EBSA setting wish list

[EBSAteacher]

I've been here for years but have changed name for this post...

I'm an experienced teacher who has recently been given the opportunity to move to a setting that aims to cater for secondary (KS4 at the moment) students who are out of school due to EBSA. It's early days in terms of the project and we have scope to potentially do something quite different. The building is standalone and is nowhere near any other schools but how the internal spaces are used definitely needs some thought. I'm very aware that what might appeal to one student may be another student's trigger but would love to hear what your wishlist would have on it if you were starting a new setting aimed at supporting students with EBSA e.g. timings, subjects, downtime/not, size of rooms/classes, uniform, access to sensory room/other workspace/library, option to work alone/away from the rest of the group for independent tasks etc.

I'm interested in anything and everything as it would be very easy for us to replicate a mainstream school in miniature but it would be far better to use this opportunity to look at things differently.

Oooh exciting (can I come and work with you?!)

Something I know has been tricky in a setting near me is the different students competing needs and that when students kick off it can upset those who are anxious.

If we get the building sorted in a way that means capacity increases, we'll need more staff so who knows!

Good point about the competing needs. Is it an EBSA setting near you, more general SEMH or something else?

For ds the main issue is getting in through the door. What helps ds is being able to drive to the door and if needed a teacher can come and collect him from the car. I also think having a relaxed 'coffee area' reception so he can sit down and transition into the day would help him. Comfy chairs, chance to ease into the day, opportunity to talk to teachers if worried about something coming up in the day. Chat with friends hopefully too.

I’ve just looked round an amazing secondary special school for my ASd Dd.

Each floor has classrooms around 3 sides of a big seated area.Theres a sensory chill out room and a kitchen that all students can use at any time. They are allowed to leave a lesson to do this. Lots of calming activities. Always members of staff around. All very quietly spoken and supportive. Tiny classes.

No uniform. Supported study periods.

Ooo my child went to a school like this.

There was a uniform but very relaxed and not compulsory.

All staff called by their first name.

Tiny class sizes.

Each class had a form room where they did majority of lessons, except stuff like science and food tech. They could eat lunch and spend breaks in there.

Classrooms had soft furnishings, and things that made the students comfortable, like plushies, nice scented things (I want to say scented candles but I'm sure it didn't involve a flame!).

The teachers did some home tuition when pupils couldn't go in.

They had 2 buildings, one main and one smaller one for the children who needed even more care.

Power points they can charge their devices.
Wide stairs
Classrooms with both open glass areas but also more hidden areas - in a group you might have students who want to be more hidden (like my son) from kids outside but also kids who want to see an exit
Windows
Like the comment above about relaxed reception areas where parents can be.
Multiple entry doors, some that mean that the child entering isn't seen by other students
More than one quiet room
Drawing/doodling walls, but I realise this relies on students not doing anything offensive.
1 to 1 rooms
Outdoor space, some for exercise like kicking a ball at break but others for eating, sensory garden, different areas with different feels.

Lots of food for thought already, thank you.

@Unexpecteddrivinginstructor we could definitely facilitate being met at the car as we have parking a stone's throw from the front door. The coffee/transition area idea is an interesting one - at the moment there's a waiting room type thing which some parents bring their YP to but it's not especially cosy or relaxed!
@ArseInTheCoOpWindow that sounds like a great design for a school. Don't suppose you'd be up for PMing me a link to the school so I could see if we might be able to visit/do a virtual school?
@TuxedoChimp we've already got tiny class sizes (8-10) but it also means the rooms are smaller than normal but classroom furniture is something that needs investment. What sort of soft furnishings did your DC's school go for?
@GoodLordHelpMe we don't have any stairs as it's a single storey building and because of the nature of the building, the main two classrooms cannot be seen into by other students. Does your son have preferences about how he might be shielded from being seen by other students e.g. is it more about the students who aren't in his class or is he someone who needs workstation type screens in class? You've mentioned quiet rooms and 1:1 rooms - I'm really keen on the idea of both of these but would love a bit more detail on what form each would take e.g. are we talking a low simulation space to go and have a bit of time in, a book-lined room with an armchair to curl up in, a workspace with nothing on the walls, a room to work in without an adult etc etc?

It's so useful to hear what would make a difference to your teens. Do any of you have any thoughts on priorities in terms of subjects e.g. if your DC knew they were coming in for maths and English (functional skills/GCSE depending on where they were at) would that make it easier than a full mix of subjects? And in terms of timing, would a later start/earlier finish help if it meant not needing to negotiate buses etc at the busiest time of day?

OP good luck this sounds wonderful. I would say from the perspective of parent a child who needs quiet at school, that the loud or unpredictable behaviour of other students is a key problem. Teachers need to be calm and think about their methods- no singling out ideally. Anything in the learning environment that softens noise sounds helpful- there’s a lot of hard reflective surfaces in some schools.

For DC like mine, the learning environment allowing anxious ASD DC to be as quiet as possible at school is the main thing.

If there are any schools like this already up and running in SE England that offer GCSEs, please could posters mention them by name it would be really appreciated.

Yes to avoiding busy transport times. Many suitable schools are unsuitable because of the busy commute. Ideally we’d be able to walk or cycle safely to school (dc need accompanying) if not then need it be able to arrive early or late

He wants to be shielded from students that are not in the classroom, he doesn't mind students in his class. But, of course some students will be the opposite..
1 to 1 rooms with softer furnishings would be great.
For my son is really about the people - he needs teachers and staff who will talk WITH him, not at him.
Logistically though as well I think not having to traipse through the school to sign in when arriving late, so being able to register in at Reception rather than an Attendance base.

DD is so far off this age group but I don't imagine the basics will change so much. She needs low stimulation from her environment, lighting, acoustics, temperature, other people. She needs low demands from people, singling out is bad, telling her to do something or she's wrong is bad, pretty sure she's PDA profile autistic. She does well with a lot of autonomy.

@TuxedoChimp we've already got tiny class sizes (8-10) but it also means the rooms are smaller than normal but classroom furniture is something that needs investment. What sort of soft furnishings did your DC's school go for?

Sofa, cushions, a rug - that sort of thing

WRT to start times my child's school started later and finished later, mainly because many travelled an hour to get there, and teens aren't usually morning people! All students got transport provuded i.e. mini bus or taxi as part of their EHCP, so there was no negotiating public transport. Would this not be the case for your pupils?

WRT to subjects, my child's school offered functional skills, GCSEs and other quals. They couldn't offer full range of GCSEs as you would expect from mainstream ed, my child was disappointed by this, but got enough to go to college to study preferred subjects. Interestingly is doing well in mainstream college after disastrous experience in mainstream secondary!

On your arrival/ finish times please be aware of those on transport - or equally whose parents have to transport. Having a flexible start/ finish for each child would be fab. But many children with complex needs leave behind them a family that needs to be able to live/work.

What I mean by this is a late start without traffic might be fab for the child. But if that parent has to get a child to primary, but can't leave till your unit child leaves on transport having a post traffic pick up makes that impossible for the primary child.

@TuxedoChimp @LittleOwl153 you both make good points about the timings. Our setting isn't accessed via EHCP but usually via referral from a student's mainstream school and at the moment there isn't anyone who would be likely to qualify for student transport - we're in an area where bus travel is free for under 16s and current students all live no more than a single bus ride away. We're looking at different start times for different students according to their needs and aspirations; some would like to be able to get back to their mainstream school whereas others would prefer to stay in our setting until the end of Y11.

@GoodLordHelpMe does your son currently have to report to an attendance base? That doesn't sound overly helpful. We have target arrival times for some students (based on the things they would like to be in for) and others are timetabled to be later anyway so there isn't really a 'late' situation for us. Students all check in at reception with a member of teaching staff who walks with them to where their coats etc can be locked away before going into a classroom.

Both @EHCPerhaps and @olderthanyouthink have mentioned not being singled out and it's sad that has to even be said. Very few teenagers would feel comfortable being singled out and I think that's something a small, specialist setting should be able to manage fairly easily.

This sounds like something from a futristic fantasty to me 😞 wish there was something like this available near us. After several years of EMBA, waiting for a recent ADHD/ASD diagnosis, then waiting for medication, a suicide attempt, and of course being told by the school that the problem is always just him, we have reached the very difficult position of taking our ds out of school for homeschooling. Our three nearest schools are all part of the same trust and so identical in approach. Anything further afield is more difficult to access and no guarantee of a better setting for his needs. OP, wishing you well and hope you make an amazing difference to lots of young people.

Yep to the Attendance Base 🤦🏻‍♀️. It's totally idiotic as he goes in for the most for half an hour, so five minutes of that is just registering as in... Don't get me started on the failures!

For a coffee place I didn't necessarily mean for parents to go in, although I guess that might also be useful but a buffer zone for students to meet and relax before the day starts. Ds still has good attendance but every day is a battle.