Kings Meadow School is a day, community, special school for primary aged pupils, who have severe social, emotional and mental health difficulties.
Our pupils are primarily from Northampton, and the South and West of Northamptonshire. All pupils have an Education, Health and Care Plan.
Our overall aim is to help all pupils who have previously found school a challenge to become independent, lifelong learners who are able to regulate and manage their own feelings and behaviour. We have an ethos of “Can Do” rather than the children feeling they “Can't Do.”
Kings Meadow School is organised into small class groups of pupils, ranged from Y1-Y6. A variety of factors are considered when forming class groups, such as:
- Age
- Level of performance
- Social and emotional maturity.
We believe that familiar and established routines and procedures support learning, providing a 'road map' that helps pupils know what to expect. They can support social interactions and establish a sense of security for children. These could be:
- Established procedures around arriving in the classroom
- Routines for registration
- Routines for book changing
- Circle time
Structure and routines throughout the day helps to provide consistency and a feeling of security for the pupils.
The layout of the classroom, organisation of the outdoor learning environment, and provision of resources support inclusive teaching approaches.
Lunchtimes are considered an important part of the pupils’ social education. Members of staff eat with pupils in small family groups. After eating, the adults provide the children with a choice of different indoor and outdoor activities. These could include:
- Traditional playground games
- Climbing in the adventure area
- Football on the field
- Riding bikes Playing board games
- Drawing.