Therapy
Pupils referred to The Grange Therapeutic School, Knossington by the very nature of their referral qualify as presenting with social emotional behavioural difficulties. Each pupil arrives with a statement of special education needs produced by an Educational Psychologist of his placing authority. Invariably the pupils placed at our school have for a plethora of reasons fallen out of mainstream education following sustained periods of presenting behaviours and attitudes considered to be disruptive and out of acceptable social norms. Some pupils have more serious presenting needs such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD), low to medium functioning autistic spectrum and/ or Asperger’s syndrome.
As experience has shown, social emotional behavioural difficulty is complex, complicated and has no one definitive cause. A difficult life experience, for instance, parental separation, poor self image, bullying, isolation, poverty, rejection, parental abandonment, crime, difficulty in reading and writing, death of a carer, being placed in care could trigger a pupil to behave in an inappropriate and challenging manner Given the complexity of the problems our pupils experience it is imperative that they receive Care, Education and Therapy in a safe, homely, stimulating, challenging and rewarding environment in the hope that some stability could be established in what for many would already have been quite a chaotic start to life. We provide therapeutic support within our living-learning environment, The Grange Therapeutic School.
We have an on-site team of two professional therapists with specialist training, knowledge and experience in a range of psychological therapies. Skills in the team include assessment and treatment of forensic populations and work with children on the verge of entering the criminal justice system. Our therapy team supports our young people, their families or carers, and placing authorities.
The Therapy Team is an invaluable resource of the school which provides:
The Therapy Team is an invaluable resource of the school which provides:
- Safe spaces for children with complex presenting psychological problems to discuss their difficulties.
- Facilitation for pupil living - learning.
- Occasional support for some families and carers to help make sense of their children's presenting problems.
- Working closely with, as well as supporting, colleagues in making sense of the complex needs and demands of our pupils
- Professional psychological advice to education and care staff and other specialists where needed.