‘Engaging pupils’ heads, hearts and hands’.
Horizon 360 is an eight place permanent provision, for KS2 children in Barking and Dagenham with Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs. It was established in September 2017, to provide additional and intensive support to pupils within a mainstream setting; Horizon 360 is situated within Gascoigne Primary School in Barking. Pupils are referred via the Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) panel and if placed at H360, they become Gascoigne pupils.
Our aim is to intervene and provide much needed support to children with SEMH needs in Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6. The strengths based intervention is based on extensive research literature designed to promote well-being and mental health. Pupils’ behaviour is understood as communication in the context of (unmet) SEMH needs. Their learning journey will be stimulating and developmentally appropriate.
What is SEMH?
Social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs are a type of special educational needs in which children/young people have severe difficulties in managing their emotions and behaviour. They often show inappropriate responses and feelings to situations.
This means that they have trouble in building and maintaining relationships with peers and adults; they can also struggle to engage with learning and to cope in classroom without additional strategies and interventions. Children with SEMH will often feel anxious, scared and misunderstood.
Typical characteristics of children with SEMH can include:-
Disruptive, antisocial and uncooperative behaviour
Temper tantrums
Frustration, anger and verbal and physical threats / aggression
Withdrawn and depressed attitudes
Anxiety and self-harm
Stealing
Truancy
Vandalism
Drug abuse
Setting fires
Recent figures estimate that around 150,000 children in mainstream and special schools are suffering from SEMH.
SEMH does not have to be a lifelong condition. With appropriate support children and young people can move forward and live successful lives.
http://semh.co.uk/types-semh-intervention/
What is Nurture?
The nature versus nurture debate is one of the oldest philosophical issues within psychology. Nurture refers to all the environmental variables that impact who we are, including our early childhood experiences, how we were raised, our social relationships, and our surrounding culture.
The Six Principles of Nurture are:
Nurturing Parents and Nurturing Teachers:
Our pupils benefit from a targeted and nurture-intensive intervention and curriculum which meets their needs and is more therapeutic - based on the Thrive approach. Staff/pupil ratio is 1:3, and experiences are bespoke, with a holistic curriculum which engages pupils’ heads, hearts and hands. The topic based practical learning enables children to explore identity, to develop emotional regulation, social skills and resilience.
Pupils will receive support and be encouraged to:
Recognise ‘triggers’ and manage their emotions, facilitating an increase in positive emotional experience. Participate, try their best and overcome challenges to engagement;
Trust, share and cooperate with others, building positive relationships;
Experience a learning journey, creating both digital and physical evidence of their participation and progress;
Leave with an increased understanding of themselves, their strengths and a sense of accomplishment.
Progress will be measured using Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), observation, Thrive, Boxall, pupil and family ‘voice’.
About Thrive
When a child is offered a place at Horizon 360, our staff will work in partnership with pupils, families and referring schools to ensure that the intensive intervention program achieves maximum impact and that all parties are committed to supporting child to make positive changes.
https://www.thriveapproach.com/
More Than Mentors Transition Programme
For our Year 6 pupils, we will work on a transition programme with their feeder secondary school following the More Than Mentor initiative. Our pupils will be paired up with a mentor in their feeder secondary school who will build a relationship with them before they transition and maintain that mentoring following their transition.
https://www.lbbd.gov.uk/sites/default/files/attachments/More-than-Mentors-evaluation-summary.pdf
Box-Up Crime
Box-Up Crime is now situated at Gascoigne Primary school; from September 2019, children attending Horizon 360 will benefit from weekly sessions with Stephen Addison and his team.
High Quality Learning Experiences
At Gascoigne, we absolutely believe that learning must also take place outside the classroom; we are committed in ensuring that children are exposed to the most memorable and immersive learning experiences and will arrange exciting educational visits/visitors for them.
Our PE Lead will deliver high quality PE lessons to the children who attend Horizon 360, they will also be taught specialist lessons such as art and drama by our wider teaching team.
Molly Our Therapy Dog
Molly visits weekly and with the parents permission, children may spend quality time with her.
Peer Massage
Children use 'peer massage' to help them calm and refocus after their lunch break.