Download The Alternative Provision Centre

THE ALTERNATIVE PROVISION CENTRE (APC)
“Working in partnership with parent carers to ensure young people with
complex needs settle happily into Somerset schools”
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The APC is a Local Authority provision that offers temporary education for children
and young people with Statements of Special Educational Needs (SEN).
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Although we are a small team, we provide a service across the whole of Somerset.
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Over the past five years we have built strong relationships with schools and other
professionals in order to achieve our principal aim:
to enable our pupils to settle quickly and happily in their new schools.
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How are pupils referred to the APC?
Pupils are referred to the APC through Somerset’s SEN Statutory Panel which meets every
week to consider the Local Authority’s responsibilities to pupils and young people with SEN.
We receive referrals for young people with a range of Special Educational Needs, currently
from ages 5 to 16. Some of our pupils have moved into Somerset from other parts of the
country; for others, already living in Somerset, the Local Authority is seeking to find the
most appropriate provision to meet their needs. All our pupils have Statements of SEN or
Education & Health Care Plans.
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What does the APC provide?
The APC is usually asked to provide intensive, “interim” education for each pupil, which is
delivered 1:1, often in the pupil’s home. We make a home visit and meet the pupils and
family before we match teaching and learning arrangements to the pupil’s individual needs.
In this way, parent carers have their own direct contact at the APC.
The priority at this stage is to put together a programme that meets the objectives and
outcomes set out in the Statement. Using information from the pupil’s Statement, Annual
Review or other school records, we draw up a personalised plan which contains academic
and personal / emotional / social targets. This is in the form of an Individual Tutoring Plan
delivered by our team of central staff and outreach teachers.
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How are pupils and their parent carers involved in drawing up this Plan?
We value the opportunity to talk through these plans with young people and their parent
carers, discuss the arrangements and ensure we have permission for any work done outside
the home. Teachers will provide parent carers with a fortnightly update of work covered,
and record feedback; the Individual Tuition Plans are reviewed approximately every half
term. In this way we can work together towards the success of the Plan.
THE ALTERNATIVE PROVISION CENTRE (APC)
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What other support does the APC offer?
The APC then continues to support pupils and their parent carers in the transition to the
young person’s new school. We consider this to be a vital part of the work we do, and we
have achieved great success with transitions over the past 5 years.
The APC has built a solid reputation for engaging our pupils in their personalised packages
and for supporting their integration into new schools and colleges.
We work in close partnership with the Educational Psychology Service and members of
other Somerset support services, specifically learning support services, Children’s Social
Care and the National Health Service.
In the School Year 2012-2013, for example:
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32 pupils with Statements passed through the APC to new schools
all our Y11 leavers entered further education, employment or an apprenticeship at the
end of the academic year
70% of the remainder had attendance records of 90% or over and settled well into
their new schools
In 2013-2014, the APC has helped integrate 48 pupils into their new schools, and at present
all our Year 11 leavers are destined for placements on school / college courses.
Key to our success is our team of very highly skilled and professional Higher Level Teaching
Assistants (HLTAs) who have developed some remarkable and creative approaches to
delivering the curriculum, and a loyal and dedicated group of home tutors – our outreach
teachers. Our teamwork and multi-agency working is exemplary, and at the heart of our
ethos is mutual respect and support.
The APC has its office in Taunton, from where we co-ordinate education arrangements for
all our pupils. Our contact details are:
The Alternative Provision Centre (SEN)
The Holway Centre
Byron Road
Taunton TA1 2JD
Tel: 01823 349842
(voicemail service may
operate after 2.00pm)
Central Staff:
Lisa Tuckey
Graeme Cozens
Deborah Salisbury
Karen Irwin
Sarah Robinson
Centre Administrator
Head of Centre
Assistant SENCo
Higher Level Teaching Assistant
Higher Level Teaching Assistant
07919 540259
07919 540076
07775 406571
07919 540276
THE ALTERNATIVE PROVISION CENTRE (APC)
Skills and expertise used by APC staff:
The APC works with pupils within all four broad areas of difficulty:
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Communication and interaction
Cognition and learning
Social, emotional and mental health difficulties
Sensory and/or physical needs
We try to take a holistic approach to the provision we make by focusing carefully on the
individual needs of our pupils using a range of approaches:
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high level of safeguarding
Quality First Teaching
solution-focused approaches
integration & transition planning
addressing specific learning difficulties
addressing complex needs
anxiety / stress management
emotional literacy
protective behaviours
attachment and resilience
social skills and social stories
concentration skills
the behaviour environment and curriculum
analysing problem behaviours
assertive discipline
rules – rewards – consequences
dealing with confrontation and refusal
assertive not aggressive
Circle of Friends
parenting skills
behavioural target-setting
managing mealtime behaviour
co-operative games
observing behaviour
Circle Time
Graeme Cozens (Head of Centre)
July 2014