Our Specialist Base
At Hardwick Green Primary Academy, there is a 24-place Specialist Base (sometimes referred to as a SEN unit). A Specialist Base is a form of specialised educational provision located within a mainstream school. It enables pupils with significant additional needs to access a highly adapted curriculum, specialist teaching, targeted interventions and enhanced adult support, while also benefiting from opportunities to learn and socialise alongside their mainstream peers where appropriate. The Specialist Support Base is very much part of the whole school community; we recognise that all pupils are entitled to a quality of education that will enable them to reach their potential.
The Specialist Base at Hardwick Green Primary Academy is designated for pupils whose primary area of need is either Communication and Interaction or Cognition and Learning.
Communication and Interaction
This includes children who experience difficulties understanding, processing or using language and social communication. Pupils may have Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) or a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and often require specialist approaches to communication, social interaction and sensory regulation.
Cognition and Learning
This includes children who learn at a significantly slower pace than their peers or who have specific learning difficulties. Pupils may experience challenges with acquiring, retaining and applying knowledge and skills and may have needs associated with dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia or more general learning difficulties.
Admissions to the Specialist Base
Places within the Specialist Base are not allocated by the school. All placements are considered and agreed by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council through the SEND Multi-Agency Panel (SENDMAP). SENDMAP reviews a child's Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), professional assessments and evidence of need to determine whether specialist provision is required and, where appropriate, whether a place within the Hardwick Green Specialist Base is the most suitable setting to meet the child's needs.
As a result, admission to the Specialist Base follows the Local Authority's placement process and is based on an assessment of individual need rather than the standard school admissions arrangements.
The Pathways Curriculum
To ensure that teaching is closely matched to each child's needs, the Specialist Base curriculum is organised into three developmental pathways. Rather than being linked directly to a child's age or year group, these pathways are informed by a child's stage of learning, communication, independence and personal development.
Our three pathways are:
- Engage
- Explore
- Discover
Together, these pathways provide a clear progression model that supports pupils to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours they need to achieve their Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) outcomes and prepare for the next stage of their education and life beyond school.
For further information about the aims, curriculum content and expected outcomes of each pathway, please see our Curriculum documents.
Meeting Individual Needs
Alongside the Pathways Curriculum, staff within the Specialist Base design bespoke programmes of learning tailored to each child's individual strengths, needs and aspirations. A significant emphasis is placed upon achieving EHCP outcomes, while also developing communication, independence, emotional regulation, social interaction and broader life skills.
Personal development and preparation for adulthood are woven throughout the curriculum so that pupils are equipped with the confidence, resilience and practical skills needed to participate successfully in their communities and in future education, employment and adult life.
We recognise that effective provision is achieved through partnership. Staff work collaboratively with colleagues across the Enquire Learning Trust Specialist Bases, Speech and Language Therapists (SaLT), Occupational Therapists (OT), Local Authority Advisory Teachers and other specialist professionals. Most importantly, we work closely with families to ensure that each child receives a consistent and personalised approach to support.
Specialist Base Structure
The Specialist Base currently consists of three classes, organised to meet pupils' differing developmental and learning needs:
- Room 1 - pupils accessing the Engage pathway.
- Room 2 - pupils accessing the Engage pathway alongside elements of the Explore pathway.
- Room 3 - pupils accessing the Explore pathway.
Pupils are not grouped according to chronological age alone. Instead, placement within classes is based upon their developmental stage, learning profile, communication needs, social development and the provision required to help them make the strongest possible progress.
Each class is led by a specialist teacher and supported by a Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) and Teaching Assistant, ensuring that pupils benefit from high levels of expertise, consistency and personalised support throughout the school day.
Joining Us
If you have any queries or questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Visits to our school are warmly welcomed. Please contact the school office on 01642 677968 or email enquiries@hardwickgreenacademy.org.uk.
If you are interested in your child being considered for a place within the Specialist Base, we recommend speaking initially with your child's current SENCO and/or your Local Authority SEND caseworker. As placements are determined by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council's SEND Multi-Agency Panel (SENDMAP) rather than the school, they will be able to provide advice on the referral and placement process and whether specialist provision may be appropriate for your child's needs.
Our Support Base
At Hardwick Green Primary Academy, there is a Support Base for pupils in Years 3 to 6. Similar to what was previously known as an Additionally Resourced Provision (ARP), the Support Base is a specialist provision located within a mainstream school. It provides targeted support for pupils whose needs cannot be consistently met through mainstream classroom provision alone, while ensuring that they remain fully included within the wider life of the school.
The Support Base is very much part of the Hardwick Green community. Pupils benefit from a personalised curriculum, specialist teaching, tailored interventions and enhanced support, alongside opportunities to learn, socialise and participate with their mainstream peers where this is appropriate and beneficial. We believe that every child is entitled to a high-quality education which enables them to achieve their full potential, develop independence and experience success.
Areas of Need
The Support Base is designed to support pupils whose primary area of need is Communication and Interaction and/or Cognition and Learning.
Communication and Interaction
This includes children who experience difficulties understanding, processing or using language and social communication. Pupils may have Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and often require specialist approaches to communication, social interaction and sensory regulation.
Cognition and Learning
This includes children who learn at a significantly slower pace than their peers or who have specific learning difficulties. Pupils may experience challenges with acquiring, retaining and applying knowledge and skills and may have needs associated with dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia or more general learning difficulties.
Admissions to the Support Base
Places within the Support Base are allocated by the school as part of our graduated approach to SEND provision. Placement is considered where a pupil's needs are significant and persistent, and where evidence demonstrates that they require a highly adapted curriculum, specialist teaching approaches and a greater level of support than can typically be provided within the mainstream classroom.
Many pupils accessing the Support Base have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), although this is not a strict requirement for placement. Decisions are made collaboratively by school leaders, the SENCO, parents/carers and relevant professionals to ensure that provision is appropriate and can effectively meet the child's individual needs.
Curriculum
To ensure that teaching is closely matched to each child's needs, the Support Base follows the Discover Pathway, which is drawn from the Enquire Learning Trust Specialist Base Curriculum.
This pathway provides a clear progression model that supports pupils to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours they need to achieve their Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) outcomes and prepare for the next stage of their education and life beyond school.
Meeting Individual Needs
Alongside the Discover Curriculum, staff within the Support Base design bespoke programmes of learning tailored to each child's individual strengths, needs and aspirations. A significant emphasis is placed upon achieving EHCP outcomes while also developing communication, independence, emotional regulation, social interaction and wider life skills.
Personal development and preparation for adulthood are woven throughout the curriculum so that pupils are equipped with the confidence, resilience and practical skills needed to participate successfully in their communities and in future education, employment and adult life.
We recognise that effective provision is achieved through partnership. Staff work collaboratively with colleagues across the Enquire Learning Trust Specialist Bases, Speech and Language Therapists (SaLT), Occupational Therapists (OT), Local Authority Advisory Teachers and other specialist professionals. Most importantly, we work closely with families to ensure that each child receives a consistent and personalised approach to support.
The Class
The Support Base is led by a specialist teacher and supported by a Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA), ensuring that pupils benefit from high levels of expertise, consistency and personalised support throughout the school day.
The classroom operates as a Therapeutic Classroom, recognising that children learn best when they feel safe, understood and emotionally regulated. Staff use nurturing and trauma-informed approaches to build positive relationships, develop emotional literacy and support pupils in understanding and managing their emotions. Predictable routines, communication-friendly environments, sensory considerations and personalised regulation strategies help pupils feel secure and ready to learn. This approach enables children to develop confidence, resilience and independence alongside their academic learning.
Joining Us
If you have any queries or questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Visits to our school are warmly welcomed. Please contact the school office on 01642 677968 or email enquiries@hardwickgreenacademy.org.uk.
If you are interested in your child being considered for a place within the Support Base, we recommend speaking initially with your child's class teacher and/or Miss Carr, SENCO, who will be happy to discuss your child's needs and the range of support available within school.