Newhaven Outreach
Welcome to Newhaven Outreach
Newhaven offers an Outreach provision for students who are unable to attend an ‘in school’ placement and have a history of emotional school based avoidance or refusal.
Outreach students frequently have a complex presentation of fluctuating mental health needs, physical health conditions, learning difficulties, neurodivergence and/or trauma, resulting in disengagement from education and/or society – this typically ranges from several months to many years.
We are highly ambitious for the young people that we support. Person Centered Planning plays a fundamental role in supporting students to develop aspirations for their future and ensures that student voice remains integral.
Academic and vocational offer
The needs, abilities and interests of Outreach students are disparate and far reaching, resulting in bespoke curriculum offers. One-to-one academic lessons with experienced teachers, teaching assistants and tutors in the student’s home, online and/or local community are part of our core offer. For students who prefer a more vocational style of learning, we work closely with specialist alternative providers to ensure that we can deliver an educational offer suitable to all.
Externally accredited exams and/or qualifications are offered in all subjects; qualifications offered include (but are not limited to) Entry Level, GCSE, BTEC, Diploma, AQA awards and City & Guilds.
We plan which subjects are studied and what support is needed with the student and their family/carers, to ensure that they have the qualifications they need to fulfil their aspirations.
Independent Living Skills
We want to ensure that students leave us with not only academic or vocational success, but also the skills they need to go on to lead happy and fulfilled lives once they leave Newhaven. We place as much emphasis on supporting students pastorally and developing their independent living skills, as we do on their academic or vocational success.
Working with the students and their families/carers, the Wheel of Independence is used as a platform to establish what skills the young person needs to enhance in order to become as autonomously as they are able. Some students will also be offered travel training to increase their independent living skills, dependent upon need. Students, families/carers and Outreach staff work together to support the student to develop their independent living skills and ascertain what skills they wish to build on.
Students may be offered social communication interventions to increase their functional and social communication skills in a variety of settings with a range of people. As self-advocacy is a fundamental life skill; it is embedding in all aspects of our curriculum in order to ensure that students are able to advocate their needs and wishes.
Pastoral support
We place a huge importance on the wellbeing of the student and their families/carers and pastoral staff ensure that they are in regular contact. We also support families to forge and strengthen relationships with non-educational based services and work collaboratively with them to both safeguard and support families holistically.
Students may be offered a ten week Mindfulness in Schools Project .b course and Stress Management coaching sessions with a qualified wellbeing practitioner, in response to need.
Parents/carers are offered regular support through Parent workshops, run by Newhaven’s Clinical Psychologist Rekha Vara and Phinnah Ikeji from the Parent and Carers Champion Network Greenwich.
Transitions
We support students to develop aspirations for their future selves as a means of forging pathways for when they leave Newhaven. Students are supported to gradually transition between Outreach and their chosen school, college, university, apprenticeships, volunteering or paid employment.
Our core offer includes:
- Student led curriculums developed around engagement, informed by student interest and aspirations
- Personalised Learning Plans, developed alongside the student
- 1-1 lessons with highly experienced teachers, teaching assistants and externally sourced specialist tutors
- A trauma informed approach, focused on student wellbeing
- Lessons in student’s homes, local communities and/or online
- Reasonable adjustments in response to student need
- Holistic support for the student and their family, enabling them to forge and strengthen relationships with other professionals
- Robust safeguarding support, working collaboratively with other professional networks
- Parent workshops, run by Newhaven’s Clinical Psychologist Rekha Vara and Phinnah Ikeji from the Parent and Carers Champion Network Greenwich.
As part of each student’s bespoke curriculum, we may offer:
- A wide range of academic curriculum with externally accredited exams and/or qualifications
- Supported vocational learning in partnership with chosen alternative providers
- Independent Living Skills focusing on developing student autonomy
- Travel training
- Person Centred Planning
- Social communication interventions
- A ten week Mindfulness in Schools Project ‘.b’ course
- Stress Management coaching sessions with a qualified Wellbeing practitioner
- Signposting onto other professionals or organisations
- Supported graduated transition once the student moves onto a new educational provision (SEND referral pathway)
- Supported re-integration into the student’s named school (Inclusion referral pathway)
- Supported graduated transition into apprenticeships, volunteering or paid employment
Photograph by Roman, year 10
Artwork by Quinn, year 13
Referral Pathways
There are two referral pathways into the Outreach Provision:
Students who meet the following criteria can be referred for panel consideration via Greenwich SEND
Eligibility criteria:
- Year 7 – 14
- Have a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Condition/Disorder
- Have mental health needs and CAMHS input
- Have a significant history of emotional school based avoidance or refusal (1 year +)
- School can evidence (through plan, do, reviews or other supporting documentation from other relevant professionals) that they have implemented reasonable adjustments prior to referral
- Student and parent/carer have consented to the referral (student voice has been obtained overtly or covertly)
All referral forms should be sent for triaging to: Special-Needs@royalgreenwich.gov.uk
If the referral is successful, SEND Outreach students will be offered medium-long term support and will be allocated on roll with Newhaven school.
Students who meet the following criteria can be referred for panel consideration via Greenwich Inclusion:
Eligibility criteria:
- Year 7 – 11
- Are on roll at a Greenwich school or are a resident in Greenwich if attending an out of borough school.
- Have not been accessing education for 15+ days
- School can evidence (through plan, do, reviews or other supporting documentation from other relevant professionals) that they have implemented reasonable adjustments prior to referral
- Student and parent/carer have consented to the referral (student voice has been obtained overtly or covertly)
All referral forms should be sent for panel consideration to: school-medical-needs@royalgreenwich.gov.uk
If the referral is successful, Inclusion Outreach students will be offered short term support (3 months with regular reviews) with the aim of being supported to reengage with an ‘in-school’ provision following an intensive re-engagement program and a supported transition. Students will remain on-roll with their referring school.
