Specialist Resource Base - SRB

The vision of the ASC SRB at Stalham High is:

• To be an integral part of an outstanding teaching school and a centre of excellence for autistic children and children on the autism spectrum who, with support, can access opportunities in secondary mainstream education.
• To be a base where autistic children and children on the autism spectrum are supported to learn strategies to overcome their lifelong, neuro developmental differences. We focus on communicating and interacting with and relating to others, and experiencing the diverse, real world around them.
• To be an inspirational beacon of inclusion and equality.

The ASC SRB aims to provide:

• A place where neurodiversity is celebrated, and children's individual strengths are nurtured.
• A rigorous assessment system to ensure pupils are in the right place at the right time so that no pupil falls behind.
• A learning community where pupils, families and staff collaborate to refine practice, e.g., sharing ASC friendly approaches and coping strategies, and develop positive and rewarding relationships.
• A workplace where staff contribute to professional learning communities.

  The ASC SRB aims to give pupils strategies to:

• Access their mainstream class, as much as possible, and inspire their future aspirations.
• Access a knowledge rich curriculum and develop their communication and interaction skills and developing their attention and concentration.
• Cope with social, emotional and mental health issues such as anxiety by developing self-regulation.
• Participate in physical and sensory activities and develop their happiness, health and well-being.
• Participate in cognition and learning activities, develop reading for pleasure and participation in the arts.

Upon opening:

• The ASC SRB will cater for ten autistic pupils from September.
• The ASC SRB provides a calm and quiet space with routines, structures and visual supports that enable the pupils to attend to and concentrate on their learning and make progress towards their short term One Page Profile targets and/or their EHCP outcomes.
• The ASC SRB focuses on supporting the inclusion of the pupils in their mainstream classes for as much time as possible.
• Within the ASC SRB the pupils are supported by a class teacher, a Higher-Level TA (HLTA) and one Teaching Assistant. Leahanna Tarry is the qualified teacher in charge of the ASC SRB.
• All the ASC SRB staff have experience, are trained in, or are actively engaged in continued professional development (CPD) related to working with pupils with ASC.
• The approaches taken in the ASC SRB depend upon the individual pupils and their needs. Pupils may require a certain approach or a mixture of strategies to support their learning.
• Through collaboration with pupils, families, and teachers and other professionals, rigorous assessment and approaches will be adapted to meet the needs of pupils.

Various interventions and strategies are used to:

• Engage pupils.
• Improve and increase attention.
• Develop self-regulation.
• Encourage interaction.
• Increase communication.
• Develop vocabulary.
• Develop and nurture emotional literacy.

In the ASC SRB we:

• Have a flexible approach to teaching and adapt teaching, assessment and feedback to meet the needs of individuals.
• Focus on individual’s interests and skills.
• Celebrate difference, diversity and being neurodiverse.
• Strategically promote inclusion and support integration into the mainstream school.
• We actively respect and promote neuro diversity within our SRB and celebrate the positives in human difference and brilliance of the autistic brain.

Each pupil is:

• Included in mainstream school lessons and events, as much as possible and as much as their individual needs allow.
• Supported throughout the school day as needed including supervision during breaks and lunchtimes.
• Supported through close liaison between home and school where parents and carers are actively involved in planning and reviewing their children’s learning with termly review meeting and daily contact with home school diaries and weekly emails home.

Each pupil has access to:

• A learning support package and a full-time individualised timetable in line with the mainstream school day.
• A calm, quiet environment and space which is just for members of the ASC SRB.
• A dedicated sensory space and garden
• Resources and equipment to enable them to access and achieve in their learning and development e.g., transactional, and visual supports.
• Specialist support from professionals including educational psychologists and occupational therapists.
• Support before and after school with designated times to get ready for the day and decompress after the day.
• Support with homework and home learning.
• The ASC SRB pupils will be assessed using the Autism Education Trust (AET) Progression Framework.