Staff Mental approach, experience, skills and values are our most important Environment!

• Staff Mindset

• Positive Problem solving

• Daily Reflection and team evaluation

• Staff Champion Inclusion and value and celebrate students for who they are - versus focusing on what they find difficult, can’t do or can’t access at that time

• All staff actively Promote the value that “Learning to Regulate (sensory or emotionally) is Learning”, and that the best space or activity for this may not be what or where the class has “planned”

• All staff are trauma informed trained and consistently reflect on this and use it to help understand students behaviour and viewpoint

Staff and environments consistently utilise a total communication approach to recognise, honour and develop students’ communication and build trusting relationships:

• processing time and space

• staff honour “No”

• objects of reference

• signing

• environmental and topic symbols

• communication books

• keywords and minimal language,

• accepting given communication modelling desired communication, interpreting student voice even if that’s just body language or behaviour.

Staff consistently implement this by making every student interaction with staff a learning experience:

• Students don’t just learn in classes or lessons!

• Consistent and frequent environment symbols and cues support students to understand daily routines, structures and key transitions

Classes are not just tables and chairs!

• More informal approach to class space and “sitting”, e.g. bean bags, gym balls, trampolines, sensory rocking chairs are used to help students focus, feel safe and engage

• Constant movement is accepted and to be accepted given our students complex needs

• Regulation zones, sofas, bean bags, rocking chairs and quiet desks and corners are used where appropriate,

• All classes open directly onto the playground and Requests to go outside or use the sensory exercise equipment are respected as communicating the need to regulate – students are encouraged to engage with the “planned” activity after

• We Take the activity, engagement and learning to the child

• Clutter free and low stimulation areas

Helping students to understand and be safe with transitions

• Garden, Park, High St and wider local community are frequently and consistently used as a motivating environment

• Risk assessments are thorough and consistently implemented

• All Fox Hollies Staff current hold Team teach level 2 Qualifications in Positive Behaviour Management and are refreshed yearly by experienced in house Tutors.

• Physical, Guiding, prompting, gestures and deliberate used of body language are part and parcel of staff practice to support students to access all environments

• Staff consistently ask themselves “How do students understand what we’re asking them to do or where we want them to go?” and “How do students understand what is next?” Relevant approaches consistently support this, e.g. objects of reference, now and next timetables or environmental symbols and cues

Health and Personal care

• All students have the opportunity to choose their own food within class snack times which are used to develop communication, widen exposure to food and different choices

• All students have the opportunity to visit our Pathway 1 Canteen and choose their own lunches from a service counter (food displayed)

• Students’ Active choices are honoured as much as possible, even if their choice does not fit the set meal options, unless it conflicts with dietary requirements, e.g. special meal, halal, vegetarian etc.

• Personal care is valued as a big part of many of our students lives, and all staff approach this with an attitude of promoting dignity, choice and as much independence within personal care tasks as possible.