Intent

Within Rosehill, children’s sensory needs are prioritised and addressed to help them achieve a state of readiness to learn. It is an integral part of learning for all children at Rosehill.

Sensory regulation involves monitoring and controlling one's own feelings, emotions and behaviour. It requires the ability to block out irrelevant stimuli, control impulses and engage in tasks. Sensory processing is important to enable engagement in functional activities.

Staff understand and value the importance of children achieving a ‘just right’ level to facilitate engagement in activities. For many pupils at Rosehill, a balanced sensory curriculum is central to their learning. The introduction of a range of sensory resources and activities has enabled some pupils to ‘calmer’ or ‘more alert’. The staff team are responsible for co-ordinating sensory opportunities.

Implementation 

It is embedded in discrete and planned sessions to teach and support children to process sensory information and how this affects their learning and overall wellbeing. Children who need support and modulation, have planned opportunities to develop strategies to help them self-regulate and process sensory information in routines and individualised programmes. We have a Mini MILE in each department, which is used regularly throughout the week. Sensory themes run across the academic year, e.g. ‘animals’, ‘travelling’ complementing topics taught in class. Resources are available for use both in the MILE and in classrooms to enable teachers to take the sensory curriculum wherever they wish. We know many of the young people best understand their world by experiencing it through their own range of senses. We are therefore constantly looking at ways to help make children’s learning real and concrete through providing learning opportunities that they can smell, touch, taste, hear and see, in vibrant, appropriate and targeted ways. When difficulties are identified with sensory regulation, the OT will complete school-based observations. The OT will then provide a sensory journal for the class and sensory strategies. The sensory strategies support the children and teaching staff to develop healthy sensory routines.

Sensory Regulation Long-Term Plans

Further Information and Evidence of Impact

For further information regarding sensory occupational therapy, please follow this link.

For further information regarding our Sensory Curriculum, please contact:

Cheryl Steele c.steele@rosehill.nottingham.sch.uk