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Oracy is the ability to articulate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others through speaking, listening and communication.

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Academic Impact: Research by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) suggests that effective oral language interventions can lead to 6 months of additional academic progress.

Life Skills: It is essential for employability, as communication is a top skill sought by employers, and for civic engagement, as it enables people to advocate for their rights.

Well-being: Strong oracy helps children build successful relationships, resolve conflicts, and express their feelings.

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Oracy is divided into 4 distinct areas:

Physical: Using body language, facial expressions, and voice (tone, volume, and pace) effectively.

Linguistic: Choosing appropriate vocabulary and grammar to express ideas clearly.

Cognitive: Organising thoughts, selecting content, and building on the ideas of others.

Social & Emotional: Developing confidence, managing nerves, and listening with empathy.

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This year, our school is focusing on oracy to help children speak clearly and confidently. In class, we use oracy sentence stems, which are simple sentence starters that help children explain their ideas and listen to others.

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It would be great if you could encourage this at home by asking your children what some of them are. Maybe they could even start using some at home!

Another way to help support oracy at home is by playing games where children need to explain their ideas. This helps build confidence, improve communication skills, and support learning across all subjects.

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Here is a link with some great talking games to play on long drives:

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The Ultimate List of Car Talking Games [22 fun ways to keep kids entertained using only your voices!]

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Tired of hearing “are we there yet?” These games for your kids are super fun, need no materials and even develop some key skills like critical thinking and mindfulness!

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Mrs Kriesler, the Special Needs Co-Ordinator, will be introducing monthly 'SEN Drop In Meetings' on the last Friday of each month.

The meetings are for parents and carers to discuss:

Concerns about their child's needs

What support is in place to meet their child's needs?

Referrals for specialist support

How to support their child at home

The meetings are for up to 30 minutes at 8:30am, 9:00 and 9:30am.

The first meeting for this academic is to be confirmed

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Autism is a developmental condition caused by differences in the brain. People with ASD often have problems with social communication and interaction, and restricted or repetitive behaviors or interests. People with ASD may also have different ways of learning, moving, or paying attention.

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The SEND Information Report is a legal document that explains how Elmwood Junior School supports our students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). It helps our parents understand how their child will be supported in school if they need extra help with learning.

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Scan this QR code to see our latest SEND Information Report or visit our website at: https://www.elmwood-jun.croydon.sch.uk/document-zone/send-information-report/

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A booklet of guidance for parents/carers supporting a child with ASD.

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Visit the National Autistic Society webpage for information about what autism is, advice, guidance and resources.

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A definition of autism with an overview of communication, behaviours and interests, and sensory processing differences needed for an autism diagnosis.

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Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Speech & Language Therapist, Natasha Perera

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Responsible for speech and language therapy provision for children referred by school to the service. This includes offering specialist assessment, advice and therapy for children who have difficulties with their communication, such as:

· Understanding

· Interacting with others

· Attention and listening

· Memory

· Talking

· Speech sounds and stammering

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Learn about our passion for improving speech and language skills to enrich lives. We offer an array of speech & language therapy services to suit your needs.

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Speech and Language Throughout The School 

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Speech and Language Throughout The School 

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Provision also includes whole-school support such as training & advice sessions for parents and staff, training staff to run groups and working with staff in class to help them improve children’s communication skills.

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If you have any concerns about your child's speech and language please speak to the school's SENDCo, Mrs Kriesler.

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See our website that is attached and follow our link at the bottom for our Facebook page for further information and advice/activities to support your child’s language & communication at home

Evelina London NHS Children's Community Speech and Language Therapy | Facebook

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A teenager explains how organ donation has changed her life

This Organ Donation Week, Sahar and her family are sharing their life-changing story of donating and receiving a kidney at Evelina London.

Hair today, school tomorrow

A four-year-old girl has started school with a brand new look after cutting off 12 inches of hair to raise money for Evelina London.

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Evelina London Children's Hospital and community services are part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. We are the second largest provider of children's services in London. Our vision is to be a world leading centre of life-changing care for children, young people and their families.

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Follow the link above and click on the 'Primary School Leaflet' drop down menu to access a range of advice sheets to support your child with fine motor skills, attention and focus and sensory sensitivity.

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The Children's Occupational Therapy service provides therapy, advice, equipment and adaptations for children who have disabilities or difficulties with everyday tasks. The service is based at the Crystal Centre and we also work in a variety of settings including schools, nurseries, Croydon University Hospital and the child's home.

Occupational therapists are specially trained to assess and provide advice and intervention for children with any disability and children who experience difficulties with everyday tasks at home, school and at play.

Occupational therapists assist with:

specialist equipment

home adaptations

development of play and personal care skills

splinting for chronic conditions

coordination and fine motor skills development

sensory processing and integration

school advice to accommodate the child's needs.

Referrals can be made by parents or carers, schools and other professionals. Please contact the service to obtain a referral form. It may be necessary for a completed questionnaire to be returned to the service.

Following an assessment of the child's needs, input is given in the form of programmes, therapy sessions, group sessions, equipment and adaptation provision, guidance to schools and working together with other relevant services to meet the child's needs.

General advice and activities

Please see our early years, primary school and secondary school advice sheets (on the right) which offer activity ideas and advice for schools/guardians/parents who are concerned about their child's functional development. They are grouped in different stages for early years and school but individual ideas may be relevant to your child regardless of stage.

Before using the activity sheets please read the " Introduction to Advice Sheets " guide as this will explain the importance and recommended frequency of repetition of the activities.

Appointments
What do I do if I haven't received my appointment yet?
The waiting time for an initial appointment is 18 weeks. Should you wish to check on progress of your referral you can contact Children's OT on 020 8274 6854 to enquire. When the child has been allocated to a member of the OT team, contact will be made to arrange an initial appointment.
What do I do if I want to change or cancel an appointment?
Please contact Children's OT as soon as possible to reschedule any appointments.
What should I bring to my appointment?
Copies of relevant school and medical reports may be helpful.
What time should I arrive for my appointment?
It is essential that you arrive on time for your appointment in order to receive input for the full scheduled session. Treatment room sessions will not be able to overrun.

Contact Us

Croydon Children's Occupational Therapy Service
Crystal Children's Development Centre
Malling Close,

Addiscombe

Croydon, CR0 7YD

Telephone: 020 8274 6854/6850

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At Elmwood Junior School we believe that all our children can become fluent readers and writers. This is why we ‘catch up’ through 'Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised', which is a systematic and synthetic phonics program. We chose this as it is government approved and is a comprehensive programme ensuring that children have the opportunity to learn at the correct pace and covers all the sounds needed to become a competent and fluent reader. It is also the same scheme as the Infant School and so we know that it will build upon the skills that the children are familiar with.

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For parents - The resources on this page will help you support your child with saying their sounds and writing their letters. There are also some useful videos so you can see how they are taught at school and feel confident about supporting their reading at home. 

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More details are available on the Little Wandle Website

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Supporting your child with reading
Although your child will be taught to read at school, you can have a huge impact on their reading journey by continuing their practice at home.

There are two types of reading book that your child may bring home:

A reading practice book. This will be at the correct phonic stage for your child. They should be able to read this fluently and independently.

A sharing book. Your child will not be able to read this on their own. This book is for you both to read and enjoy together.
Reading practice book
This book has been carefully matched to your child's current reading level. If your child is reading it with little help, please don't worry that it's too easy - your child needs to develop fluency and confidence in reading.

Listen to them read the book. Remember to give them lots of praise - celebrate their success! If they can't read a word, read it to them. After they have finished, talk about the book together.
Sharing book
In order to encourage your child to become a lifelong reader, it is important that they learn to read for pleasure. The sharing book is a book they have chosen for you to enjoy together.

Please remember that you shouldn't expect your child to read this alone. Read it to or with them. Discuss the pictures, enjoy the story, predict what might happen next, use different voices for the characters, explore the facts in a non-fiction book. The main thing is that you have fun!

Back to top

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The resources on this page will help you support your child with saying their sounds and writing their letters. There are also some useful videos so you can see how they are taught at school and feel...

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We work closely with Key Stage 1 staff to ensure that we know the phonic ability of the children upon entry to the school. Once the children are settled in school, a Phonic assessment is completed to identify gaps in learning. Any child who needs to continue to work on Phonics is then identified and placed into an intervention group appropriate to their level.

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Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that mainly causes problems with reading, writing and spelling.

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It's a specific learning difficulty, which means it causes problems with certain abilities used for learning, such as reading and writing.

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Children then attend daily Phonics interventions for 30 minutes. In these sessions children revise previous sounds, learn new sounds and apply them into reading and writing words. The children also learn to read key words that cannot be sounded out, these are known as ‘Tricky Words’.

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Children in Phonics interventions will bring home a reading book that is appropriate to the Phonic Phase that they are secure in. This may mean that the book seems easy to read. This is to ensure that the child feels success and grows in confidence at reading.

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Children will receive spellings that are appropriate to the sounds that are being taught in Phonics that week will be sent home on a Friday to learn ready for the test the following Friday.

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Sensory seeking and sensory sensitivity refer to different ways individuals respond to sensory input. 

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Sensory seeking: Individuals actively seek out sensory experiences and may enjoy trying new foods, loud music, or new textures.

Sensory sensitivity: Individuals are easily overwhelmed by sensory input and may experience overstimulation from any of the five senses.

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Useful link for more information

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Our sensory processing is strongly linked to our emotional state, regulation and stress. When we are worried, anxious or upset, our tolerance to certain sensory stimuli such as noise or movement may be reduced. When we are calm and relaxed, we are more tolerant of noises, smells and other incoming sensory information.

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for further information click on this link

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learning disabilities

Sensory Processing in Young People with a Learning Disability and/or ASD

We use our sensory systems to understand the world around us. We process information through our senses and decide on how to respond to the things we are experiencing. Sensory systems that absorb information about the world around us are:

The last 3 sensory systems - touch, proprioception and vestibular - help us to feel in tune with our world and to feel grounded as a person.

Learning how to process sensory-based information as it is received can be challenging for all of us at times, but more challenging for a child with a learning disability. We have to filter out what things are important and what things to ignore. For instance, if we hear our name being called, we respond to this, even though there may be other sounds in the room that could distract us. Some children have difficulty with this filtering process.

Many of these behaviours are not uncommon, but sometimes they can be persistent and impact on quality of life:

Running out of busy places when there are lots of visuals and/or sounds present.
This may be a child who cannot cope with processing so many different things at one time.

Seeking lots of physical movement through the day.
This may be a child who needs more information into their muscle and movement systems, to tell them where they are in space.

Sensitivity to light touch.
Your child may be very sensitive to unexpected or light touch and have an anxious response to it.

Seeking heavy touch and hugs.
Your child may seek lots of heavy touch, through hugs for example, to get more input to their touch system. This can be calming for them.

Difficulty with posture and co-ordination.
This may represent a child whose muscle and movement systems are not as efficient.

Being overloaded by visual or sound input.
This may affect their ability to concentrate

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
Consider patterns of behaviour. Reasons may be many and varied, but among them may be some of the following:

Your child may be trying to feed a sensory system that they are not so good at registering.

You may also find that if your child receives too many stimuli, they reach an overload state and this can lead to a state of high anxiety.

Often children instinctively know what they need, and may be giving you clues as to what sensory input they are seeking, or what they are unable to cope with.

Think about what things your child may be sensitive to; such as light touch or hair brushing.

If your child is seeking more input, see if there are ways to support your child through sensory based activities that "feed" sensory needs in the right way (e.g. movement breaks between sedentary activities).

You may find that your child seeks certain sensory stimulation - this may be an attempt to "kick start" a system that is not as active as the child needs it to be.

Challenging behaviour can have a sensory based cause, but can increase with secondary gains (e.g. avoiding an activity). It can be challenging to work out what is motivating a child to display these behaviours, and what has become more important as an additional gain for the child. Sometimes it helps just to try and understand why a child may behave in the way that they do. Looking at behaviours using a sensory viewpoint can help you to understand why your child reacts to certain things (e.g. sensitivity to clothing).

COMMON QUESTIONS
Q : Is my child trying to feed a sensory system by increasing the input to it?
Answer: Maybe, but do not stop them from feeding this system, try and find acceptable ways they can do this.

Q: Is my child defensive of certain sensory inputs?
Answer: They may have difficulty filtering input to their sensory systems. Be gentle in gradually increasing their tolerance. Seek advice if you are concerned.

Q: Is the environment contributing to my child's sensory difficulties?
Answer: Look at ordering the environment so it is not overloading them. Break down the elements that might be affecting them, and reduce the stimulus (e.g. putting away toys into boxes reduces visual overload).

Q: How can I reduce the impact of sensory over load?
Answer: The use of weight bearing or heavy muscle activity can calm a child before a challenging event/activity.

CONSIDER SEEKING HELP:
If you feel that your child has ongoing difficulties or challenging behaviours that are affecting their ability to cope with their environment and every day activities, please talk to your Paediatrician, Social Worker, or School about further sources of support.

The Sensory Integration Network provides courses and online resources related to sensory integration.
Website

'The Out of Sync Child' by Carol Stock Kranowitz
Website

TheNational Autistic Society provides information and support for people with Autism and their families and for professionals. They are a very active organisation and offer some really useful information about strategies and approaches for supporting people with Autism.
Website

The British Institute of Learning Disabilities also have some useful information and further advice about a variety of common issues.
Website

Local Offer is a Derbyshire-specific site which allows you to search for lots of different services, including parenting support groups, in the local area.
Website

Derbyshire Area Sensory Needs Processing Package
DCC Local area can now offer a 'bundle' of resources to support the SPN of children & young people which will be of especial interest to schools, colleges and early years' settings. Please click on the following link to learn more and to read the statement from DCC:
Website

Derbyshire County offer local support for pupils in school who may have sensory processing needs

Sheffield Children's Hospital provide a number of helpful sensory processing strategies

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We use our sensory systems to understand the world around us. We process information through our senses and decide on how to respond to the things we are experiencing.

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Every six weeks there is an assessment to see how the children are progressing and where any further work needs to be done. Children can move Phonic Phases when they are secure in the knowledge for each Phase.

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ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. 

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Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or be overly active. ADHD can affect a child at school, at home, and in friendships.

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In schools, ELSA stands for Emotional Literacy Support Assistant. ELSA is a provision designed to support pupils' social and emotional needs.

ELSA acknowledges that children and young people learn best when they feel happier and their emotional needs are being addressed.

ELSAs are trained to plan and deliver programmes of support to pupils who may be experiencing temporary or long term additional social/emotional needs.

A lot of work that ELSAs do will be on an individual basis with one child, however, there are cases where group sessions may be appropriate such as when working on social skills and friendship skills.

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There are a lot of social / emotional skills that ELSA can help with, including:

Social Skills

Friendship

Bereavement

Social interaction

Social Stories

Anger Management

Self-esteem

Real-life problem-solving skills

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My name is Miss Elliott, I am Elmwood's ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant).I support pupils across the school with an array of emotional need.

What is emotional literacy?

Recognizing facial expression in both yourself and others

Understanding feelings

Being able to label feelings

Knowing how feelings affect your body

Expressing and communicating your feelings in different ways

Being able to regulate feelings

Expressing empathy for others

I also support pupils with friendship skills, self-esteem and all of Elmwood's school values.

Both parents and pupils are welcome to communicate with myself regarding any concerns both at home and school that could be having an emotional impact on themselves or their children.

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The Zones of Regulation is a systematic framework designed to help individuals, especially children, understand and manage their emotions, sensory needs, and self-regulation skills. Created by occupational therapist Leah Kuypers, this framework categorises emotions and states of alertness into four colour-coded zones, each representing a different level of emotional intensity and self-regulation.

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What each colour Zone looks and feels like

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Blue Zone: This zone represents a low state of alertness. Children in the Blue Zone might feel sad, tired, or sick. They may need to rest and regain energy.

Green Zone: The Green Zone signifies an optimal state of alertness. Children in this zone are focused, calm, and ready to learn. They feel happy, content or relaxed.

Yellow Zone: The Yellow Zone represents a heightened state of alertness. Children might feel frustrated, anxious, or excited. They need strategies to help them stay in control and make appropriate choices.

Red Zone: This zone signifies an extremely high state of alertness. Children in the Red Zone are overwhelmed by intense emotions such as anger, fear, or panic. They require immediate support to calm down and regain self-control.

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All Croydon schools are committed to and adopt a similar approach to meeting the needs of all pupils including those with special educational needs. There is a shared expectation that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs, should be offered inclusive teaching which will enable them to make the best possible progress in school and ensure they can actively participate in the wider aspects of school life.
For further information on the Croydon Local Offer, please click here
https://localoffer.croydon.gov.uk/kb5/croydon/directory/home.page

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At Elmwood Junior School we strive to create a sense of community and belonging for all our pupils. We have an inclusive ethos with high expectations and appropriate expected outcomes, a broad and balanced curriculum for all children and systems in place for the early identification of barriers to learning and participation. For further information, please contact the SENDCO Mrs Kriesler at jkreisler@elmwood-jun.croydon.sch.uk

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Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENDCO) and Assistant Head Teacher. Mrs. Kriesler 

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Responsible for coordinating and monitoring provisions for pupils with SEND and developing the school's SEND policy. She also provides support for staff to ensure they are meeting the needs of all pupils and liaising with outside agencies to access specialist support.

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Responsible for ensuring that statuary provision is made for children with SEND and supports the school to evaluate its impact.

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Who should I contact to discuss any concerns about my child? 

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Who should I contact to discuss any concerns about my child? 

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If you have any concerns about your child you should speak directly to your child's class teacher first. Depending on the outcomes of the discussions you may be directed to have a follow up meeting with the SENDCO and/or the year group leader.

The class teacher is responsible for providing high quality personalised teaching and learning that responds to the needs of all pupils, monitoring the progress of your child, identifying targets and organising provision to support meeting those targets. Class teachers complete SEN Support Plans to track progress and meet with parents to discuss progress.

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Some examples of fidget tools we may use in school

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To support self-regulation pupil's have access to fidget tool. Fidget tools (sometimes referred to as sensory tools) are designed to help with self-regulation. Fidget tools can come in a variety of formats and have been shown to help students focus, relax, and maintain attention to instruction.  They can help manage anxiety while also providing a safe way calm nerves, reduce hyperactivity symptoms, as well as provide comfort in situations where one may need extra support.

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SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (KIDS—SENDIASS) 

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SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (KIDS—SENDIASS) 

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KIDS support over 11,800 disabled children, young people and their families every year by delivering over 60 services throughout England.

We ensure disabled children from birth to 25 have the opportunity to learn, play, build friendships, gain confidence and improve their well-being and we provide vital time, emotional and practical support to parents and siblings.

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special educational needs and disability

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KIDS support over 11,800 disabled children, young people and their families every year by delivering over 60 services throughout England. We ensure disabled children from birth to 25 have the opportunity to learn, play, build friendships, gain confidence and improve their well-being and we provide vital time, emotional and practical support to parents and siblings.

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Dyslexia is a neurological difference and can have a significant impact during education, in the workplace and in everyday life. As each person is unique, so is everyone's experience of dyslexia. It can range from mild to severe, and it can co-occur with other learning difficulties. It usually runs in families and is a life-long condition.

It is important to remember that there are positives to thinking differently. Many dyslexic people show strengths in areas such as reasoning and in visual and creative fields.

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About dyslexia - British Dyslexia Association

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Dyslexia is a neurological difference and can have a significant impact during education, in the workplace and in everyday life. As each person is unique, so is everyone's experience of dyslexia. It can range from mild to severe, and it can co-occur with other learning difficulties.

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See the NHS website for information about the symptoms and types of ADHD and support.

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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects people's behaviour. People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse.

Symptoms of ADHD tend to be noticed at an early age and may become more noticeable when a child's circumstances change, such as when they start school.

Most cases are diagnosed when children are under 12 years old, but sometimes it's diagnosed later in childhood.

Sometimes ADHD was not recognised when someone was a child, and they are diagnosed later as an adult.

The symptoms of ADHD may improve with age, but many adults who were diagnosed with the condition at a young age continue to experience problems.

People with ADHD may also have additional problems, such as sleep and anxiety disorders.

Getting help

Many children go through phases where they're restless or inattentive. This is often completely normal and does not necessarily mean they have ADHD.

But you should discuss your concerns with your child's teacher, their school's special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) or a GP if you think their behaviour may be different from most children their age.

It's also a good idea to speak to a GP if you're an adult and think you may have ADHD, but were not diagnosed with the condition as a child.

What causes attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?

The exact cause of ADHD is unknown, but the condition has been shown to run in families.

Research has also identified a number of possible differences in the brains of people with ADHD when compared with those without the condition.

Other factors suggested as potentially having a role in ADHD include:

being born prematurely (before the 37th week of pregnancy)

having a low birthweight

smoking or alcohol or drug abuse during pregnancy

ADHD can occur in people of any intellectual ability, although it's more common in people with learning difficulties.

How attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is treated

For children with ADHD, although there's no cure, it can be managed with appropriate educational support, advice and support for parents and affected children, alongside medicine, if necessary.

For adults with ADHD, medicine is often the first treatment offered, although psychological therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) may also help.

Living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Parents of children with ADHD

Looking after a child with ADHD can be challenging, but it's important to remember that they cannot help their behaviour.

Some day-to-day activities might be more difficult for you and your child, including:

getting your child to sleep at night

getting ready for school on time

listening to and carrying out instructions

being organised

social occasions

shopping

Adults with ADHD

Adults with ADHD may find they have problems with:

organisation and time management

following instructions

focusing and completing tasks

coping with stress

feeling restless or impatient

impulsiveness and risk taking

Some adults may also have issues with relationships or social interaction.

Page last reviewed: 24 December 2021
Next review due: 24 December 2024

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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

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Read about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a condition that affects people's behaviour.