Hello, my name is Laura Keefe and I am the SENDCO at Muschamp Primary School.

This is a page about our Language Opportunity Base which is for children who have a prime need of speech and language difficulties.

 It is a fantastic base that allows these children to access small group work as well as the therapies that they need to support them.

Our setting 

We have 52 spaces across the school and these are divided into three base classes: Early Years and KS1, Year 3 and 4 and Year 5 and 6. We ensure the children are all well supported with a high adult to child ratio.

Our Early Years and KS1 base is set up with a series of rooms, this means each room can be set up to suit different needs for example we have a play room which is a busier environment but then we have 2 quieter rooms where the children can do more of their learning and there can be less distractions. They also have their own garden area which is set up with activities each day and also has areas for the children to practise their gross motor skills. Our Year 3 and 4 base as well as our Year 5 and 6 base are set up more as a classroom but both have their own outside areas and the children are taught in small groups with lots of adult support.

Resources

At our school we have an amazing sensory room which all the children in the base are able to use on a regular basis. They have a timetable slot each week but they can also use it ad hoc at those moments where they might need a calm space. In this space there are lights and pictures as well as soft cushions and a large bubble tube. Next door is a small soft room which is a safe space children can use as an area to help them regulate their emotions.

Across the school there are lots of sensory spaces for the children to use such as a listening lounge, a reading forest and another sensory area. Another great resource we have is a sensory pod in our Early Years and KS1 base which our children love to use.  

We also have many resources within the classrooms that the children can use to support their learning every day and to help make the lessons as practical as we can. There is also equipment to support the children develop their fine and gross motor skills further for example in both the early years and year 3 and 4 gardens there are two small trampolines and within the classrooms there are standing desks, gym balls and. scooter boards. 

Across the school we use the zones of regulation to help the children understand their feelings more but also to help them know how they can regulate their emotions. In order to make this work there are sensory resources within classrooms for the children to use as calming tools when needed such as sequence boards, weighted pads and liquid timers.

Therapies

We are lucky to have Speech and Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists on site. The benefit of this is that the therapists are able to see the children regularly on either a 1:1 basis, as part of a group or even going into their lessons and supporting the children within their familiar setting. We also have a Play Therapist four days a week who is able to work with a variety of children across the school. As well as this we have an Intensive Interaction Therapist one and half days a week who works across our base with children individually and within groups. The children really gain a lot from these sessions and he is able to tailor what each session look like based on the individual child’s needs.

For any further information please follow this link to our local offer. 

https://www.sutton.gov.uk/info/200611/suttons_local_offer/2401/primary_schools/30

Advice and Resources for parents 

https://www.cognus.org.uk/services/cognus-therapies/advice-and-resources/