The academic progress of our pupils is important at Aspire but we know that a child cannot access learning to their full potential if their mental health is poor. Giving our pupils the opportunity to be able to communicate how they are feeling and what they are struggling with is vitally important at Aspire.
Our Intervention team is composed of experienced staff who are highly trained to deliver therapeutic, speech and language and academic one to one sessions and group sessions to those children that need the support. Most programs that they can deliver to the children are between 6 - 12 weeks long although some can be extended if the child needs it to be.
Aspire’s Intervention team can deliver:
- Draw & Talk (one to one and group sessions) - In these sessions children are encouraged to express themselves, their thoughts and feelings through drawing. This can help children to process any trauma or challenging experiences and help them to heal
- Therapeutic Sand Play (one to one session) - In these sessions children are able to play out their ideas, thoughts, feeling and trauma in a safe way with small world toys in the sand.
- Wellbeing Check- Ins - This is an opportunity for our pupils to come and check in with our intervention team and play and chat.
- Dog mentoring - Loki our school therapy dog will help the child have an outlet for excess energy, a non-judgemental companion, give them social interaction opportunities, encourage routines, decrease stress and offer a healthy distraction from worries. Loki loves to be read to and can always be found meeting and greeting children in the mornings
- Creative Arts Therapy - We have a wonderful creative arts therapist at Aspire who sees children in regular weekly slots or via a drop-in session when needed
- SEMH Interventions - Our behaviour team have a variety of interventions and programmes that can be run individually or in small groups to support children to be able to better understand and regulate their behaviour and to develop social skills, self esteem and confidence.
- Critical Thinking Skills and Positive Conversations - aims to provide children with a creative opportunity to work one to one with staff and reflect on their experiences in a structured way
- Positive Learning Conversations - help’s children to engage in learning in a positive way
- Jump Ahead - which is a program designed to help children’s fine and gross motor skills. Good motor coordination skills underpin the ability to listen, pay attention, do table top activities such as writing, maths etc., and they help students with their social interaction skills with others
- Sensory Circuits - this is designed to help children to be at the correct level of alertness to be able to access lessons.
Our Intervention team can also create social stories, have comic strip conversations with pupils that need it, give support to those pupils who are struggling academically and are constantly updating and increasing their toolkit to be able to increase the support for the pupils at Aspire.