Work with Therapists and Other Professionals

At Russet House School our class-based staff work collaboratively with the therapists and a range of additional professionals to provide the best possible support for pupils.

Speech and Language Therapy Provision: 

Pupils at Russet House School (both sites) are supported by three part time Speech and Language Therapists (funded by the local health authority).

The Speech and Language Therapists work in class alongside teachers and support staff to help all pupils to develop their communication skills.

At certain points some children may require additional support with their communication. This means they may be seen by the Speech and Language Therapists for additional assessment and/or intervention in class for a specified time (e.g. once a week for 3-4 weeks).  The Speech and Language Therapists will work closely with the class team to make sure that strategies continue to be used by the class team following assessment / intervention.

The Speech and Language Therapy team also deliver training to staff, hold communication meetings with the class teacher, and teachers can access the onsite therapists for advice as needed.

Occupational Therapy Provision:

Russet House School (both sites) are supported by a part time Occupational Therapist and a part-time locum Occupational Therapist who are funded by the local health authority.

Occupational Therapy at Russet House focuses on the supporting children to successfully participate in learning, play and self-care activities. It considers the individual child, the environment, the activities pupils are provided with and how they can be modified so that pupils can successfully access them and maximise their engagement and independence. 

The OTs provide staff training, advice and class based approaches to target occupation focused goals and support staff to help the children manage their arousal levels and own sensory needs within the school environment to facilitate their ability to access activities and learning.

Work with additional Multi-Agency professionals

The school works closely with numerous additional, external professionals to support the needs of individual pupils on both its main site and in its satellite. These include the School Nursing Service, Educational Psychologists, clinical psychologists and clinical psychiatrists from the Service for Children and Adolescents for Neuro-developmental disorders (SCAN), the Joint Service for Disabled Children and Children’s Social Care (based at Cheviots Children’s Centre for Disabled Children).