Interventions & Provision
Overview of Interventions & Provision
We employ a range of interventions and provision to address the diverse needs of our learners. It is important to note that not every intervention is necessary for every individual, and the duration of specific interventions may vary. At Cann Bridge, our interventions are personalised to support the learning, progress, and individual needs of each learner.
Attention Activities: Attention Activities (AA) is an approach designed to engage and enhance the attention and communication skills of learners. It involves a series of structured and highly visual activities that aim to capture attention, stimulate curiosity, and promote active participation. By using visually engaging materials and activities, Attention Activities helps individuals develop attention, focus, listening skills, and receptive language. It also encourages social interaction, turn-taking, and communication within a supportive and inclusive environment, fostering confidence, self-expression, and overall engagement in learning.
Blockworx: Is a therapeutic approach that uses block building activities to promote social interaction, communication, and teamwork among learners. Learners are assigned specific roles, such as engineer, supplier, and builder, and work collaboratively to complete a project. This therapy helps develop social skills, such as turn-taking, sharing, and problem-solving, while also enhancing fine motor skills, creativity, and concentration. Blockworx provides an engaging and enjoyable platform for learners to learn and practice important skills in a structured and supportive setting.
Nuture Breakfast Club: At Cann Bridge we offer a Nurture Breakfast Club within the school operating hours, this runs from 9.15 AM until 9.30 AM every morning. This offers learners a calm and nurturing environment that focuses on healthy eating, emotional wellbeing and personal hygiene. During the session we support learners to expand their dietary intake and build a healthier relationship with food based on knowledge from Avoidant and Restrictive Food Intake training. We support learners to understand the importance of regular teeth cleaning and dental hygiene with support and training from Peninsula Dental School. The club creates a supportive environment where learners can interact, build relationships, and develop social skills such as sharing, turn-taking, and cooperation. By fostering a sense of community and inclusion, the club supports the emotional well-being of learners, providing a positive start to their day. This approach improves mood, reduces anxiety, builds self-esteem, and nurtures an environment where learners feel valued and understood.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS): The CAMHS team plays a crucial role in evaluating and providing support for children and young people facing emotional, behavioural, or mental health difficulties. They conduct functional assessments of behaviour, sensory profiling, and offer assistance and guidance to school staff and caregivers. This is accessed by referral.
Educational Psychology: The school is assigned a dedicated link Education Psychologist, who is part of the Plymouth City Council integrated SEND services. The primary focus of this service is to collaborate with school staff and families to enhance educational outcomes, social and emotional well-being, and personal development of children and young people through the application of psychological principles. This is provided by the Local Authority (whilst the school buys additional time through Pupil Premium) and is accessed by referral.
Warm Water Pool: Our school features its own warm water pool, which is utilised to support programs developed by our Physiotherapy team.
Intensive Interaction: Intensive Interaction is an approach specifically designed to assist children and young people at the early stages of development. It aims to support the growth of early interaction skills, teaching them how to enjoy the company of others, establish connections, and understand and practice communication routines.
Occupational Therapist: Richard Wooliams from Blue Sky Therapies visits the school on a weekly basis to offer hands-on support to individual children and young people, as well as advice to staff. This support may involve conducting sensory profiling or demonstrating techniques like ‘Brushing’. This is accessed by referral.
Paediatric Physiotherapy: A physiotherapist is available at the school on a weekly basis, providing support to individual children and young people and advising staff on the best ways to promote their physical development. This therapy is provided by the Local Authority and accessed by referral.
Playworkx: We utilise a program called Playworkx, which integrates elements of Theraplay. This approach is designed to promote and enhance attachment, self-esteem, trust in others, and joyful engagement among our learners.
Rebound therapy: Rebound therapy, or trampoline therapy, offers multiple benefits to learners. It provides sensory stimulation through the bouncing motion, benefiting learners with sensory processing difficulties. Additionally, it promotes physical development, cardiovascular fitness, emotional well-being, and social interaction. Rebound therapy can be used therapeutically for various conditions and is seen as a fun and motivating activity that encourages participation and adherence to therapy programs. Rebound therapy is conducted under the supervision of trained staff to ensure safety and customise activities to individual needs which are monitored and assessed leading to certificates of progress.
SoSAFE!: SoSAFE! provides our staff, parents, and caregivers with skills and simple visual tools to enhance social, social-sexual, and social safety training for children and young people in our school. It employs a standardised framework of symbols, visual teaching tools, and concepts to teach strategies for developing safe and measured relationships. Additionally, it provides visual communication tools for reporting instances of abuse.
Speech and Language Therapy: Our Speech and Language Therapy team works in collaboration with our staff to create a Total Communication environment. Many of our children require assistance in understanding and using spoken language, and they need support to effectively communicate their basic needs, wants, and desires. Total communication utilises various methods, including body language, facial expression, sign language, gestures, symbols, music, contextual cues, and objects, to facilitate understanding. This therapy is provided by the Local Authority and accessed by referral.
Tacpac: Tacpac combines touch and music to facilitate structured sensory communication between two individuals. This approach promotes sensory alignment and helps children and young people with sensory impairment, developmental delay, complex learning difficulties, tactile defensiveness, and limited pre-verbal levels of communication.
TEACCH: The TEACCH approach focuses on developing individualised programs based on the skills, interests, and needs of each child or young person. It involves organising the physical environment, creating schedules and work systems, establishing clear and explicit expectations, and utilising visual materials effectively to foster skill development. This approach empowers children and young people to utilise these skills independently, without relying on direct adult prompting and cueing.
Advisory Teachers: Advisory specialist teachers for Deaf Inclusion and Visual Impairment visit the school as required, providing hands-on support to individual children and young people and offering guidance to staff. This is provided by the Local Authority and accessed by referral.
Total Communication: At Cann Bridge School, we believe that Total Communication is a fundamental aspect of supporting our learners in developing and enhancing their communication skills. Total Communication is an approach that recognises that communication is not limited to speech alone, and we use a range of different methods and techniques to facilitate communication with individuals who have varying degrees of communication difficulties. These methods include but are not limited to speech, sign language, gestures, pictures, symbols, objects, and technology.
You can learn more about Total Communication here:
