Interventions at Grace Mary

At Grace Mary, we aim to meet the needs of all pupils. This may involve the use of interventions, which are either delivered one-to-one or in small groups. Below is a description of the interventions we run in school, broken down into the four areas of need: 'Cognition and Learning', 'Social, Emotional and Mental Health', 'Communication and Interaction' and 'Physical and Sensory'. 

Cognition and Learning

Precision Teaching

A one-to-one intervention designed to increase fluency and accuracy of the material to be learnt. Mainly used to increase sight vocabulary, for example by learning high frequency words. Taught daily for 10 minutes each day. Progress measured depends on the skill used for, for example the number of high frequency words known.

1:1 Readers

Staff hear children read for approximately 10 minutes, on a one- one basis. Set targets are focused upon, either at word level or inference/comprehension. Progress is measured by reading band level.

1:1 Phonics

Support staff specialised in the teaching of RML phonics deliver 10 minute sessions with children on a one-to-one basis working on agreed targets with the class teacher, mainly to plug any gaps the child might have in their phonic knowledge. Progress is measured by phonic group/level.

Sandwell Numeracy Intervention

Delivered one-to-one or small group depending on the ability of the children, this intervention focuses on identified gaps from an initial assessment. For those children working below the end of KS1 standards.

Big Maths

To help children master basic number skills and knowledge. This can be delivered either 1:1 or in a small group if the needs of the children are similar. Progress can be measured by Maths levels but also by weekly test scores.

Maths Surgery

The class teacher completes one-to-one sessions with children in their class who need extra support following that days Maths lesson to address any misconceptions they may have. This ensures that they are ready for the next day's learning.

Fresh Start

An intervention from Read, Write, Inc. which aims to plug gaps in phonics knowledge for children in KS2. Teaching is broken down into specified, structured sections. Progress is measured by phonic assessments and English attainment levels.

Boosters

Targeted children in a small group working on identified objectives or areas of learning.

Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs

Jigsaw Nurture

This KS2 group encompasses a Learning Nurture approach, whereby children are still taught Maths and English appropriate to their ability in a small, nurturing group approach, whilst also working on their social and emotional learning too. Progress is measured by Boxhall profiles and curriculum attainment, as well as ‘smaller’ steps of progress such as reading age, maths age and known high frequency words.

Rainbow Nurture

A small group of KS1 children with two members of staff. Children chosen for nurture are those who require a little more support than their peers with the social and emotional aspects to their learning. At Grace Mary we believe this is a prerequisite to academic learning and so it is vital that they receive this extra nurturing in addition to completing curriculum work too. Once the children feel more secure and confident, they can then re-join their class for curriculum activities, supported by Rainbow Nurture staff initially. Progress is measured via the Boxhall Profiles.

Play Therapy

Children work 1:1 with a designated member of staff, having the opportunity to explore current issues and communicate their feelings through the use of play activities.

Chill N Chat

Children can choose to stay in at lunchtime and play games and ‘chill’ or ‘chat’ with their friends and staff. Open to all.

Drawing and Talking

Children work 1:1 with a designated member of staff, having the opportunity to draw while talking through any issues they may have. These sessions occur on a weekly basis for identified children.

Emotion Coaching

A small group intervention helping children to recognise emotions and how to deal with them in a positive manner.

Murray Hall Counselling

Identified children are offered sessions with a qualified counsellor provided through Murray Hall. This is done through Art Therapy and children attend weekly one hour sessions for a block of 6 weeks. The impact of the sessions is measured through Outcome Stars.

Communication and Interaction

SALT

A member of staff specialised in Speech and Language delivers individual programmes 1:1 with a child once they have been assessed by a Speech and Language therapist and have a programme of work and targets set by them. This is at least once a week, though most children require sessions two or three times a week. Progress is measured by Speech and Language Therapist assessments.

Wellcomm

A speech and language assessment screening tool, also providing activities to improve speech and language skills. All of the children in our Early Years settings are regularly screened using Wellcomm, allowing those children who require additional support with their language skills to be identified, with areas of need worked on. Progress measured through Wellcomm screening levels.

English as Additional Language Intervention

Children who are learning English as an additional language have sessions with a designated member of staff to help them acquire English language skills. A mixture of strategies are used, including: activities from the Racing to English intervention, games, pre-teaching lesson material, re-teaching lesson material, addressing misconceptions. Targets are set and progress measured by using the Solihull Profile of Competency.

Lego Therapy

This intervention can be used to improve skills in both speech, language and communication – as the children are required to listen to others and communicate, as well as for social and emotional learning- as the children have to take turns and work well with others. It is usually taught in groups of 3, though there can be some flexibility to meet the needs of the children in the group.

PECS

Picture Exchange Communication System is an approach whereby children with communication difficulties can use pictures or symbols to communicate, for example it may start by the child giving a picture of a drink in exchange for a drink.

TEACCH

The TEACCH approach is a structured approach to learning, including the use of work stations, routine, visual time tables and an organised approach to work activities to enable higher levels of independence.

Physical and Sensory

Fun Fit

Delivered in a small group most mornings, using equipment such as gym balls, tents, tunnels and trampettes. The activities aim to improve gross motor skills such as balance and moving in different ways and fine motor skills such as hand-eye coordination. In addition, the activities engaged in also meet the children's varying sensory needs.

Sensory Rooms/areas

We have a sensory area in the main school, in the KS1 corridor and also a dedicated Sensory Room within our Sunshine room base aswell as a designated Sensory outdoor area. Children spend time in here using a range of resources and equipment to help meet their sensory needs.