Outreach Service
Downs View has a team of outreach teachers who support children with Severe Learning Disability (SLD) in mainstream schools. We support pupils in schools that are geographically in the eastern half of the city.
The team are teachers who are based at either Downs View School or Downs View Link College. Downs View is a special school/ college for children and young people with Severe Learning Disabilities. The outreach teachers are all teachers who are class based and have a wide range of experience and expertise to support pupils with SLD in mainstream schools. The teachers regularly work with the SaLT (Speech and Language Therapy) team to support pupils on the outreach/ SaLT caseload.
Eligibility
Pupils eligible for SLD outreach must have an EHCP stating that they have a Severe Learning Disability. This can be described as a global developmental delay and/ or is categorised under Cognition and Learning on an EHCP.
Outreach Team
Outreach Coordinator:
Juliet Hudson juliethudson@downsview.brighton-hove.sch.uk
Outreach Teachers:
Lucy Dew lucydew@downsview.brighton-hove.sch.uk
Julia Nicholson julianicholson@downsview.brighton-hove.sch.uk
Nicholas Sell nicholassell@downsview.brighton-hove.sch.uk
Gemma Sharp gemmasharp@downsview.brighton-hove.sch.uk
Referral process
Schools can email Juliet Hudson to request outreach support for pupils with SLD (Cognition and Learning as primary need on EHCP). Juliet will send the SENCO the referral form to complete. The school SENCO needs to complete the referral form with parental consent and return by email to Juliet Hudson.
Support
Once referral has been received, teachers are allocated to support the pupil with SLD. Outreach teachers will contact the school SENCO to arrange an initial visit. Outreach teachers can observe the pupil in their class, group or individually and can make time to discuss need and support with staff at the school. Each visit if followed up with a report outlining observations and strategies to support that need to be actioned by the school. Visits are usually scheduled on a half-termly basis.
Through our Outreach service Downs View Outreach team will
- Maintain correspondence and contact with the school
- Arrange half termly/ termly visits as needed
- Provide a written record of each visit with agreed actions
- Undertake agreed action for which we are responsible
- Notify the school office of the need to cancel a visit as soon as possible
- Provide some core training for school staff based on needs of pupils being supported
- Signpost to other training opportunities for school staff
- Liaise and work with SaLT including joint visits and the sharing of reports and actions suggested
- Contribute to Annual Reviews by providing written reports of visits and support provided throughout the year
Traded Service – Paid For By Schools
We can offer a range of services and are open to putting together bespoke packages if needed. Our traded service will continue to deliver support to schools and school staff in order for them to best meet needs for the pupil. Click here for more detail.