Dear Parents/Carers Following this evening’s government announcement of a level 5 lockdown and the very late timing of this announcement, it is incredibly difficult to implement any of form of considered approach in the hours between now and tomorrow morning. As such, I would ask that if humanly possible, all students remain at home tomorrow. However, if you are a keyworker, if you are without any means for childcare and/or your son will experience extreme anxiety at the last-minute nature of this announcement, then we will have the staffing in place for your son to attend school tomorrow. If your son needs to attend tomorrow, please can you email [email protected] and ensure you inform transport if this is required. Once we have had the opportunity to meet in school tomorrow, we will be in contact with a clearer plan of how we will meet the needs of all our students over the coming weeks. I hope I have your understanding and support in what is once again, a very challenging situation. Simon
The welfare of the Breckenbrough community is always at the forefront of what we do, though the challenges faced since March has placed an added significance and focus on the well-being of all of us.
Throughout this period, all our students and their families have been supported by a core team; those key members of staff who have the in-depth knowledge, expertise and relationship to be instrumental in meeting need. The high standards of home contact, including video calls, has been maintained to ensure consistency and stability during uncertain times. Our weekly on-line assemblies also remain an important aspect of each week when we can come together, celebrate and reflect as a community.
We have introduced well-being sessions with our Sixth Formers on Wednesday afternoons, which have been well attended by the student body. We have been astounded by how open the students have been in sharing their challenges and difficulties. We know from experience how challenging it can be for young males to open up about their issues and how they are feeling and the students themselves have shared how beneficial these sessions have been.
For the past few years, the school has worked in consultancy with a nutritionist, who has been pivotal in improving the dietary intake of our cohort. With awareness of the link between diet and well-being, we have extended our offer to include nutritional support and guidance for staff as well as students during these difficult times.
As a staff team, fortnightly yoga sessions have been introduced with all welcome to attend either in the hall or via an online stream. This has proven to be deliver a therapeutic conclusion to what has often been a stressful week.
We are currently in the process of looking to set up a ‘thank you’ style box where staff can pass on their gratitude or praise for a colleague. In our experience, these small gestures can have a big impact on someone’s self-esteem and overall well-being.
We have signposted the availability of Headspace as an online resource and both staff and students have commented positively on its effectiveness.
Throughout this situation, we have been genuinely humbled by our student’s ability to adapt to what is now dubbed ‘the new normal’ and look forward to sharing further positive developments as the year progresses. The support from one colleague to another has demonstrated yet again what a special place Breckenbrough School is.
For children and young people on the autistic spectrum,
the internet can provide real opportunities for social interaction and learning
as it removes some of the challenges of face to face communication.
Despite this, they can be especially vulnerable to
risks online.
Many of our students have access to electronic
devices, play online games and have social media accounts to communicate with
others. This has a big impact on developing identities, friendships,
relationships, passions and aspirations.
Breckenbrough aims to empower and protect our
students by providing them with the knowledge to stay safe online. In order to
achieve this, it is important that staff, parents and carers have a good
awareness of the risks and dangers too.
Preparing your child to use the Internet
There is a great deal of guidance available on
how to support your child to use the internet safely.
Essential Guidance Includes:
Establish
ground rules with your child about how they can use the Internet, when and for
how long.
Talk
to your child about the kind of things it is ok to look at. A basic rule could
be if I won’t let you watch it on television, it’s not ok to search for it
online.
Ensure
your child knows to come to you or another trusted adult if they see something
that upsets them.
Talk
to your child about the internet and ensure they don’t share personal
information with others online.
Encourage
your child to use a nickname and avatar online and to speak to you or a trusted
adult if personal information is requested.
Agree
that if your child receives an email with an attachment that they will talk to
you before they open it.
Talk
to your child about rules for being polite and kind to others.
Parental control
One way of setting appropriate boundaries
online for your child is by setting controls on devices that connect to the
internet. InternetMatters.org offers a step by step guide to make
it simple and straight forward for parents and carers to set controls on
smartphones, broadband, gaming and social media.
Create a family contract
Decide as a
family how your child can use the internet, when and for how long and write it
down and/or draw pictures. Clearly displaying rules and boundaries will make it
easier for your child to keep themselves safe. Many children on
the autistic spectrum struggle to interpret their own emotions and recognise
risky situations. It’s important that you set clear boundaries for them online
and communicate these in a way they will understand, clearly setting out what’s
ok and what’s not ok.
Get involved
More young people are using the internet to
socialise and grow and it shouldn’t change the way you guide and support them.
Spend time with your child, show an interest in their online lives, talk about what
they’re doing online and reassure them they can approach you if they need
support. A number of our students use social media, I recommend to familiarise
yourself with social media applications so you can show support.
There are some useful websites for
children and young people to access regarding internet safety:
And
useful websites for parents are:
If you’re worried about online abuse or the
way someone has been communicating online, let CEOP know safely and securely by
clicking the link:
It is incredibly gratifying when an Inspector
spends concentrated time in school and gains a deep understanding of everything
we do at Breckenbrough and what we strive to achieve.
When a student comes on roll at Breckenbrough, the transition into the school must be sensitively managed with a coordinated approach involving the family and other professionals.
The vast majority of our cohort have experienced a lengthy period out of education prior to arriving here, sometimes as long as two or three years. Therefore, in returning to education, there are both high levels of anxiety to support and the need to build up stamina in getting through the school day.
With an integrated start, it is our goal for a student to be accessing a full timetable as soon as possible, with attending outdoor education sessions usually the final part in completing the transition to full-time attendance.
Engagement
Whole School Engagement
The engagement of every student on a lesson-by-lesson basis is tracked and recorded across the curriculum. This system supports us in praising positive engagement, including improvements in engagement, whilst also identifying any engagement issues or patterns and introducing appropriate interventions.
OT at home – as a starting point, there are two very good Facebook groups, ‘sensory stuck at home’ and ‘sensory stuck at home teens’ which are being run by Sensory trained OTs offering advice, activity ideas, movement opportunities and support as required. How to create a sensory room in your home and hand writing without tears are both sites you may find useful along with Rachel’s OT Pinterest page.SENSEable is a weekly sensory workout which students can access with limited resources.
Twinkl – a large range of different subjects and focuses, arguably the best host of any resource you could need. Twinkl have offered a free account as a result of school closures.
BBC Bitesize – a huge range of different resources and information broken down into Key Stages and year groups.
Topmarks – a treasure trove of activities that cover a whole range of subjects. Also holds links to games etc. that are hosted by other sites.
GoNoodle – videos and games, mindfulness and meditation
A simple name for an organisation with a simple mission. They collect, sort, ship, and distribute books to students of all ages in Africa. Their goal: to end the book famine in Africa.
Books For Africa remains the largest shipper of donated text and library books to the African continent, shipping over 47 million books to all 55 countries on the African continent since 1988. Last year alone, Books For Africa shipped 3.3 million books, and 155 computers and e-readers containing over 400,000 digital books, to 29 African countries. More than $2.7 million was raised last year to ship these books to the students of Africa.
Breckenbrough School are pleased to support this by donating resources no longer required by the school. We are pleased to share the certificate received from them for our latest donation.
We cannot endorse this or any other service but we publish it as a matter of interest to students and families
Family Dog workshops provide parents of children with autism with the advice and long-term support needed for choosing and training a dog to benefit the whole family.
Book a workshop
View our workshop locations and dates for 2020Book nowOur Workshops are ideal if you:
Are at the early stages of considering getting a dog to help your child with autism
Know that you want to get a dog and are looking for help choosing and handling a dog
Already have a pet dog but would like training ideas and support
We run a series of three one day workshops for families. At these you receive a combination of practical demonstrations, discussions, hands on learning and course hand outs. Find out what our workshops cover.
Our specialist advice and support has brought life-changing benefits to whole families. Research has shown that the families we work with have lowered parental stress, they go out more together and children with autism have fewer meltdowns as a result of their pet dog.
Long-term support
Following the workshops, ongoing support is available to families that qualify including telephone support, online resources, and a private Facebook group.
