Training Offer

What is Autism? - This short twilight session will introduce you to the main characteristics and spectrum of autism, including the history and changes in thinking over time. We will consider the way in which the characteristics of Autism can impact learning and some of the basic strategies to support autistic learners.

Autism - Routines and Structures - This short twilight will focus on understanding why routines and structures can be so important and how having the right environment and approach can have a significant impact on pupils being ready to learn.

Autism and Behaviour - This short twilight will focus on understanding some of the behaviours shown by autistic pupils and how a positive behaviour support approach alongside sensory integration can support autistic pupils to regulate their behaviour effectively. 

There are twilight courses for these training events, please click below to find out more.

We are currently being commissioned by Bristol City Council to run a Belonging in SEND project with a number of mainstream schools. 

Briarwood’s unique approach in supporting SEND students with their behaviour, engagement with learning and effective management of individual needs, integrates multiple evidence-based approaches;

• Positive behaviour support (PBS)
• Trauma informed approaches, both as an intervention and as a way of viewing and managing behaviour
• Somatosensory (or sensory integration approaches)
• Appropriate ASD approaches
• Communication approaches
• Positive relationships
• Team Teach approach to behaviour and relationships

Briarwood’s approach reflects our understanding of the complex needs of all our pupils and how this affects their ability to self-regulate and manage their behaviour positively in order to successfully engage with their learning.
We endeavour to ensure that all pupils access provision that is inclusive to their individual needs. We take a holistic, whole-person approach to behaviour and pastoral support that encompasses sensory processing, trauma informed approaches, positive behaviour strategies and appropriate physical environments.

Taking a whole school approach, our integrated framework for proactive support for SEND students, within their own educational setting works across multiple levels including creating policy and decision change at leadership level; developing teaching staff’s skills, toolset and confidence and improving engagement and communication directly with students using a trauma-informed, person-centred approach.

The Belonging in SEND allows access to the following package of opportunities:

• A minimum of two sessions for leaders, focussing on the background to these approaches and the research, evidence base and rationale underpinning the approaches 
• Tailored session and support from us to enable school leaders to audit their current provision and create an Action Plan to include the why, what and how of making positive and practical changes for SEND students in their schools
• Strategic level support for school leaders with changing policies and delivering change
• A visit from a Briarwood senior leader to the participating school to support with auditing and planning, with guidance and advice tailored to the school’s specific context
• A further six sessions to include visits to Briarwood and or the participating school to support with ongoing implementation of the Action Plan
• Access to our Briarwood ‘clinic’ to troubleshoot specific problems schools may have, address issues arising and signpost to additional support
• Training for identified staff in the Briarwood approach to include:

• Positive behaviour approaches
• Somatosensory
• ASD approaches
• Communication approaches
• Relationships
• Team Teach (including qualification through our accredited trainers)

This program runs on demand, please contact us to find out more.

The Briarwood curriculum is completely unique and has been designed and developed to take into account the needs of all pupils with SEND from ages 3-19. 

A curriculum is the basis for any school to provide a meaningful and effective education to the pupils who attend.
At Briarwood we believe this should be a broad and balanced approach which identifies and meets the needs of our pupils. 

Our curriculum is designed as a cohesive approach with pupil needs at the core; therefore facilitating greater involvement of families, the pupil and other professionals in their learning and development. The overarching curriculum vision is one that supports the idea of provision and curriculum linking together.

Consequently, what a pupil needs at that point in time, becomes both a provision requirement and a learning opportunity. This means there are closer, consistent connections between the schools curriculum and the provision we offer.

We provide positive challenges to foster individual achievements and promote confidence and self-expression. This allows the curriculum to show progress of pupils over time; celebrating the challenging, enriching and developmental progress of all pupils.

If you would like support in auditing your curriculum for pupils with SEND and development opportunities please contact us. 

Preparing our pupils for adulthood is in the main crux of everything we do. We feel strongly that pupils should be equipped with all those essential skills that will promote their independence and raise their confidence in themselves. Therefore, at Briarwood, as part of our holistic curriculum offer we offer career/employability experiences from early years up to Sixth form.

This twilight session will be focussing on how this looks like in practice and the theory behind it but ultimately we want to ensure you feel confident and inspired to support your pupils acquire those essential tools that will help them thrive, regardless of the challenges they may face.

There is a twilight course for this training, please click below to find out more. 

This twilight will explore the ways in which we teach children with SEND about different areas of diversity.

By the end of the twilight you will have an understanding of diversity within an SEND setting, the Briarwood approach for supporting diversity and confidence in having challenging conversations with students around diversity.

There is a twilight course for this training, please click below to find out more.

In this Twilight course you will learn about the pre-requisite skills underpinning phonics.

We will focus on the core components underpinning these skills such as; spoken language, the ability to symbolise, metalinguistic awareness and early phonological skills. You will also learn more about total communication approaches, differentiating pre-phonics for a range of learning needs.

We will look at the aspects within level 1 phonics and how these build the foundations for future communication and reading.

Course Content

Spoken Language

• Listening and responding
• Rich language experiences

The ability to symbolise

• Total communication
• Functional Literacy

Metalinguistic awareness

• Interaction
• Rich vocabulary

Early phonological awareness

• Sound discrimination
• Body percussion
• Rhythm and rhyme
• Alliteration
• Voice sounds
• Oral blending and segmenting

There is a twilight course for this training, please click below to find out more. 

In this Twilight course you will learn about the pre-requisite skills underpinning phonics.

We will focus on the core components underpinning these skills such as; spoken language, the ability to symbolise, metalinguistic awareness and early phonological skills. You will also learn more about total communication approaches, differentiating pre-phonics for a range of learning needs.

We will look at the aspects within level 1 phonics and how these build the foundations for future communication and reading.

Course Content

Spoken Language

• Listening and responding
• Rich language experiences

The ability to symbolise

• Total communication
• Functional Literacy

Metalinguistic awareness

• Interaction
• Rich vocabulary

Early phonological awareness

• Sound discrimination
• Body percussion
• Rhythm and rhyme
• Alliteration
• Voice sounds
• Oral blending and segmenting

There is a twilight course for this training, please click below to find out more. 

In this Twilight course you will learn about the principles and structure of synthetic phonics. We will focus on stages 2 through to 6, reflecting on practice and phonics terminology.
The course will also cover aspects of cognitive science and how we differentiate and approach phonics teaching for pupils with SEND.  We will then reflect on how well our pupils use their phonetic knowledge functionally and develop a love of reading.

Course content

Synthetic Phonics

• What is synthetic phonics?
• Terminology
• Outline of stages 2-6

Cognitive Science and Reading Programmes

• Simple model of memory
• Retaining knowledge over time
• Cognitive overload
• Building mental models
• Reading fluency
• Interventions

Reading comprehension and application

• New vocabulary
• Conceptual understanding
• Functional reading
• Enjoyment of reading

There is a twilight course for this training, please click below to find out more.

PBS is widely recommended as best practice for supporting individuals with SEND (see NICE guidelines, DfE publications). This  bespoke course aims to give you knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) and practical tools that will support the development and implementation of PBS within your setting. In brief, we will cover;

• The background, evidence and rationale for the use of PBS
• Understanding individual needs and profiles
• Positive and Proactive behaviour support
• Functions of behaviour and establishing positive replacement behaviours
• Developing individualised plans
• Step by Step behaviour support
• Stages of behaviour
• Debriefing and restorative practice
• Barriers to change
• Capable environments
• Working as a team to promote positive change

If you would like training delivered to your setting directly, please contact us.

This twilight will give you a detailed introduction to Positive Behaviour Support.

We will look into PBS as an evidence-based approach to supporting behaviour change.

By the end of this twilight you will understand the research and rationale that makes PBS a universally accepted best-practice model and why the successful implementation of PBS is considered key to supporting behaviours that challenge from individuals with SEND.

There is a twilight course for this training, please click below to find out more. 

As a follow-on from our introduction to Positive Behaviour Support this twilight focuses on giving you guidance and tools to support the implementation of Positive Behaviour Support within your setting or class.
We will look at practical examples of PBS, specifically focussing on; proactive strategies to support behaviour change, environmental considerations, PBS plans, and developing a whole-team approach.

There is a twilight course for this training, please click below to find out more. 

This twilight training focusses on Sensory Processing and its impact on the learning experiences of students with SEND.
We will explore how sensory sensitivities and preferences can profoundly affect the education of pupils with SEND.
We will discuss practical strategies and tailored approaches and how these can support developing nurturing learning environments.

There is a twilight course for this training, please click below to find out more. 

The popular and accessible Level One (6hr) course in positive behaviour management is available for individuals supporting children, young people in low-risk Education settings.

Delivered by our experienced trainers this course will equip individuals with an understanding of the values and philosophy of the Team Teach approach. We are motivated by the need to support the individual with the aim of keeping those who have become distressed safe, as well as those around them. We believe that all behaviour is communication being driven by experiences and emotions. We deliver a toolkit approach that is 95% understanding behaviours and encouraging de-escalation. The 5% assesses the need for physical intervention in conjunction with a need’s analysis.

Who is this course for?

Anyone who is operating in a low-risk primary or secondary school setting would benefit from this course, which offers a grounding in positive behaviour management strategies applicable across these environments. 

Please note – Positive Handling aspects will be mainly guiding and escorting safely*. If a greater degree of physical intervention is required, please refer to our Level 2 – 12 hour course. *We do also cover small person holds within 6 hour.

We run regular 6 hour courses, please have a look at our eventbrite page to see when the next course is running and book onto a course. If you would like training delivered to your setting directly, please contact us.

Our engaging Level Two course (12 hr) in positive behaviour management emphasises positive relationships as being the key element in behaviour support, with physical techniques serving as only one part of an overall approach. As such, it is entirely compatible with Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) approaches. Delivered by our expert trainers with current and relevant experience of supporting behaviour in schools, we offer a toolkit approach that is 95% understanding behaviours and encouraging de-escalation. The 5% assesses the need for physical intervention in conjunction with a need’s analysis.

Participants will learn how to;

• Understand the drivers and motivations displayed by individuals who are distressed and may become aggressive and disruptive
• Build a stronger team confidence around supporting behaviour
• Utilise a toolkit of holistic strategies on de-escalation and crisis intervention, including the importance of targeted communication, both verbal and non-verbal.
• Understand and know relevant legal standards and expectations related to use of force, and of the reporting, recording, monitoring and evaluating requirements of incidents involving physical controls and reasonable force.
• Execute simple and safe positive handling and personal safety techniques: including guiding, escorting and holding in standing, sitting and kneeling positions safely, appropriate for your service setting needs, which focus on maximum care -minimum force
• Improve expertise and confidence in staying safe, competence to carry out simple de-escalation strategies, and applying physical intervention in conjunction with a need’s analysis.

Who is this course for?

This course is designed for individuals operating in a medium-risk environment. It is particularly aimed at those working with individuals whose behaviour foreseeably poses a risk to themselves or to others.

We run regular 6 hour courses, please have a look at our eventbrite page to see when the next course is running and book onto a course. If you would like training delivered to your setting directly, please contact us.

We offer short twlight courses which aim to help you understand the definition of trauma, how trauma can impact a pupils emotional and physical wellbeing, and what we can do to create a supportive school environment that is trauma-informed. It will help you to develop a trauma-informed perspective that will guide your practice and interactions to with the aim of reducing the negative impact of trauma within school. 

Further trauma training is on an individual school basis so it can be appropriately tailored to the settings needs. Please contact us to discuss this further.

There is a twilight course for this training, please click below to find out more.

Children’s mental health is just as important as their physical health and schools have a central role to play in enabling their pupils to be resilient and to support good mental health and wellbeing.

This training aims to help you understand what Mental health and wellbeing is, how to support students with SEND to develop positive mental health and routes to refer students for more specialist support.

There is a twilight course for this training, please click here to find out more.