The Captains Nest

Who Are We?

The Captain’s Nest was opened in January 2020 for pupils in receipt of an Education Health & Care Plan (EHCP) for Social and Emotional Mental Health (SEMH) needs. The Nest has grown from 4 pupils in the first year to becoming a vibrant well-equipped 12-place provision for children of primary school age.

In the Captain’s Nest we work hard to ensure that we provide a caring and aspirational environment where pupils feel safe, valued and respected to allow them to thrive. Pupils in the Nest have access to a rich and varied curriculum, which balances academic knowledge, skills and understanding alongside a range of therapeutic interventions.

Our Staff

Miss Megan Williams- Nest Manager and Class Teacher
Mrs Maria Beck- Class Teacher
Miss Mary Hall- HLTA
Mrs Kayleigh Taylor- LSA
Miss Mollie Brooks- LSA
Miss Jess Beck- LSA

What do we offer?

We offer expertise in providing bespoke, nurturing care and education to offer outstanding, fully inclusive and personalised learning experiences for pupils who are currently not fully accessing the National Curriculum or having their needs met within a mainstream primary school. We believe that, with appropriate support, pupils with SEMH can be enabled to accelerate their development and achieve outcomes at least in line with those of their peers.

The Captain’s Nest is organised on a day-to-day basis by professional staff members with a range of specialist education experiences. Our therapeutic curriculum includes a range of universal and targeted therapies and interventions including Lego Therapy, Mindfulness, Drawing and Talking, Zones of Regulation and Biofeedback. The structure of the day, the resourcing and the classroom environments will all be based around the individual needs of your child.

We have a range of recourses at the school to support your child’s learning and progress with large teaching areas and meeting rooms, a range of creative and traditional teaching resources to engage learning in our children, safe spaces including soft play and dark room zones. We have a large outdoor areas including a playground, a field and outdoor playground equipment. Children can also access sensory circuits throughout the day as required to support emotional regulation and concentration. We have a large selection of music equipment and there is the option for your child to attend Rock Steady music classes. All children have their own personal laptop which is used to facilitate our blended learning environment and further engage children in their learning. On these devices, we have a suite of online learning opportunities and a curriculum and assessment system designed to tailor specific progress and feedback opportunities for the needs of your child.

What does the day look like?

School starts for children in the Captain’s Nest at 8:30am with the majority of our children arriving by SEN transport (taxi). Our staff are ready to greet the children and welcome them into school each day. A range of healthy options for breakfast is available and children enjoy using this time to build positive relationships with staff and their peers. A visual timetable is displayed in both classes and the morning routine involves talking to the children about the day ahead.

As part of our behaviour policy, children have the ability to earn purple tokens throughout the day for a range of different things such as completing work, showing resilience, determination and kindness and for following instructions given by the staff. These purple tokens lead to reward time at the end of the day which the children really look forward to. Additionally, the purple tokens gained are added to a class jar and when this is full, the class get to decide on a collective reward. This promotes team work and shared responsibility and activities have included school trips, farm visits and a sleep over.

Communication with parents and carers is an important aspect of the support we provide in the Captain’s Nest. Our staff therefore contact parents and carers at the end of each day either by phone or Class Dojo to share an overview of the day. Staff regularly send copies of work home that the children are proud of, or send photos to celebrate their successes on Class Dojo.

Travel Arrangements

SEND travel arrangements are available for all children with The Captain’s Nest named on their EHCP who are living over 3 miles away from school. On confirmation of a place in the Nest, parents and carers are asked to contact SENA Transport to arrange transport.

What do you need to do next?

If you think that we’d suit your child’s needs, please call the office team Captain’s Close and we will get back to you to discuss the admission process. You can also discuss a placement in the Captain’s Nest with your SENA caseworker, as we receive consults for places directly from them. If you have any further questions please contact the school office and ask to speak to our SENCo- Olivia French-Gray.