Therapies and Supporting Social Emotional and Mental Health
At The Southover Partnership School our work is based on the principles of Attachment Theory. Attachment Theory is centred on the emotional bonds between people and suggests that our earliest attachments can leave a lasting mark on our lives. It is recognised that some children do not have experiences in early life that help to prepare them for the uncertainties that come with developing into independent adults. At The Southover Partnership School we strive to address the difficulties and barriers to learning that children have experienced in the past. We focus on the social and emotional needs of our children, as well as academic expectations, to enable us to gain a better understanding of what motivates and inspires them. The rationale of Attachment Theory is to understand the barriers that exist to learning for our children and to support them in overcoming these. We have a multidisciplinary team made up of specialised professionals from diverse backgrounds in education and mental health. These include mental health first aiders and a school counsellor. A common and consistent language is used across our school community which is based on the principles of attachment and social thinking, with the key aim of developing effective communication and social interaction skills. We recognise that wellbeing is important for our staff as well as our students. As a result of this appropriate professional development has been put in place to ensure that our staff have the relevant knowledge and understanding to provide planned opportunities to explicitly promote wellbeing, and create a positive classroom culture. Our staff also benefit from frequent Teacher Support Team meetings supervised by a specialised Educational Psychologist, and unlimited access to our Employee Assistance Programme from the Education Support Partnership.
Early Intervention
At The Southover Partnership School our staff understand and recognise the need for early intervention, and are able to identify signs and triggers of concerns. We have a transparent school guide that details where and who to go to for additional support and referrals; the guide also provides sign-posting for students and parents. We make frequent use of a number of specialised tools that allow us to develop insight into our students, this helps us to develop targets and improve the quality of our staff’s response to daily challenges. These include the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, the Boxall Profile, 5-Point Scales and Reducing Anxiety Management Plans. Individual and confidential, counselling is on offer for students who require extra support in coping with their personal, social, emotional or educational concerns. The Southover Partnership School works closely, and regularly, with a wide range of therapeutic services such as CAMHS and other professional specialists including: Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists. We also maintain close communication with families and carers.
PSHE & Mental Health
At the Southover Partnership School we believe that incorporating Mental Health in the PSHE curriculum is essential in promoting our students’ wellbeing. This enables them to develop healthy coping strategies and an understanding of their own emotions, as well as the emotions of those around them. At The Southover Partnership School our objective is to enable our students to develop the skills, knowledge, language and confidence to seek appropriate help for themselves and/or for those who need it. We aim to encourage our students to discuss these relevant topics in a safe learning environment and inform them of the resources and services at their disposal. Further to this, we aim to reduce the stigma that is often associated with mental health problems by raising students’ awareness and breaking the myths without undermining their importance. Therapies Include:
- Speech and Language Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Equine Therapy
- Drama Therapy
- Art
- Cooking
- Horticulture
- Working with Animals
- Mechanics and Kinestetics based activities
