The Treehouse- Our School ARP

At St Edward’s, we are passionate about being an inclusive school. We believe that our school vision ‘Life in all its fullness (John 10:10)’ is a vision for all children, including those who come to our school with barriers to their learning, including Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities.

St. Edward’s has a proud track-record of meeting the needs of children with additional needs within our school setting. The Sunshine Room, our ‘mainstream’ SEN classroom, opened in September 2019 to support pupils who have an Autism diagnosis to access the curriculum in our Mainstream context, while also focusing on their individual targets.

We are now excited to be opening our Additional Resourced Provision (ARP) for pupils with an EHCP and a diagnosis of Autism, from 1st September 2023.

St Edward’s ARP is one of a small number of additional resource provisions in the London Borough of Havering. Our focus is on delivering a specific educational programme for children identified with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who also have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

The curriculum at The Treehouse is designed to engage students in an exciting programme focusing on their individual academic and communicative targets, whilst developing skills that will help them beyond the classroom and in their wider life.

St. Edward’s ARP aims to engage pupils in exciting learning opportunities that are based around their interests, promoting communication and participating in real life experiences. Our new, purpose-built setting at The Treehouse offers pupils the opportunities to explore an outdoor curriculum developing their fine and gross motor skills, and their understanding of the wider world. Pupils also have access to a range of tailored interventions to support their social communication and emotional needs.

What we believe

At St. Edward’s we believe the purpose of education is to enable and nurture every child to thrive and become the person they are capable of being, experiencing a full life in mind, body, heart and spirit. St. Edward’s is a caring, ‘distinctively Christian’ community with a love of learning where children achieve their potential, are confident in themselves and their abilities and are set on a positive path for life and we know that this vision extends to children with Special Educational needs too.

Our purpose built ARP has been designed to remove barriers to learning, for all members of the class. Where appropriate, integration into the mainstream setting will give students an opportunity to participate in activities alongside their peers.

As a school, St. Edward’s recognises the positive impact of ongoing professional training, and we provide regular training programmes for all staff to meet the exceptional needs of our pupils.

What we do

At The Treehouse we:

• have designed the ARP to give pupils plenty of pleasant space, focused on providing learning that is appropriate, meaningful and purposeful.
• have developed the timetable to emphasise the priority of both spontaneous and functional communication.
• believe that learning takes place best when there is a continuity between school and home, and aim to uphold consistent communication with parents and carers.
• encourage the pupils to independently use their timetables to transition between activities, reducing the anxiety that can be caused by uncertainty. See an example of a child’s visual timetable below:

Placements - who and how

All placements for the The Treehouse are made through the Local Authority. If you are interested in considering The Treehouse for your child, please contact your allocated case office at the Havering SEN Team or, if you are from out of borough, contact the SEN Team directly via sen@havering.gov.uk   In line with Local Authority agreed practices, we are unable to offer a tour of our setting unless a child has been offered a place by the Local Authority. This is to manage staff workload and to limit disruptions to the setting.

To be considered for a place in the ARP the pupil must:

• have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
• have a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
• have met any other criteria set out by the London Borough of Havering.

Professionals are welcome to visit the School to see the ARP setting. Visits are strictly by appointment only. Please contact Sarah Speller, ARP Teacher, via the School Office.

What happens if my child is offered a place in the ARP?

When a child is offered a place, the authority will notify parents and the ARP. The ARP teacher will contact your child’s current school in order to set up a transition program.

School Times

The Treehouse day starts at 9am and finishes at 2:45pm.

Children are to be dropped off at, and collected from the entrance of The Treehouse.

Our Uniform

Staff you may have contact with, regarding The Treehouse

Head Teacher:                                                         Mr Chris Speller

Assistant Headteacher and Inclusion Lead:       Mrs Sharon Marsden

ARP Teacher:                                                           Mrs Sarah Speller

School Safeguarding Team: Mr Christopher Speller, Mrs Sharon Marsden & Mrs Tracy Macdonald (contactable via. School Office)

Should you require further information please do not hesitate to contact us.