The Bridge Centre

The Bridge Centre provides basic advice and guidance to schools, over the phone and by email, with respect to meeting pupil needs and behaviour management.  It has a team of outreach staff who attend primary schools, observe children in their class and offer advice and support to the staff who work with the children. They offer 1-to-1 sessions, monitor progress and write reports to support schools with next steps. The Bridge Centre offers an off-site intervention package to schools, which is a 9-week intervention, including a week of induction, 6 full weeks of off-site intervention, finished off with a 2-week re-integration period. The intervention is an intense emotional literacy programme, which has been developed from impactful programmes such as Zones of Regulation and the PawsB Mindfulness curriculum, designed to support children in the self regulation of their feelings and emotions.

The Bridge can also dual-register pupils with their mainstream school for a period of off-site support. The minimum is 1 month (20 school days), but the dual-registration can be requested for as long as The Bridge and school feel is appropriate. The aim is to prevent a permanent exclusion and to enable gradual re-integration back into mainstream education. Pupils will attend usual classes at The Bridge with other pupils and do not join the Pathways class.

All pupils are given access to a broad and balanced curriculum, with an emphasis on Emotional Literacy. We have a curriculum that is taught over 5 lessons a day, delivered by their class teacher. Physical education is delivered by a Sports Coach.  We have a full time Play Therapist, who delivers weekly play therapy sessions to the pupils who need extra emotional support. We also offer places for a limited amount of complex Year 7 and Year 8 students who have an EHCP.