Platform 9 ¾

This is the name we give to our suite of spaces that are used to enable pupils to achieve positive outcomes in school, in their future adult life, and in life more generally.  It is located centrally in the school and consist of various spaces that form a hub of intervention that the whole school can access.  This is ever developing to meet the needs of our pupils and consists of:

9 3/4 Room

Occupational Therapy interventions, Yoga, Guided Relaxation, Sensory Play Programme, Sensory integration, Sensory Circuit/Diet Programmes and Smart Moves Programme take place in this space. Here we also have a dark space with fibre-optic lighting that is accessed through a tunnel and also a climbing wall.

Platform 1 and Platform 2

Calm and safe spaces for pupils to use when they are anxious, distressed, tired or wanting a quiet space

The Station

A base used by external visiting professionals such as Art Therapy, Counselling or Speech and Language Therapy

The Intervention Room

Emotion wellbeing, Social, Communication, Resilience and other interventions take place here

The Ticket Office

For children who are unable to work in class at any given time. Children may likely transition here to either complete a debrief form with a member of staff if appropriate or teaching staff will be able to use this room as and when required. A TEACCH approach is set up for some of our pupils with ASD. A range of resources is available for staff to continue teaching.

Aims and Objectives

The Intervention team support pupils to develop skills and confidence to learn, thrive and shine, thus creating schooling for pupils in which they make good/outstanding progress in their learning. This is achieved by minimising barriers to learning, helping individuals to develop resilience and the skills necessary for self- regulation. This support is in addition to high quality classroom teaching. It is not just within the base is but also seen throughout the school.  The support is bespoke to the needs of the child and seeks to boost progress and attainment through the assessment of individual’s needs and the particular effective teaching strategies, specialised programmes and resources which will enable individual pupils to access learning, the whole school and wider community with confidence and independence.

Aims

• To effectively support children to access the curriculum through interventions that reduce barriers to learning
• To ensure learning challenges and behaviour challenges are identified quickly through analysis, with appropriate outcome-driven interventions applied, monitored for effectiveness and checked for impact
• To promote the process and structure of 9 ¾ within the school as a collaborative unit that works with class teams to identify pupils and supports them through effective leadership of intervention

Objectives

• To ensure staff are aware of their role and responsibilities towards supporting pupils in the areas of communication, Social and Emotional Wellbeing, Sensory and Kinaesthesia
• To adopt a consistent approach to the identification of pupils needing intervention
• To establish clear processes by which intervention will take place, how it will be recorded and evaluated for impact

Types of Intervention

'Nine and Three Quarters' works within a strong multidisciplinary approach to combine a range of therapies, programmes and interventions to meet children's individual needs, offering pupils a rewarding experience. Our emphasis lies in recognising pupils' strengths and successes and providing strategies for them to overcome their learning challenges.

Class teachers are responsible for matching their teaching to the individual needs of the children, therefore providing appropriate intervention

Therapies we offer, vital to meet some pupils' needs:

• Lego Therapy
• Friendship skills
• Anxiety management
• Play therapy
• Art therapy
• Music therapy 
• Counselling – all service levels – service level A (Helping/Support for immediate distress)
• Animal therapy 
• Gardening/horticultural Therapy 
• Sensory Integration Occupational Therapy (SIOT) 
• Just the Right State (Sensory attachment Intervention – for pupils who may have attachment issues or display antisocial behaviours) 
• Rebound Therapy
• Protective behaviours
• Anti-bullying
• Resilience
• Boxall Profile and nurturing interventions 
• Integrative therapy
• Emotion focused therapy
• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy CBT
• Speed Up (a kinaesthetic handwriting programme)
• Ready Set Remember (a working memory programme – younger children)
• Listening and Thinking programme
• Sensory Play (a SIOT programme)
• Delivery of SIOT/OT and Physio programmes 
• Yoga Games
• Anger management – (beat the Anger Gremlin)
• A Girl Thang – (programme for girls to explore their life experiences, their strengths and daily lived realities in a safe and non-threatening environment.

Intervention Process

Following identification of pupils for intervention, the Intervention Process will be followed as a guideline:

• Intervention Identification can be through teacher observations, pupil progress meetings, the wider staff team and external professionals.
• The Leader of Interventions in consultation with The Mental health and Safeguarding Lead, and other professionals will decide on what intervention will be put in place, what the outcome will be, who will facilitate that intervention.
• The class and intervention teams will determined the goals, and how impact will be monitored. (Other therapy services will determine will be responsible for this process).
• Parents will be informed of the intervention.
• During the intervention, the facilitator will monitor the pupil’s progress and will meet with the Leader of Interventions on a weekly basis.
• At the end of the intervention, outcomes will be reviewed with next steps/advice recorded.

As parents/carers, you will be informed about:

• Name of the Intervention
• Rationale for determining this therapy - how we work with teachers to evaluate and suggest therapies to better access learning in the classroom
• Any perceived conflict/benefit this therapy provision has with other therapies ongoing/ completed
• Duration of therapy
• Who's involved in delivering this
• Who's involved in monitoring the effectiveness of the therapy
• Why we choose this therapy over others available
• Professional guidance/research for this overview
• Expected Outcomes of the therapy 
• Success of the intervention - how we determine this
• Who we report to and when

At the end of each half-term, the interventions will be reviewed and any necessary modifications and tweaks will be made. At the end of each term all interventions will be evaluated and discussed in pupil progress meetings.

Intervention in School

Our intervention curriculums uses a waves model.  These waves of intervention cater for a range of escalating need. After the referral process, the pupils will access the appropriate intervention if needed. Tier 1 is the intervention over and above the strategies identified in EHCPs and Pupil Profiles and delivered by class teams, Tier 2 is intervention delivered by the intervention team and external professionals deliver Tier 3. These tiers of provision enable our learners to access the curriculum effectively in order to make maximum progress.

Speech and Language Therapy (Tier 3)

Developing functional understanding of language is integral for the learners, many of whom have a diagnosed communication need. The Speech and Language Therapist is able to offer support with strategies and upskill in communication strategies bespoke to the needs of the children in school. Most of Speech and language Therapy is integrated, the therapists work alongside teachers and learning support focusing on whole class, group and individual intervention. The therapist also conducts more formal and full language assessments, making recommendations and setting specific targets for individuals.

Occupational Therapy (Tier 3)

The NHS Occupational Therapist works with an integrated approach to therapy advising on interventions for named individuals that can be embedded within the environment and curriculum (e.g. using specific seating to help ‘ground’ a child, suggesting specific fine motor skills activities).

The Sensory Integration Occupational Therapist  conducts more formal assessments of sensory and fine and gross motor skill need as required from this bespoke programmes can be developed to meet the physical and sensory needs of the students. The SIOT also advises on individual, group and whole class interventions that can be embedded within the environment and curriculum.

Sensory and OT Support (Tier 2)

The impact of sensory processing, co-ordination, sensorimotor difficulties or impairment of the senses not only hinders learning and cognition but can have a pervasive and serious effect on the emotional well-being of children and young people, and further impacts life chances in adulthood. It is also important to be aware that physical and sensory difficulties are unlikely to resolve without additional support. Any programmes prescribed by the OT and SIOT that cannot be embedded or integrated into classroom learning (Tier 1 intervention)  are delivered by The Sensory and OT Support. They also use the Smart Moves Programme to assess individuals and deliver the appropriate programme. Sensory and OT Support also deliver Sensory Play (a programme that targets children’s auditory, visual, touch and proprioceptive senses).

Wellbeing Support (Tier 2)

Students may demonstrate difficulties with emotional regulation and/or social interaction and/or experience mental health problems. Pupils and students who have difficulties with their emotional and social development may have immature social skills and find it difficult to make and sustain healthy relationships. The Wellbeing Support address different aspects of wellbeing such as: anger management, self-regulation, boosting self-esteem, confidence building, resilience and coping with anxiety. They also facilitate Friendship groups that teach the social skills needed to make and sustain peer relationships; to provide children with opportunities for learning about issues relevant to peer friendships, such as conflict resolution and bullying; and to teach children the social skills necessary for friendship formation and maintenance.

9¾ Intervention Team also delivers Speed Up (a kinaesthetic handwriting programme) and Ready Set Remember (a programme that teaches active strategies that work within the auditory memory capacity for a particular student). 

Communication and Interaction