Therapy Team

Here at Coombe House School, we offer therapeutic support for pupils at a universal, targeted and specialist level. Our aim is to support pupils to achieve their full potential whilst at Coombe House School, leading to fulfilling and enriching lives at school and beyond. The Therapy Team work closely together to ensure that all pupils are supported in the school environment at a level that is appropriate to them.

Please see below for a summary of what we offer.

Universal level (whole school approach)

At a universal level, services are designed to support all children and young people and are therefore available to all. Therapy at a universal level can include:

• Regular staff training and close liaison with teaching staff to ensure that all staff members are aware of how to implement relevant strategies in the classroom.
• Promotion of communication, nurture and sensory friendly environments.
• Signposting to other services and resources.  
• Incorporating and embedding functional skills into the school day.
• Incorporating and embedding sensory strategies for pupils to use throughout the school day.
• The Zones of Regulation Curriculum is used to explore understanding of different emotions and to support pupils to recognise and regulate their own emotional state.
• A Social Thinking framework is used to support the development of pupil’s understanding of social concepts.

Targeted level

At a targeted level, members of the therapy team and/or trained teaching staff deliver interventions that may involve whole classes or specific groups of students who require an increase in support. Targeted interventions will be provided in partnership with school staff.

• Evidence based group programmes delivered by members of the therapy team for children and parent/carers.
• Target setting jointly with therapists, teaching staff and pupils where appropriate.
• Implementation of group or class therapy programmes such as Lego-based Therapy and Sensory Circuits.
• Modelling therapy interventions to school staff and training on implementing therapy programmes

Specialist level

At a specialist level, a therapist will provide direct and indirect individualised assessment and intervention where appropriate. This level of support is provided for those students whose needs cannot be met through the universal and targeted provisions. This may include:

• Specialist assessment
• Group or individual evidence-based therapy.
• Specialist individualised support to support educational placement