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Shefford Lower School

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Welcome To The Orchard

The Orchard SEMH (Social, Emotional, Mental Health) ARP is an additional resource provision that is part of the SEND offer at Shefford Lower School. It has space for up to 8 pupils currently at any one time and provides extra support for children that find mainstream classrooms a challenging environment. The caring, nurturing environment is set up to support children with SEMH needs through a nurturing, creative, personalised and connected curriculum.

ARP (ID 1124)

The staff at the provision are extremely helpful and caring towards the children, my son enjoys going to the placement. There isn’t anything the staff won’t do to support your child and even the rest of your family

Pupils have EHC Plans stating their primary (main) needs are -

  • Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) Needs

Pupils may also have the following secondary (other) needs -

  • Cognition and Learning Needs:

i.e. Moderate Learning Disabilities (MLD)

  • Communication and Interaction Needs:

i.e. Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

All pupils have an Education, Health, and Care (EHC) Plan. The Local Authority will need to have identified their needs as requiring placement at The Orchard before a place can be considered.

 Curriculum Map 

G.R.O.W. (Getting Ready for Our World) Curriculum

Rationale 

The G.R.O.W. (Getting Ready for Our World) Curriculum is delivered every Friday at The Orchard ARP to provide pupils with practical life skills that prepare them for greater independence, community participation, and adulthood. The programme is designed to complement the wider curriculum by giving pupils regular opportunities to develop essential skills in real-life contexts, building confidence, resilience, and personal responsibility.

Each weekly session focuses on areas that are fundamental to everyday living, including personal safety, budgeting, community awareness, independent living skills, and personal development. Pupils learn through practical, hands-on experiences such as visits to local shops, preparing meals, completing household tasks, and practising social and communication skills in the community. These activities enable pupils to apply their learning in meaningful situations, promoting the generalisation of skills beyond the classroom.

Forage and Flourish Holistic Therapy

This is an in-house holistic therapy created to support children's SEMH needs

Rationale 

Forage and Flourish Holistic Therapy (ID 1358)

This programme intentionally:

  • Teaches micro-transition strategies (moving between tasks)
  • Supports major transitions (arrival/departure routines)
  • Builds friendship repair language
  • Develops emotional regulation toolkits
  • Encourages paired cooperative work
  • Uses predictable session structure

The woodland/garden context supports regulation through sensory grounding while building practical skills and confidence.

 Consistent Session Structure (used weekly)

1.   Predictable arrival routine

2.  Emotional check-in

3.  Paired practical activity

4.  Movement/regulation break

5.  Build/grow/create task

6.  Reflection & calm ending routine

My child has made so much progress since moving to Shefford Lower School. 

 

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