Specialist Resourced Provision for
Children with SEMH at
Bowker Vale Primary School
'Maple' class is the North primary specialist provision for children with Education and Health Care plans for social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) difficulties. We provide and deliver specialised and personalised teaching for up to nine children in a purpose built building. Places are allocated by the Local Authority with admissions normally occurring in September.
Staffing in the provision is usually our Assistant Head (and Specialist Leader of Education that delivers the outreach support), a teacher and four teaching assistants. Children are taught Maths and English in the morning, either in small groups or individually. Science and other subjects, such as history and geography are taught as discrete subjects weekly.
In the afternoons, children work on developing their skills in other areas of the national curriculum such as PE, design and technology and art. Throughout the school day, the children are supported in developing their social skills and are taught self regulation strategies to develop their own emotional responses to situations as they arise. Our approach towards supporting behaviour is relational. The Maple class team are trained in using 'The Zones of Regulation' which is our primary approach to supporting children to either self regulate or to regulate with additional adult support.
As a Rights Respecting school we are proud that all our children have the opportunity to develop their talents and to develop their freedom of expression.
Children in Maple class have opportunities to join in with their mainstream peers as and when appropriate. All children in the Maple class have an opportunity to join in with their year group for Forest School. Children also have opportunities to play with their peers on the mainstream playground as and when this is appropriate.
Our work is supported by access to an Educational Psychologist every term.
Outreach Offer to schools in North Manchester - information for Professionals
As we consolidate the excellent practice of our specialist SEMH provision, since April 2020, the Local Authority are able to support our capacity to offer funded outreach to our local schools in the North of the city.
We’re excited to launch the Enhanced Outreach Support offer, drawing expertise from a partnership between Bridgelea Primary Outreach and Bowker Vale Primary outreach. The service will deploy specialised HLTAs to deliver intensive support in mainstream settings and is free to all Manchester primary schools.
The new offer aligns with the DfE SEND and AP Improvement Plan, ensuring that the Tier 1 level of support is robust, and ensures that children are supported in their mainstream settings and permanent exclusion is avoided.
Aims of the model include:
- Ensuring support is sustained and strategies are implemented and embedded into practice.
- Ongoing access to SEMH experts.
- Aim to develop and support staff within the mainstream environment.
- Identify and inform training and development.
- Reassure and encourage all staff.
- Support with family engagement.
Referrals made into the outreach partnership will be triaged by both Emma Spencer (Bridgelea) and
Kate Allely (Bowker Vale) and HLTA’s allocated on a case-by-case basis.
We look forward to working with you.
