Cressview opened in September 2020 and is a specialised SEN classroom within our mainstream school. It provides a specialised, creative, inclusive and unique environment which aims to meet the needs of pupils with communication and interaction difficulties, within a nurturing and safe environment. It provides high quality teaching in an innovative learning environment, tailored to each child’s individual needs.

Cressview employs one full time specialist SEN teacher and two level two teaching assistants. Currently our classroom has spaces for up to eight pupils. All pupils currently on roll or awaiting places have communication and interaction difficulties and have been issued with an Education Health and Care plan. They receive consistent personalised learning support programmes every day of the week in order to achieve their potential. When ready pupils are able to access sessions within the mainstream class. This could be through curriculum areas such as for e.g. PE and Forest School.

Cressview provides a small class and a peer group to support both learning and social and emotional development in a nurturing environment. We work very closely with parents so as to develop trust, build positive relationships in order to promote success. Pupils arrive and leave at separate times to the rest of the school so as to reduce anxieties and avoid the busy start and finish to the school day.

Our classroom is inviting and friendly with a kitchen area and dining area where the pupils gather for breakfast, lunch and snacks. It has a living room area where pupils can relax and a dining area where pupils can eat separately from the rest of the school and if required in a separate space from the other pupils in Cressview. Pupils can bring their own packed lunches.

There is a low arousal room and a separate outdoor area. The classroom is set within the school building and the pupils can access areas of the main school when required. Within Cressview, pupils are taught in a small group so as to reduce the demands and help regulate emotions. Following a consultation process a transition plan is created to make sure that the move to our provision is carefully managed. This may involve initial visits to the pupil’s home by the teacher, to start to build a positive relationship and over time an introduction to our classroom and the rest of the staff and pupils.

How are places allocated?

• Applications to Cressview are made through the annual review process.
• A recommendation can be made at the annual review for a change of placement.
• The final decision to allocate a place will be made by Warwickshire’s High Needs Panel.
• No pupil can be admitted without the prior agreement of WCC.
• Pupils will normally be subject to an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
• Exit from provision will be discussed at the pupil’s annual review meeting.
• Any proposals/recommendations for a change of placement arising from the review will be referred to Panel.

SPELL framework from The National Autistic Society:

Structure:  We structure our learning environment to make it predictable for our pupils, allowing them to be as independent as possible. We use visual support, ensure our activities have clear starts and finishes and we communicate to our pupils what is going to happen as well as our expectations of them. 

Positive:   We carefully assess our pupils, allowing us to have high expectations while being realistic. We consider their individual strengths, interests and abilities as well as their needs and then we build on these to reinforce confidence and self-esteem. We consider the barriers to communication and learning and adapt our approaches to meet the needs of each individual child.

Empathy: We use our knowledge and skills to understand, respect and relate to the experience of each pupil’s communication and interaction needs and this underpins our attempts to develop good communication and reduce anxiety. We aim to develop positive relationships with pupils; we remain calm, good humoured, empathetic while continually analysing our practise.

Low Arousal

• We provide a low arousal environment which is calm and ordered in a such a way as to reduce anxiety, aid concentration and try to keep distractions to a minimum.
• We allow children the time to process what they have seen or heard before expecting them to respond.
• We teach children using methods best suited to their learning styles and adapt our approaches according to individual need.
• Children’s sensory needs are assessed and taken into consideration, gaining external advise from occupational therapists when needed.

Links

• We ensure open communication between all those working with the pupil (including staff, parents and external professionals) in order to provide a holistic approach to supporting each child.
• We aim to provide links with the mainstream school through the curriculum,
• Provide experiences in the mainstream classroom and the whole school community therefore enabling the individual to participate in a meaningful way in the life of the wider community.

Provision Strategies

• Clear instruction, reduced language
• Nurture underpins all activities
• Avoid demand but instead offer choice
• Wonder aloud
• Reinforce positive behaviour
• Name always used when talking to a child
• Visual cues, now and next, white boards, timers
• Reward for completing work
• Allow time for process of instructions

Challenging Behaviour

• At Cressview, we understand that behaviour is used by our pupils as a form of communication
• Use STAR analysis (Setting, Trigger, Action, Result) to try and identify a cause of behaviour.
• Staff reflect and review incidents and look for possible triggers
• This then determines  strategies used in order to support the individual child.

Finally…

Our Resource Provision allows children to become confident, sociable and independent learners.

It is a place where individuals are celebrated and allowed to flourish

Further information please contact the school on 01789 750 214 or speak to you allocated plan coordinator.