At Waltham Holy Cross, we have opened a class dedicated to autistic children who are pre-verbal and also have learning difficulties. While the children are very much part of our community and take part in events such as sports day or festive workshops, we know the environment they thrive in is low arousal and very structured. To support this, we have created a space to ensure the children have the best opportunity to learn.
Our ARP class is set up with a main teaching area, a communication table for 1:1 direct teaching and work stations to complete independent tasks. The children navigate this very well which is evident in the progress made in the communication and regulation.
The environment is purposely designed so it is not over stimulating including less colours and displays. Learning takes place indoors and outdoors with sensory activities planned to continue to support learning, communication and regulation.
The class has a small sensory space which children can visit at any time during their learning. It is a dedicated space that contains sensory equipment to modulate the environment and provide sensory stimulation across different sensory domains.
The Team
We have an ARP Lead who plans the teaching and learning, adapting the tasks to meet the needs of each individual child.
The class has Higher Level Teaching Assistants and a Learning Support Assistant who ensure the teaching and learning is implemented effectively on a day to day basis.
All our staff are experienced practitioners who have worked in Special Schools and Alternative Resourced Provisions.
Our own Trust speech therapist also works closely with the team, assessing the children’s communication needs to ensure provision is matched and progress is seen.
We also work in collaboration with consultants from London who are specialist providers for autistic children and young people as well as health agencies, Occupational Therapists and NHS Speech and Language Therapists.
How does a child get a place in our ARP?
Pupils will have a diagnosis of autism and also have an Education Health Care Plan.
Admission will be made after receiving the Education Health Care Plan and all recent advice. The Local Authority will make the final decision regarding the placement, taking into account the school’s views, specific criteria and capacity and will make the necessary arrangements.