Hampton Dene’s Language and Communication Centre (LCC)

The LLC is a provision for children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
and a diagnosis of Speech and Language difficulties and/or Autism. At Hampton
Dene, we take great pride in supporting children to become independent, resilient
learners who learn through fun, engaging learning and activities.

The LLC currently has four classrooms, Bees, Kestrels, Ospreys and Buzzards. Each class has a
specialist SEN teacher and up to five teaching assistants. LCC classes offer a smaller class size,
high levels of adult support and a highly individualised learning experience for children to
ensure barriers to learning are removed and children are supported to make progress against the
National Curriculum. Where appropriate, children in the LCC will also integrate with their
mainstream peers and join for specific activities or lessons. We also offer daily focus groups
which offer targeted interventions for specific groups of children who have been identified as
needing further support in specific areas of the curriculum and their learning.

In the LCC, we are passionate about bringing learning to life and prioritise curriculum extension
visits into our local community. These visits support us in becoming independent and safe
whilst out in the community. You may see us in the local area as we often visit parks, shops
and spend time learning how to be safe near the road and crossing the road sagely. Some of us
will soon be heading off on visits further afield with our Year 6 children eagerly anticipating
their London residential visit!

In the LCC, we pride ourselves in supporting children with their behavioural and emotional
regulation needs and each class has a dedicated space that children can access to regulate and
to have their sensory needs met. We have a wonderful sensory room which offers a calm,
inviting space which allows children to relax and regulate in a place they feel safe and
comfortable. We have class based sensory circuits with a variety of different challenges that all
children can access as well as a sensory circuit all children can access and engage with as they
make their way down the main corridor. Sensory circuits are a sequence of physical activities
that are designed to alert, organise and calm the senses of the child. Staff support children to
access sensory interventions to ensure children are alert and able to concentrate throughout the
school day. They are also great fun! Staff support the children to explore, develop and utilise a
variety of self-regulation strategies. Some classes make use of a ‘calm corner’ which is a safe
space for children to explore feelings and emotions and explore how they can help themselves to
feel calm regulate and ready to learn.

Many of our children have input from Speech and Language Therapists and participate in
Riding for the Disabled (RDA) at Holme Lacy. We also enjoy regular swimming sessions at Halo
Leisure Pool where we can develop our skills and learn how to keep ourselves safe in the water.
We also have a beautiful forest school area and all children from the LCC access this on a
weekly basis. Forest School encourages the development of social skills, new vocabulary and
team building which are especially important for pupils in the LCC.

The LLC is an invaluable provision that prides itself in supporting children to achieve to the very
best of their ability, integrate with their mainstream classes and to be happy, independent
individuals that thrive and make progress regardless of their Special Educational Needs and
Disabilities or barriers to learning.

WIDEMARSH EXPLORERS

Widemarsh Explorers is an inclusive satellite provision for early years children with complex special
educational needs and disability in Herefordshire. Our ambition is to provide local, inclusive and
ambitious provision so that the right support is available at the right time.

Curriculum
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework is a government document that all
schools and Ofsted-registered early years providers in England must follow. It sets standards for the
learning, care and development of children from birth to 5 years old. The standards ensure children
will learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe.
At Widemarsh Explorers we base our approach on the EYFS curriculum. We also ensure that EHCP
outcomes and therapy targets are holistically woven into each child’s personalised learning
experience as the children attending Widemarsh Explorers have significant and complex needs. Our
team of staff have specialist knowledge and in depth understanding of child development. We use
the Development Matters document for curriculum guidance and use the Cherry Garden
Assessment Framework as an assessment tool so that small steps can be achieved and celebrated.

The principles of the EYFS
The revised EYFS curriculum is based upon four principles:
 A unique child (every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient,
capable, confident and self-assured)
 Positive relationships (where children learn to be strong and independent through positive
relationships)
 Enabling environments (where opportunities and experiences respond to the individual needs of
the child by developing a strong partnership between practitioners, parents/carers and the child)
 Learning and developing (an acknowledgement that children learn in different ways and at different
rates)

The characteristics of Effective Learning
The characteristics of Effective Learning are an integral part of the Early Years Foundation Stage
and are important when carefully considering the environment and the opportunities that will be
available for children. The characteristics of Effective Learning are:
• Playing and exploring (children investigate and experience things by ‘having a go’)
• Active learning (children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties and enjoy
their achievements)
• Creating and thinking critically (children have and develop their own ideas, make links between
ideas, and develop strategies for doing things)
At Widemarsh Explorers the learning environment is carefully planned with the Characteristics of
Effective Learning in mind and is constantly adapted to meet the needs and interests of our children.

Areas of learning
The EYFS framework outlines seven areas of learning and development and educational
programmes. There are three prime areas of learning, which are particularly important for your
child’s development and future learning:
o Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED).
o Physical Development.
o Communication and Language.
There are four specific areas of learning, through which the prime areas are strengthened and
applied:
o Literacy
o Mathematics
o Understanding the World
o Expressive Arts and Design

Prime areas/fundamental building blocks
Children attending Widemarsh Explorers will experience all areas covered in the Early Years
Foundation Stage but our curriculum strongly focuses on the three prime areas of learning and the
fundamental building blocks to all learning, which need to be enhanced and extended for children
with complex needs. The fundamental building blocks that we concentrate on are:
 Communication skills and speech and language development
 Play skills (role-play, imaginative and symbolic play)
 Self-help and independence skills
 Listening and attention
 Turn taking, sharing, social and interaction skills

Teaching and learning:
At Widemarsh Explorers the children are supported in all their learning by a specialist team of staff
who build relationships with the children, provide activities that build upon the children’s experience,
strengths and interests whilst showing warmth, patience and responsiveness to children’s
communication, play and choices.
Staff provide opportunities for learning that are themed to multi-sensory and thematic environments,
using stimuli chosen by the children, as these are the primary motivators to the children. Our
curriculum is taught through a wide range of broad overall themes rather than prescriptive ‘topics’.
Teaching and learning is based on developing the fundamental building blocks, important early
language, concepts and experiences that will be meaningful and relevant to early communication
and child development.
We recognise that each child is an individual who will develop in different ways at different rates.
Our broad curriculum planning allows the child to take part in child initiated learning with some
carefully planned adult led learning activities which are based on the children’s next steps and
motivated by their interests, to ensure that learning is purposeful and built on children’s curiosity.

Parent/carer communication
At Widemarsh Explorers, we strive on developing strong and positive relationships with our families.
We feel that communicating effectively with parents and carers is vital in ensuring good progress for
our children and we encourage parents to share information to help us to plan a bespoke curriculum
focused on the needs and interests of their children. We communicate regularly with parents/carer
through Tapestry, key focus updates and termly meetings to provide information about their child’s
progress.