Special Educational
Needs
Home Education (inc Holiday Club) and Special Educational needs and Disabilities
At Into The Ark Forest School we strive to be an inclusive setting. We have many children within our setting who have their own unique needs and abilities. Many of these children are neurodiverse.
We find that a Forest School setting is a perfect place for children who are neurodiverse to be safe and happy and a space where they are able to be themselves. They have the freedom, space and understanding which enables them to flourish and grow. We embrace individuality and foster a community of respect and acceptance.
Within the Home Ed setting and Holiday clubs we have an approximate ratio of 1 member of staff to 5 children which allows us work within small groups helping and supporting children in their play and discovery.
We do sometimes have parents approach us with children who have more complex needs.
Some children who are home Educated are being so due to struggling in school and or having bad experiences and they may bring this emotional ‘baggage’ with them. Due to the nature of ‘Home Education’ and the Holiday Clubs there is no additional funding available to settings like our own for children who need more support than we are able to provide.
Some parents are keen to get their children to ‘socialise’ within groups or sessions such as the one we provide. However group sessions, such as our Forest School may not always be the right environment for all children. Not every child learns best or can manage in a group. For some children our self-directed learning environment is perfect. However, for some children this environment is just too much. Some children will need a more time before they are able to manage within a social group and can often cope much better with one-to-one or socialising with adults or older children.
If children are unable to manage their behaviour and self-regulate enough to follow the groups guidelines or rules, they may not be ready to join the setting. This doesn’t mean they wont ever, they may just need more time with parents or in one-to-one situations.
The Self-directed nature of Forest school with little adult-imposed structure can be challenging for some children who strive within more structured environments and routines.
Our Home Ed Forest School and Holiday Club provision is a self-directed learning environment and not a therapy provider. There are children that may need more support than we are able to provide.
When a parent is looking for group setting for their ‘Home Educated’ child or a holiday club, it is important to ask yourself:
Can they handle themselves for 6 hours without close adult support?
Do they find group settings stressful?
Can they self regulate enough to take themselves off to calm down, or do they need an adult being right there to pre-empt the crisis?
Are they able to trust adults?
If they are unable to do these things it may mean they are not quite ready for a setting like Forest School. It may mean you need to spend more time in smaller group situations.