Special Educational Needs (SEN) & Therapy Provision: Our Partnership with Fresh Start Kids
We are committed to ensuring every child can fully engage in school life, overcome barriers to learning, and support their emotional wellbeing and mental health.
To help us achieve this, we are proud to partner with Fresh Start Kids Therapy, a specialist service providing high-quality occupational therapy and sensory integration support right here in our school.
By having consistent access to a private occupational therapist who knows our school, staff, and children, we can prioritise the specific needs of our pupils without the need to navigate lengthy waiting lists.
Who are Fresh Start Kids?
Fresh Start Kids is led by Kerry Delaney, a fully qualified Occupational Therapist with post-graduate qualifications in Sensory Integration. Kerry uses a compassionate, neurodiversity-affirming approach to identify each child’s specific strengths and challenges.
How We Support Our Pupils
Through this partnership, our pupils receive tailored, in-school support across several key areas:
- Occupational Therapy Support: We help children who may struggle to participate in everyday activities, which can often lead to disengagement or frustration. Support covers areas like schoolwork, playing, personal care (such as dressing), and eating.
- Sensory Processing: We offer a range of evidence-based, gold-standard sensory assessments. This helps us understand a child’s sensory profile and provides practical recommendations for both school and home to help them self-regulate and thrive.
- Dyspraxia (DCD) Assessments: Comprehensive face-to-face assessments for Developmental Coordination Disorder (Dyspraxia) following best practice guidelines, helping us put the right support in place.
- Handwriting Improvement: Through the “Next Steps” handwriting programme, pupils receive targeted assessments to identify how we can best support their writing. This can also be used as evidence for reasonable adjustments and accommodations in class.
- Individual & Group Treatments: Children may receive tailored treatment plans either individually or in small, supportive groups.
Enhancing Our Whole-School Approach
Our work with Fresh Start Kids goes beyond individual assessments. It is seamlessly integrated into our school’s Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle to ensure timely interventions.
Furthermore, our school staff receive specialised training in sensory processing, motor skills, and handwriting directly from the therapists. This ensures that a strong, sensory-aware, and supportive environment is maintained in every classroom, every day.