Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

SEND Information Report October 2025.docx

ETCHELLS PRIMARY SCHOOL – RESOURCE BASE

The Hive

Etchells Primary School has a Resource Base which is located in a classroom off the main school corridor. It is very much part of the school and not a separate building. There are 16 resourced places in the school but we are currently over-subscribed and have additional pupils.

The current pupils range from Reception age to Year 6 and the needs of our pupils include Downs Syndrome, Autism, Global Learning Delay and specific medical conditions. We have regular visits and work closely with Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, the school nursing team and Physiotherapists.

We currently have a number of SEN TAs that allows for some pupils to receive more targeted support with a higher adult to pupil ratio. Our staff access regular relevant training. The amount of time the children spend in the mainstream classroom is very much dependent on each child. This can be between 30% and 80% of the week in the mainstream classrooms - usually with additional SEN TA support.

The Resource Base provides space and equipment for the children to receive specific therapy sessions, such as Speech and Language, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy. It also provides a quieter environment where distractions are reduced for effective learning. The Resource Base offers a space for more privacy and safety when administering medicine. Children in the older classes, who still learn well through play and small world activities, can also access this in the resource base. There are a number of scheduled group sessions that take place in the base, such as Motor-skills United, Art and singing sessions and ‘life skills’ activities. The children also enjoy growing and looking after plants and vegetables in our garden.

Some of the children are supported at lunch and break times because for many of the children, eating independently and managing behaviour during less structured times is a challenge. However, we are always working towards the goal of independence and many of the children reach this before they leave Etchells.

At Etchells we feel that the resource base is a real asset and we like to invite mainstream children who need extra support into the room at quieter times of the day. The children enjoy sharing that space, making relationships and, in many ways, supporting each other. However, we are very conscious of the space not becoming overcrowded so we are careful not to allow too many children access to the space.