Cognition & Learning Interventions

Additional Reading, Writing and Maths

These interventions are for children who are struggling a little in reading, writing or maths and require extra support. These will be individualised for each child and may include pre and post teaching of vocabulary.

The TA will communicate with the class teacher and highlight some key concepts that need to be revisited, or to consolidate what has been previously taught.

Precision Teach

Precision Teaching involves short one minute tasks to build skills by practising them regularly. It lets you monitor and track the progress the child makes very carefully and make changes to ensure the child is learning as fast as they can.

Project X Code

Project X CODE is the first reading programme to embed a systematic synthetic phonics progression, specifically targeted at struggling readers from Y2-4 (aligned to Letters and Sounds Phases 3-5) within a highly motivational 3D episodic adventure series.

The books are divided between different zones, and each zone is set in a different area of Micro World: a miniature theme park that requires visitors to walk through a shrinking machine to gain entry. However Micro World is run by a malfunctioning computer called CODE who has a plan to shoot shrinking rays around the planet so as to reduce ’over population’. Enter Team X, whom pupils have to assist by collecting CODE keys to shut down the malevolent computer.

 There are two texts in every book, one is 100% decodable, the other 80% decodable. Text 1 contains phonemes and tricky words designed to be practiced before reading and Text 2 includes the same, but longer with more varied vocabulary. The text is presented in a dyslexia friendly font.

For further information please visit the Project X Code website by clicking here.

Communication and Interaction Interventions

Sensory Circuits is a short and snappy sensory motor skills programme that helps to set children up for a school day. Children participate in a 10-15 minute session of activities designed to improve brain processing efficiency, and they generally find that the circuit is a fun way to start the day.

Fine Motor Skills

FMS guide the small movements of the hand and fingers that allow a child to write and draw. When these skills are under-developed the results can include reduced independence, school performance, and self-confidence.

Gross Motor Skills

Gross motor (physical) skills are those which require whole body movement and which involve the large (core stabilising) muscles of the body to perform everyday functions, such as standing and walking, running and jumping, and sitting upright at the table.

Social Stories

Social stories are and comic strips are a way to develop greater understanding of behaviour and social interactions.

Touch Typing

Touch typing as an intervention is for children who find it difficult to write. It allows for greater speed when writing and supports the process of spelling. It can benefit children’s reading comprehension, vocabulary and spelling skills.

Horse Riding

The  Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA), benefit the lives of over 25,000 disabled children and adults. Fun activities like riding and carriage driving provides therapy, fitness, skills development and opportunities for achievement for all children with additional needs.

Research shows that horse riding delivers physical benefits, boosts confidence, improves communication skills and helps to build relationships. It supports education and learning and improves confidence in daily life.

This intervention runs for a year at a time and provision is reviewed annually. It is at the discretion of the school who attends this intervention and for how long.

Sailing

Wealden Sailability is a registered charity and member of the RYA Sailability scheme. The charity is organised and run entirely by volunteers and we welcome everyone no matter what their disability. Our philosophy is to encourage our sailors to develop their sailing skills so that they may aim towards achieving personal goals, which may be simply to enjoy the freedom of being on the water, or to progress to taking full control and sailing solo, or even to learning to race.

Benefits of sailing include:

FMS/GMS, behaviour and emotional regulation, development of self-esteem, maths and English skills.

It reduces stress, improves coordination and concentration, strengthens bones and muscles, improves special awareness and visual acuity, and improves reaction times, sense of direction and directional language.

This intervention runs for a year at a time and provision is reviewed annually. It is at the discretion of the school who attends this intervention and for how long.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health Interventions

Social Stories

Social stories are and comic strips are a way to develop greater understanding of behaviour and social interactions.

ELSA

The ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) intervention was designed to build the capacity of schools to support the emotional needs of their pupils from within their own resources. This is achieved by training teaching assistants to develop and deliver individualised support programmes to meet the emotional needs of children and young people in their care. It recognises that children learn better and are happier in school if their emotional needs are also addressed. This intervention is now widely implemented by educational psychologists across Britain.

Learning Mentor

Learning mentors offer support and guidance to children who experience difficulties with their learning. A learning mentor works closely with individuals who are struggling with social, emotional or behavioural problems that affect their ability to learn. Learning mentors help students develop coping strategies, enhance their motivation, raise their aspirations and encourage them to re-engage in learning. To work effectively, learning mentors have to take into account the range of complex issues that usually lay behind problems with learning and achievement (eg bereavement, lack of confidence/low self-esteem, low aspirations, mental health issues, relationship difficulties, bullying, peer pressure, family issues/concerns).

THRIVE

Thrive® promotes children’s and young people’s positive mental health by helping adults know how to be and what to do in response to their differing and sometimes distressed behaviour. THRIVE is based on established neuroscience, attachment theory and child development, the Thrive Approach equips adults with the knowledge, insights and resources needed to develop the relationships that help children and young people to flourish and learn.