Case Studies
Children with Additional Needs
Who we work with
Children with Severe Learning Difficulty (SLD), Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD), Speech and Language needs, physical needs and a combination of all mentioned.
Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
What do we do
Our teaching aims to develop pupils’ capacities in four key areas:
• Social and Emotional Development
• Communication
• Physical Development and Sensory Integration
• Cognition and Learning
Careful, differentiated planning and risk assessments ensure that every pupil has a chance to enjoy the outdoors at Ufton. Some activities are consciously repeated over the course of the visits as many children with special needs benefit from a framework of familiarity and success from which to learn new skills. Our sessions build confidence and made a big difference to improving their mental and physical health.
Our programmes will enable pupils to develop as much autonomy and self-advocacy as possible and equip them with the practical, life-skills needed to access supported employment schemes, further education and assisted living
Case Studies
Child M
Child M used to present a wide range of challenging behaviours at school including aggression towards staff and students in the past and work refusal. When Covid came M’s anxiety as a result of the first lockdown lock down became uncontrolled. His negative and harmful behaviour increased and he started to self-harm. This led to him being selected for the Ufton programme. M felt calmer at Ufton and started re-engaging in learning again. He discovered a huge passion for animal care and loved being at the Ufton farm. We hope that this may develop into future employment opportunities for him. M loves Ufton and his visits are his favourite part of the week. He would never have access or exposure to outdoor activities and opportunities if school and Ufton did
not offer it. He is currently benefiting from Ufton Court's amazing provision and if this continue we can expect a long lasting positive effect on them.
Child P
Child P struggles with high level of ADHD, he can only focus for 2-10 min max on learning activities in the classroom. P has very low self-esteem due to reading and writing difficulties and struggles with any classroom learning. P used to have negative opinion about school, teachers and different forms of support they provide. His engagement in learning was low and he used to exhibit high levels of aggression towards adults and his peers. When Covid restrictions came into force, P’s anxiety increased and his behaviour deteriorated. Since we brought P to Ufton, P has been more settled in school. Learning at Ufton has helped him to not only to self-regulate. But to begin to build positive relationships with his peers and school staff. His confidence is improving, after each activity success he has at Ufton. His engagement in learning rocketed in school and the challenging incidents with staff and other children have dropped in number and severity.
Child A
Child A has a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and has difficulties with expressive and receptive language. She is working below age-related expectations and has difficulties with maintaining attention. She finds it difficult to manage her emotions and changes to routines, and she has sensory needs. During the school day, she frequently refuses to go outside and finds it difficult to engage with the outside environment at school. At Ufton, this is completely different. She is excited for the sessions and often says ‘I love Ufton Court’ and ‘Ufton is beautiful’. Her time at Ufton has had a really positive impact on how she responds to new stimuli. It has also had a very positive impact on her communication, which is a challenging area for her, as she will seek out the adult leading the sessions to ask questions and talk about the activity.
Child D
Child D has a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder. She has severe difficulties in the areas of attention and listening, understanding and use of language and social interaction skills. Being in a large open outdoor environment with lots of fulfilling sensory activities has been hugely beneficial as we have seen her engage with learning. Being able to run around safely at Ufton has helped her emotional wellbeing and increased her independence. Every week she is excited to attend the sessions and regularly says ‘Ufton’ and ‘Farm’ to adults at school in anticipation of our sessions. Since attending Ufton her confidence has improved and she has particularly loved spending time on the farm interacting with the animals
Ufton Court Educational Trust
Address:
Ufton Court
Green Lane
Ufton Nervet
Reading Berkshire
RG7 4HD
Ufton Court Educational Trust - Registered Charity Number 1116659 Company registered in England Wales - Company Number 5794281