Resource Bases at Kentish Town CE Primary School
A Resource Base is an additional provision in a mainstream school which is designed to support a group of children with a particular special educational need. These children are fully included in school alongside their mainstream peers. They are not educated separately from the other children but may be withdrawn for specialised support and additional therapies.
At Kentish Town CE Primary School we are in the unique position of having two additional Resource Bases. We have one base for children with autism and one for children with physical disabilities.
Physical Disability Resource Base (PD Base).
The PD Base has been a long standing part of life at Kentish Town CE Primary and the current base has been in place since 2001. The layout of the school building is highly accessible with all entrances/exits being available to children with wheelchairs. Specialised facilities such as adapted toilets and a fully functioning therapy room have also been implemented to support the children with physical disabilities.
The children in the base are fully included in the life of the school and are educated alongside their mainstream peers. All children are supported on a 1:1 basis as outlined in their Education Health Care Plan or Statement of SEN. The base is set up to support up to 6 children across the school.
We work closely with Speech and Language Therapists, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Educational Psychologists on site, as outlined in the child’s EHCP/Statement. The curriculum is adapted to meet the needs of the individual child.
Here is a link that shows some of the excellent work that Occupational Therapists do with some of the children in our school.
Admission into the base is via the Camden SEND Panel as not all children with physical disabilities will be best placed in the PD base. Children with significant and highly complex learning and developmental needs, alongside a physical or sensory disability may be best placed in a special school environment.
Physical Disability Resource Base Admission Criteria
Any queries, please contact Grant Jacobson on 0207 485 1279 or deputyhead@kentishtown.camden.sch.uk
Autism Resource Base (ARB)
Kentish Town CE Primary School opened its Autism Resource Base in October 2011. Every classroom and shared space in the school was redesigned to ensure autistic children could be fully included in all aspects of school life.
Within each mainstream class, from Reception to Year 6, two places are allocated for children in the Autism Resource Base (ARB). The Autism Resource Base (ARB) has 15 places, across the whole primary age range, currently. All pupils have an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) and a diagnosis of autism. Currently, there are 19 children within the ARB and the provision is over subscribed.
We offer a full inclusion model as the children are fully included in the mainstream class for most of the school day. There is a funding ratio of 1:2 within the ARB with two children being supported by 1 teaching assistant (TA). This support is provided by a range of staff in the class as all TAs work together with the class teacher in class teams. These class teams are supported by the two additional teachers who are autism specialists.
The number of additional staff in the classroom depends on the level of need and the number of children with EHC plans as these can vary. All staff have training and experience in working with pupils with autism and work flexibly across a range of children supporting their individual needs in order to achieve the outcomes set in their EHC plans/Statements. Our main aim is to develop independence in children and to avoid the highly dependent relationships that can occur when a child spends all of their time at school being supported by the same TA.
For most children within the resource base, they will spend the majority of time in the mainstream class learning alongside their peers. The Early Years and National Curriculum is differentiated and adapted to meet the children’s needs and ensure they can make progress in all areas. In class, teachers and teaching assistants use visual, auditory and kinaesthetic resources to enhance learning, as well as using symbols, pictures, Makaton signs and PECS to enable children to understand tasks and support all learners. Turn-taking, social interaction and other social skills are embedded in mainstream teaching, as well as being a focus for small groups, as this is often an area of difficulty for a lot of children.
Children will share playtimes, lunch and teaching with their mainstream peers, as well as having opportunities to work on a one-to-one or a small group with the specialist ARB teachers . Children will also benefit from the support from Speech and Language Therapists, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Educational Psychologists on site, and this will depend on the support package outlined in their EHC plan or statement of educational needs.
Kentish Town CE Primary School also has a Sensory Room, Therapy Room, as well as an Early Years Group Room and Woodland Classroom for interventions and small group work. Children are supported using a range of strategies including individual and class schedules, individual workstations and workboxes, as well as clear planning and Individual Educational Plans.
Any queries, please contact Miriam Nadarajah, Autism Lead on m.nadarajah@kentishtown.camden.sch.uk ] or 0207 485 1279.
