The Bridge is Middlemarch Schools' resourced provision. It is a purpose built area of the school designed specifically to meet the needs of children with communication and interaction difficulties. It has a sensory area, individual workstations, an emotional regulation room, a teaching area, a nurture space and facilities for children to be able to take part in lego therapy, cooking therapy, and areas for outdoor learning.
 

The Bridge allows children with an education and health care plan (EHCP) with communication and interaction as their primary need to receive appropriate personalised teaching plans as well as accessing mainstream classrooms and curriculum whilst also being members of a class group. 

We hope that pupils will join their peers for lunch, assemblies, class visits and whole school events and support them to do so.

Pupils from other classes in school may come to work in The Bridge in order to join groups if it is considered beneficial to their learning needs.

The Bridge is staffed by one teacher and two teaching assistants and has been built to accommodate eight pupils.

Communication And Interaction

The primary need of pupils in the provision is difficulties with communication and interaction.

Pupils take part in group work to learn specific skills such as maintaining and sharing attention, taking turns and the social use of language.

Zones of Regulation and emotion coaching are used consistently to teach pupils to recognise and regulate their emotions.

Admission Criteria

In order to be considered for a place at The Bridge, children must have an EHCP, with identified communication and interaction needs.

It is expected that most pupils will be able to access the mainstream curriculum, with differentiation and support where necessary.

Children being considered for admission follow individual transition programmes.

These may involve visits to The Bridge with parents or familiar adults, Bridge staff visiting their current setting and meetings with parents and other professionals.

Consideration will be given to the profile of current cohorts in the school and provision when offering places to pupils.