Autistic Resourced Provision (Acorns & Chestnuts)
Our Autistic Resourced Provision (ARP) Acorns & Chestnuts is our specialist provision for 3-4 years old children on the autism spectrum disorder or who are in the process to receive a diagnosis.
It is a positive and caring environment which places at its heart our children personalising their learning journey to develop a love of learning, which lasts a life time.
At the ARP we aim to accept the children for who they are, we value their neurodiversity and help them understanding and coping with the world around them.
Acorns (nursery) and Chestnuts (reception) have the capacity for 8 pupils each.
Staff includes a specialist teacher and teaching assistants all of whom are trained in autism approaches and strategies.
The classrooms are designed to support the specific learning needs of ASD pupils, a low arousal environment with visual supports, areas for work stations, group work and sensory circuit equipment.
At the ARP, pupils follow the EYFS curriculum which is differentiated to meet their needs. Across the school day and where appropriate, pupils are offered opportunities to play together, to attend whole school assemblies and to access exciting events such as school trips, school projects.
Pupils at the ARP are encouraged to be as independent as possible. Children have unique and individualised programmes so they are motivated and thoroughly supported to make progress. They also learn functional skills to prepare them for their primary school path. With the support of Speech and Language, Occupational and Music therapists, we use researched based intervention so pupils can develop a range of social, language and academic skills in a smaller than average mainstream class to practise and develop appropriate skills for the wider community.
The ARP embeds the SCERTS (Social Communication Emotional Regulation Transactional Support) framework to develop and consolidate core skills in social communication and emotional regulation. In addition, to develop and extend communication we use familiar approaches like PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System), TEACCH and other strategies and resources.
Children have access to a sensory room and soft play. High staff ratios enable individual children or small groups to access these therapeutic and stimulating resources to undertake specifically designed sensory or communication programmes overseen by qualified music, occupational and speech and language therapists.