Purbeck View School - The TES

Therapeutic Environment
Our approach
Our students currently have access to the
support of a Speech and Language Therapist,
an Occupational Therapist, a Music Therapist
and two Assistant Psychologists. Each is
suitably qualified and receives professional
supervision. We also have a Speech and
Language Therapy Assistant and one of
our most experienced Teaching Assistants,
qualified in aromatherapy, facilitates play
and relaxation sessions. Additionally, the
school draws on the expertise of a Clinical
Psychologist, Consultant Psychiatrist,
Consultant Paediatrician and Physiotherapist.
Our therapy staff work as a team in assessing
new students, and often run groups
together. Together they produce Initial
Assessment Joint Therapy Reports and
Joint Therapy Annual Review Reports.
They train and support other staff to help
make the whole school environment as
beneficial as possible to each student’s
well-being and learning.
As a school we aim to ensure that all areas
of need from the students’ statements are
covered. Having such a range of therapies
available, delivered by experienced
practitioners who work as a team, is of great
benefit in supporting our students to reach
their full potential and have their needs met.
The Speech and Language Therapist
• Assesses communication skills.
• Develops programmes to assist students
in developing an effective, independent
communication style that is tailored to
their level of ability across all settings.
• Offers individual therapy, involvement in a
communication group or class/care based
intervention delivered by other staff with
support and monitoring by the therapist
to provide training, advice and support for
other staff.
The Occupational Therapist
• Assesses motor, perceptual, sensory
and play skills in relation to students
development and independence skills.
14 Transforming lives together
• Focuses particularly on the impact
of sensory processing difficulties and
on building calming and alerting
activities into routines to support
emotional regulation.
• Provides training for staff, including
sensory strategies and how to adapt
tasks and environments.
• Works directly with students in fully
equipped sensory integration room,
as well as in class and care settings.
The Music Therapist
• Works directly with students and/or trains
and advises other staff in the use of music
in lesson and leisure time.
• Provides individual music psychotherapy
sessions, when appropriate, to support
students’ psychological and emotional
needs and advises other staff in relation to
these. The sessions can involve elements
of story-telling, drama and art as well as
music and talking together.