Multi-Agency Partnerships

Children who have a diagnosed hearing loss and attend Halcyon Way School will receive support from a Teacher of The Deaf who has a mandatory qualification in deaf education. The Teacher of The Deaf who supports Halcyon Way is employed by Oldham Council’s Peripatetic Service

The Teacher of The Deaf who visits Halcyon Way will work within the multi disciplinary team to provide:

• A thorough assessment of the pupil’s needs and strengths
• A plan setting out how the school will meet those needs and overcome any barriers to the pupil making good progress
• Effective implementation of the plan
• Regular reviews of the pupil’s progress and success of the plan to establish whether changes need to be made and what they are

The Teacher of The Deaf will monitor all children who wear hearing aids and cochlear implants in school and will directly teach, provide planning, modelling and training for deaf children with support from the Teaching Assistants in the child’s class.

Children receive different levels of support which usually depends on their level of hearing loss

The Teacher of the Deaf works in partnership with parents of pupils attending Halcyon Way School and will communicate with parents using the home school book, attend Annual Reviews and initial Audiology Clinic Appointments.

The Teacher of the Deaf will work closely with the staff at Halcyon Way to ensure that deaf children attending the school have a happy and rewarding time and achieve their potential.

The Team  for  Visual Impairment  visits Halcyon Way School on a regular basis to support pupils who have a visual impairment and the staff who work with them.

The services we offer in school include:

• Functional Vision Assessments
• Provision of written reports with clear strategies and recommendations
• Advice about the best learning conditions for children with a visual impairment – a suitable learning environment to support independence, suitable ways of working and  resources for children with a visual impairment.
• Advice and support in the use of technology, specialist equipment and low vision aids to ensure curriculum access
• Training and advice for staff working with children and young people with a visual impairment
• Individual teaching sessions to include pre-braille, mobility input and elements of the expanded core curriculum
• Advice and support on the wider implications of visual impairment, for example social interaction, to ensure inclusion
• Liaison with families, school and medical professionals
• Provision of information about outside agencies that can offer support to children and families
• Support with transition

At Halcyon Way we have invested time and resources in helping children with diagnosed Sensory Processing Difficulties. This will have been initially detected via Oldham’s Childrens’ Occupational Therapy Team. The team will assess the child and then create a report for both school and home to implement. It is evident when a child’s sensory system is working well as we see calm and regulated children who are ready to learn.

What are Sensory Processing Difficulties?

Sensory Processing Difficulties (SPD sometimes called Sensory Integration or SI) is a term that refers to the way the body receives and interprets messages from the senses.

Humans have a multitude of senses that help them to gather information about the world around them: hearing, seeing, touch, smell, taste, balance, and proprioception (which is knowing what the muscles are doing without looking).

A “Sensory Diet” is a carefully designed, personalised activity plan that provides children with the sensory inputs they need to remain in a calm, alert state for a majority of the time.

To help support a child’s ‘Sensory Diet’ Nic Found and Sian Montgomery observe and work with the child and class team to provide them with a more detailed sensory diet. This is implemented at school and parents and carers may be invited into school to learn ways in which they can support the child at home.

Children’s Occupational Therapy is located in the Integrated Care Centre in Oldham.  Below are a range of services they can provide.

• Home adaptations
• Sensory profiling
• Seating assessments
• Slings and hoists
• Additional equipment

This is run via a referral system, this can be actioned via your GP, consultants, paediatricians and school nurses.

Click here for more information

Physiotherapist – Julie Battle

The physiotherapy service provides assessment and treatment for children at Halcyon Way School who have physical difficulties. This may include exercise programmes, hydrotherapy, positioning and the provision of equipment to meet the individual’s needs.

If you would like and help or support please contact the Physiotherapy Team on 0161 621 3500 or 0161 770 5931 or e-mail [email protected]

School Nurses – Sarah Clegg, Amanda Pollitt and Lauren Pauley

The School Nurses are Sarah Clegg, Amanda Pollitt and Lauren Pauley. They work across the sites of all the Oldham special school but are onsite at some points each week and are available to offer advice to parents and staff. They provide any medical training that school staff may need in order to meet the children’s needs.

The School Nurses are also able to refer pupils to other healthcare professionals including: Consultant Paediatrician; Ophthalmologist; Special Needs Dental Care and the Podiatrist.