Young people at Prior's Court are now
gaining the physical benefits of rebound
therapy - while also receiving recognition
for their growing skill sets.
Since the beginning of the 2023/24 academic year, 16
young people have been participating in accredited
rebound therapy learning as part of our Healthiness
Area of Learning.
The 20-minute-long sessions are designed to
improve young people's balance and motor skills,
fitness, bodily awareness and body position, as well
as much more.
But the learning is also accredited so young people's
progression and achievements in tasks within the
programme are recognised.
Kirk Smith, Prior's Court's Healthiness Learning
Specialist who leads the sessions, said: "It benefits
young people in different ways - for some it might
be the type of exercise they best engage with so it
brings health benefits, but for those who are more
active we can teach body position, body shape and
ideas like that.
"The accreditation model is very helpful as it is
designed with special educational needs in mind
so it works really well for our young people. We can
already see some real progress across different areas
for our young people which is very promising."
The use of rebound therapy is part of a holistic
approach to young people's therapeutic support,
with crossover with Occupational Therapy and
Physiotherapy already being provided on-site by
expert staff members.
Speech and Language Therapy is also supported
with rebound therapy supporting generalising usage
of core language (such as "stop" and "go"), as well
as the introduction of specific symbols for rebound
therapy sessions.
Training has also been given to Wellbeing staff so
rebound therapy can be provided outside of term
time and school hours.
Young people at Prior's Court
are now accessing a revised
programme of vocational
skills learning to equip them
with the knowledge and
experience they need in
the world of work.
For the 2023/24 academic year,
our Vocational Skills Area of
Learning, which is accessed
by young people in Post-16
and our Young Adult Provision
(YAP), has been consolidated
into two learning programmes
- land-based and hospitality -
based on employment sectors.
Young people who are
learning the land-based
programme gain skills in
orchard tending, grounds maintenance,
grounds gardening, and growing fruit and
vegetables among other things. Young
people who are learning the hospitality
programme gain skills in customer
service, housekeeping, room set up
and porterage, and food and beverage
handling.
The tweaks to the hospitality learning
programme have also led to the revamp
of two rooms on-site to be solely used as
training areas for learning housekeeping
skills, including having beds to practice
bed-making.
Young people in Post-16 and YAP are also
taught Readiness to Work skills to prepare
them for entering the world of work.
These are skills such as manual handling,
wearing PPE, focus and productivity
among other topics.
Rebound therapy bouncing into action to
support young people's development
Revamped Vocational Skills learning
programme supports skill development
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