FEATURE FOCUS: SEND


Giving our students space and time to grow


an adventure trail and acres of open space, a Play- barn, an indoor swimming pool, gym facilities and games rooms. Our school provides for pupils with social,


emotional, mental health, (SEMH), communication difficulties and associated challenging behaviours, often the cause or the result of other special educational needs resulting from difficult life experiences or medical conditions. Some pupils have a long history of disturbed, difficult or serious delinquent behaviour including violence towards peers and/or adults. We know that pupils may, from time to time,


I


n our first feature this month looking at the many facets of SEND, Davina Bell,


Headteacher, Bramfield House School, Suffolk, talks about re-engaging SEN pupils with SEMH, communication difficulties and associated challenging behaviours, by stimulating their interest in learning through a flexible and creative curriculum and providing enriching opportunities outside the classroom.


Bramfield House School, part of Acorn Education and Care, is set in exceptional open grounds in rural Halesworth, just a few miles from Suffolk’s ‘Heritage Coast’. We provide places for boys with special needs from across East Anglia, both day school and weekly boarders. Bramfield’s unique facilities include an on-site motor mechanics workshop, construction workshop, a small farm,


exhibit challenging behaviours that can vary both in intensity and duration. There is an emphasis on communication, modelling and specific teaching of the school expectations for behaviour when working with pupils both in the classroom and in the boarding house environment. Whatever individual challenges pupils face, we encourage everyone at Bramfield House to be healthy, safe, enjoy and achieve to the best of their individual ability. Typically, pupils arrive at Bramfield having


previously experienced several failed placements at schools unable to meet their needs. Often provision has been withdrawn and the boys arrive with a sense of rejection and failure about school and learning. Many boys have spent time in local authority care or have experienced significant challenges in early childhood including trauma, abuse and disadvantage. Our aim is to achieve happiness and success for


even the most reluctant learners and vulnerable pupils, by providing them with learning opportunities, experiences and the support


26 www.education-today.co.uk


needed for them to reach their full potential, to help them develop respect for themselves and others and prepare them for life beyond school.


The school is founded on 3 key principles: • Starting at great - only the best is good enough for our boys • Success by any means - we will not stop until our boys’ dreams are realised • Precise inclusion - we learn and adapt to the needs of each young person, so provision is tailored to their needs


Learning at Bramfield House Our innovative teaching approach inside and outside the classroom is based around building character and skills. Our nurture curriculum - ‘Grit, Team, Ready, Adventure and Spark’ - helps our pupils develop self-confidence, a sense of achievement and pride in themselves, and positive future aspirations. We use a ‘relational approach’ to learning;


strong bonds are built between staff and pupils so there is an in depth knowledge and understanding of individual needs. The boys are taught in small, informal relaxed classes, with clear structures in place. Any previous negative experiences are replaced with a positive pattern of success and quantifiable educational achievements. The youngest pupils are also newest to the


school, and are often returning to education after significant periods out of school and other learning environments. There are a maximum of 8 pupils to a class with dedicated TAs and additional support available in the communal learning areas if needed. The emphasis is on


October 2021


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