useful Information
This page is designed to give you some information about Links, and what we provide. It contains a lot of information and answers lots of questions that you might have. However, it will not answer all of your questions so please feel free to get in touch with any questions that you might have.
Please contact: Mark Wiseman, Deputy Head of Service on 07918 497095 or email mwiseman@basisbsm.org.uk
Where is Links?
Links is based in Unit 17 Headlands Grove Trading Estate, Headlands Grove, Swindon SN2 7JQ and is part of Brunel Autism Support and Inclusion Service (BASIS) part of the Brunel Multi Academy Trust.
Who is Links for?
Links has been designed to support a small group of secondary aged young people in Key Stages 3, 4 and 5. The classes have been designed to support Young People who have a Special Educational Need and Disability (SEND) profile which often includes Autism, and/or Social Communication and Interaction Difficulties (SCID).
What is Links?
Links is a specialist environment where a personalised programme of support is offered. It is designed to cater for a range of different Children and Young People in an Unregistered Alternative Provision. The Links Curriculum follows the National Curriculum where appropriate, although content is adapted to meet our Young Person’s learning needs and difficulties, enabling them to achieve good educational attainment on par with their mainstream peers. It is our belief that all Young People must receive a good education, regardless of their circumstances or the settings in which they find themselves.
The aim is to provide our Young People with a small team of consistent adults and a truly personalised curriculum offer. The work set and the strategies used to support them is specifically tailored to their needs, through highly differentiated, small-steps and flexible teaching and learning.
What curriculum do you offer?
Our curriculum follows a Primary style model where all Young People study a wide range of subjects, particularly in core curriculum subjects including English, Maths and Science (including IT) integrated for the needs of the individual or group. Our curriculum has been broadened in order to continue to promote Life Skills and Employability as well as allowing greater and more varied levels of personalisation and differentiation to take place.
Additionally, the young people will have specific sessions dedicated to a more therapeutic curriculum to ensure that personal, social and academic needs of each Young Person are properly identified and met in order to help them to overcome any barriers to attainment. Individual approaches with Children and Young People will focus on improving pupil motivation and self-confidence, attendance and engagement with their education.
Health and Fitness is also promoted through clubs, competitions and cross curricular links such as Cookery and Horse Riding. Social Emotional Mental Health & Well-being and British Values (Democracy, The rules of law, Individual liberty and Mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs) is supported and promoted through a strong pastoral system of care, daily reflection and therapeutic interventions.
Staff will focus on teaching that encompass a range of the following:
· Social skills
· Self-awareness skills
· Developing and maintaining friendships/relationships with others
· Life skills
· Coping skills and strategies
· Self-regulation/emotional awareness
· Improving self-esteem and confidence
· Managing difficult moments
· Mental health and well-being
· Links with the community
Young Person learning is assessed using various tools throughout their time at Links.
Each Young Person will have clearly defined objectives, including the next steps following the placement such as reintegration into mainstream education, further education, training or employment.
Does Links provide personal intimate care?
It may be necessary to provide intimate care for the Young People attending Links. This might need to happen on a regular basis if your Young Person requires additional assistance, or it may be required following a one-off accident where a Young Person requires assistance to change. Please ask for our intimate care guidelines and procedures to enable informed consent for us to deliver intimate care.
What documents will be developed for my Young Person?
Each Young Person at links will have an Individual Risk Assessment, Individual Behaviour Support Plan, Personal Emergency and Evacuation Plan and a Setting Plan. They are all working documents and are developed over time as we get to know each Young Person and can easily be adapted to meet their needs on an ongoing basis. Many of these documents are stored in each Young Person’s I-Can folder, which is a record of their time at Links and documents their learning and development journey with us. This folder will be regularly shared with parents/carers.
Why do we do an Initial Risk Assessment?
We complete an Initial Risk Assessment because we need to ensure that all our YP and staff are as safe as they can be while attending Links. We will ask you a range of questions as we get to know you and your YP, along with the information we gather from supporting documentation, to write our initial risk assessment and this will then regularly be updated whilst your YP is with us at Links.
What information do you need?
Please complete the permission and information forms (link below) and return to us as soon as possible. If there are any changes to any of this information, please let us know so that we can update our records.
Links Parent/Carer Information Pack and Permissions Form
How will you communicate with me?
We can communicate with you via text message, phone call, email or in person if you collect your Young Person. We enjoy sharing positive notes from each day as well as any other information we feel you should know. We will always give you a phone call if there has been an incident, this allows us to share further information and next steps with you. Our partnership always works better when you communicate anything that has happened outside of Links with us as well, as this gives us the opportunity to prepare for any potential follow on from this during our Links sessions.
How do you deal with any potential behaviours?
Each Young Person will have a tailor-made Individual Behaviour Support Plan, that is individual to each Young Person. If they display challenging behaviour, staff use a range of techniques and strategies and use the Time Intensity Model, adapted from Kaplan & Wheeler (1983) to identify specific actions of techniques in each of the four areas – calm, warning signs, crisis and sensitive support required.
