Page 72 - SEN114 September/October 2021

Schools and colleges
Residential school placements: creating a soft landing for new pupils
Professor Sandy Toogood discusses how transitions to and from residential schools can be made as easy as possible for children, parents and carers.
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For some children a residential school placement will be the best or only option available in order to access formal education. However, placing a pupil locally is not always possible when a residential placement is
needed, and occasionally a local solution may not even be desirable. Whether in area or out, every residential placement requires careful consideration of the pupil’s emotional and psychological wellbeing and his or her family members.
Pupils requiring residential placement include those with a traumatic background, perhaps with a history of multiple placements and placement failure, and those for whom rejection and exclusion are not a new experience. The needs of individual pupils are clearly very different from one another, and a significant level of individualised planning is required, together with robust transitional support for those needs to be met. Environments where pupils with special educational needs are able to learn, develop, and grow, are simply not possible without attending first to emotional and psychological wellbeing.
Most of us probably remember changing schools as a major event in our lives, associated perhaps with feelings of anxiety or even dread. How much greater might such an event be for pupils whose disabilities make communication and understanding of the world an everyday challenge; for whom changing school also means changing accommodation; where the people providing care and support, although caring and kind, are no longer familiar family members; and where the design and location of buildings called home are also new and unfamiliar. Add to this the worries, anxieties, and emotional responses of family members who are separated from their loved one, and the level and type of support needed begins to emerge.
■ First days in school.
“A significant level of individual planning is required”
While this does not entirely fall to residential schools, residential school providers are under a duty to do all that they can to ensure that every transition is as smooth and pain free as it can be for everyone involved. At Abbey School, we have come to think of this as facilitating a soft landing.
Preparing a soft landing
Preparing soft landings requires compassion, diligence, and commitment from staff. It demands a high level of ability in multiple areas of life and hard work that is done consistently and with care.
The aims, objectives, and points of principle for creating a soft landing are extensive and include taking into account a number of wellbeing, communication and spatial factors as well as having an in-depth awareness of the pupil and their background.
A foundation must be built on the basis of empathy, safety and respect for the pupil, family members, and all significant others equally. Achieving this includes:
• Putting the pupil’s needs first in all decisions and actions.
• Involving family members – empowering them as far as is possible, reasonable, safe, and (in specific cases) desirable.
• Being sensitive to pupil feelings and perspectives – a little empathy goes a long way.
• Safeguarding - protecting everyone from harm and promoting their wellbeing.
Creating the right space is an important part of this, as it should provide an attractive, comfortable and safe environment both indoors and out. This space should also extend to the wider community and involve connecting life at home and in community areas with life in school in ways that strengthen learning and personal development. Becoming involved in the community and making use of local facilities will help with this, as it will pursue the twin goals of belonging and connection.
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