destination in every Annual Review, to ensure short term targets are identified and have been addressed each year. If any students are without a clear transition plan then an additional Careers intervention should be identified as an action in the Annual Review.

In Bury, the Connexions/ Local Authority SEND team,  run a small core offer of support that may be available for some students, without a clear pathway for the end of Yr 14. If this is not appropriate advice will be offer by ‘Realistic Choices’.

Educational Psychology

The Educational Psychologist’s typical work may include delivering, supporting or modelling interventions on group work with pupils around themes such as anger management, friendship, self-esteem, bullying, stress management, transition from primary to secondary, and transition from secondary to college. This can be done by working with young people individually or in small groups to focus on a particular area for development.

For further information regarding Educational Psychology, click the link to the left.

Hydrotherapy

The school has a fully equipped hydrotherapy pool.  The pool is serviced by two changing rooms, one with a changing bed and hoist system, the other a standard dry side changing room. There is also access to a cool-down room and various swimming aids and teaching pool equipment.  

Pupils accessing the hydrotherapy pool for hydrotherapy sessions are put into three different groups:

• Those who require hydrotherapy with physiotherapy input.  Sessions for these pupils can be facilitated by the school Physiotherapy Team with support from class staff.
• Those who do not have physiotherapy as a requirement but who would physically benefit from using the pool. Programmes can be advised by the Physiotherapy Team, but they would not have responsibility for this programme.
• Those for whom hydrotherapy provides a sensory or calming experience.

Staffing levels are high in the hydrotherapy pool and pupils complete an initial pool assessment which is transferred to a pool activity log.  This includes targets for the pupils to work towards while on pool sessions.  School staff are trained to use the hydrotherapy pool and also receive moving and handling training.  Students are always supported by familiar staff when using the hydrotherapy pool to enable targets to be worked towards and monitored efficiently.

Nurse

There is a team of nurses/health care support workers who work in school with at least one member of the team on site. The nurse will attend to the major-medical needs of the pupils and coordinates several medical specialists to attend school to see the pupils. These include appointments with the doctor, dietician, orthoptist, podiatrist, dentist, consultant paediatrician and the ophthalmist.  

Physiotherapy

The physiotherapists are based at the Bury Living Well Centre and provide clinics at Elms Bank. The team in Elms Bank consists of a senior paediatric physiotherapist and a full time senior paediatric physiotherapy assistant. There is also a team leader senior paediatric physiotherapist and a senior paediatric physiotherapy assistant.

Contact details

Speech & Language Therapy

Frances Davies is the Speech and Language Therapist for school. Fran is employed by Pennine Care (NHS) and based in school full time. Fran works over the whole year and therefore she can be available for home visits and meetings in the school holidays.

As a Speech Therapist, Fran works on the following areas:

• Understanding and Use of Language
• Alternative and Augmentative Communication Systems (AAC) e.g. Signing, Symbols, Communication books, Communication Aids, iPad apps for communication and PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System)
• Speech Sound Production
• Social Use of Language (Pragmatics/Social Skills)
• Feeding and swallowing difficulties (dysphagia)

Fran's role is to work with individual pupils but also to develop and support communication within the school as a whole. Fran is also trained to assess feeding and swallowing difficulties (dysphagia).

All pupils at Elms Bank have access to speech therapy with Fran being based onsite. In order to provide the most effective input pupils are assigned into categories based on their level of need - universal, targeted or specialist.

Speech Therapy Training

Fran can also provide training for parents, carers and professionals working with Elms Bank pupils. Fran will be running the following training courses and sessions this academic year:

• Introduction to signing
• Communication resource making

Please get in touch with Fran if you are interested in these courses or would like to discuss any other training needs.

Fran is also a trained Signalong tutor and is able to offer accredited training on request.

Contact

Please get in touch with Fran if you have any concerns about your child's communication skills or if they are having problems with eating and/or drinking.

E-mail: davies.f@elmsbank.co.uk

Work Mobile: 07500 551 611

Resources

• essential sign sheets
• symbols for home routine
• week timeline
• now / next board
• Symbols for key ring

Useful links

There are some useful links and downloads in the left hand side of this page for the signing system we use in school and across the speech therapy service in Bury, Experts in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Assistive Technology (AT) based in Oldham and lots of information about alternative communication methods (AAC- alternative and augmentative communication), plus Timeline symbols for home.

Visual Impairment Team

Pupils with a visual impairment are supported by the Visual Support Team. Support may include direct teaching, advice to schools, modification of resources, assessment of vision, provision and maintenance of equipment, teaching of specialist skills e.g. Braille, individual mobility sessions and liaison with statutory and voluntary agencies and orthoptists.

Hearing Impairment Team

Pupils with a hearing impairment are seen on a weekly basis by the Sensory Needs Team: Hearing who monitors and checks hearing aids and sets up and monitors FM systems so that students have the best possible listening experience.