Caring FirstRespect Always
Informationpackwww.garwoodfoundation.org.uk
Registered charity number: 272905Company registration number: 1285858
www.rutherfordschool.org.uk
1a Melville Avenue, South Croydon, CR2 7HZTel: 020 8688 7560 Fax: 020 8406 8220
Email: [email protected]
Part of the
Caring FirstRespect Always
HelloThe Staff-and-Parent
relationship is excellent. The support and advice received from staff has
helped tremendously during tough times; and this is truly appreciated.
Claire Colins (Parent)
Outstanding - Don’t know what we would have done without the help of all the amazing and caring staff. My son is doing things now that we thought he would never be able to do and that is down to the extended family we have at Rutherford. TRULY AMAZING.Georgia Yates (Parent)
We are
Inclusive
Inclusive Education
Thermo Neutral Hydro PoolSaturday Club
Assistive Technologies
Rebound TherapyVisual Impairment
Hydro Therapy
Profound and Multiple Disabilities
Multi Sensory Room
Summer Club
Ages 3 - 19
Interactive Learning Area
Drama
We’re Rutherford School, a specialist independent school for pupils with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities aged between 3-19 years.
Our aim is to provide inclusive education to learners whose very
special needs are compounded by a high degree of dependency.
The school’s holistic approach facilitates learning that is supported
and managed by a specialist range of therapies which address physical
disabilities, sensory impairments and complex medical needs.
Information Communication Technology ICT
Rutherford School is leading the way in immersive learning and
ICT. We are very proud of our state of the art Interactive Learning
Area (ILA). The ILA focuses on enhancing pupils’ learning abilities
and enabling them to have control over their own environment
through the use of their own personal switches.
Individual sessions provide access for opportunities to
communicate, turn something on and off, relax or play and
control their environment. Activities include operating the
automated electric blinds and opening automated doors using
technology designed to facilitate this. We also have infra-red
sockets which allow mains powered domestic appliances to
be switched on and off by remote control, for example lamps,
radios and fans. This allows our pupils to carry out everyday
tasks themselves and provide support through technology.
Our Interactive Learning Area includesthe following:
L.E.D. colour wash lighting. This is the perfect
accompaniment to any hall or relaxation space. Coloured light
gently washes the walls with a range of subtle hues helping to
create a calming tranquil atmosphere. Colour Wash is a great
way to set an ambience or to reinforce learning.
Opti Music is a powerful multimedia switching system that
uniquely features light beams. As pupils move through the
beams any number of sound, image, video or lighting events
can activate a number of fully interactive scenes.
Tobii PCEye Go (Eye Gaze) is an easy to use, stand-alone eye
control device that can be used with personal computers
and laptops. It provides total control of your computer using
only your eyes. It can be used by over 95% of our pupils to
eye control, regardless of eye colour, glasses, contact lenses,
lighting conditions or head movements.
iPad 2 is proving to be a worthwhile resource in school. iPads
are not toys but a valuable teaching tool especially with PMLD
pupils. It covers much of our curriculum in an easy to use
format. We have developed bespoke programs for individual
pupils and implemented them with great success. From
sensory to visual and communication Apps the use of iPads in
the school is priceless.
Akka mobility platform is an ingenious electronic mobility
device which enables those children with disabilities to explore
the world around them independently. The Akka platform
helps the young children to interact with their environment,
aids development of spatial awareness, as well as providing an
introduction to power wheelchairs at an early age.
Caring FirstRespect Always
1a Melville Avenue, South Croydon, CR2 7HZ
Tel: 020 8688 7560 Fax: 020 8406 8220
Email: [email protected]
Interactive Learning Area
At Rutherford School we are proud to offer Drama Therapy.
Drama therapy is an intentional form of therapy used to
achieve therapeutic goals by utilising drama and/or theatre
processes. This can include creative methods such as:
•Art
•Music
•Singing
Sessions are tailored to each child’s individual needs. •Provides opportunities for pupils to express their feelings.
•Work towards achieving individual set targets.
•Focus on interpersonal relationship skills.
Sessions are: •Active
•Experiential
•Highly adaptive
At the heart of Drama therapy is the concept of play: •Playing is important for all areas of development.
•Through experience children learn.
By enabling children to engage and play at their own level they can: •Explore new ways of behaving and relating to others.
•Build their confidence.
•Developing social and behavioural skills.
Drama therapy can help children in the following way: •Maintaining, developing and learning new
communication skills.
•Help to express feelings.
•Help to safely manage difficult behaviour.
•Develop social skills and interaction with others.
• Increase levels of self-confidence.
Caring FirstRespect Always
1a Melville Avenue, South Croydon, CR2 7HZ
Tel: 020 8688 7560 Fax: 020 8406 8220
Email: [email protected]
DramaTherapy
Rutherford School has its own Aquatictherapy pool on the premises.
Aquatictherapy is offered to all our pupils on a weekly basis
with the Physiotherapy team. The water temperature of 34
degrees provides optimum temperature for the children to
maintain their body temperature and for muscle relaxation.
This helps to increase range of movement during mobilisation
or stretches in the water.
The hydrotherapy pool can also be used to decrease any
discomfort and decrease pain post-surgery. The buoyancy of
the water supports the pupils improving their ability to move
in the water. The water can be utilised to resist movements
during strength work.
Aquatictherapy/Hydrotherapy is the ideal environment to work
on physiotherapy goals, and education targets.
Sessions aim to:
•Maintain range of movement.
•Gain flexibility.
•Strengthen muscles.
•Enhance abilities.
Caring FirstRespect Always
1a Melville Avenue, South Croydon, CR2 7HZ
Tel: 020 8688 7560 Fax: 020 8406 8220
Email: [email protected]
AquaticTherapy
Rutherford School offers aquatic therapy/hydrotherapy and rebound therapy to external children. Some of these services are subsidised by the school to enable us to have very competitive prices.
The external services are led by our Highly Specialised Senior Paediatric Physiotherapist Lucy Harris. If you require further information please contact Rutherford School on 0208 688 7560.
Caring FirstRespect Always
1a Melville Avenue, South Croydon, CR2 7HZ
Tel: 020 8688 7560 Fax: 020 8406 8220
Email: [email protected]
External Services and Pool hire
The Physiotherapy Team will work with Families and the Education Team to develop a suitable physical management plan for the pupils.
This will involve:
• Discussion with families about concerns over a pupil’s
physical development.
• Assessing what the pupil can do and what his or her
physical needs are.
• Establishing long term goals for the pupil and how to break
these down into short term achievable targets.
• Joint working with other Therapies and Education to
establish joint goals and a holistic approach to the
pupil’s needs.
• Working on individual activities with the pupils as a part of
their overall physical management.
• Producing an initial assessment on new pupils and then
subsequent yearly reports on his or her progress at school.
• Advising families on continuing physical management at
home through home visits as required.
• Attending any other appointments as and when families
request support.
• Liaising with other professionals and outside agencies that
are involved with the families and their child.
• Designing of physical management programmes
(PE, Hydrotherapy, Rebound Therapy and postural
management,) that can be easily integrated into the
school routine.
• Assessment for and review of postural management
equipment at school and home (seating systems, standing
frames, sleep systems and lying boards etc.).
Aims of Physiotherapy:
• Maximise the pupil’s functional abilities.
• Minimise the risk of contractures and deformities.
• Postural management.
• Improve activities of daily living.
• Improve ability to communicate.
Caring FirstRespect Always
1a Melville Avenue, South Croydon, CR2 7HZ
Tel: 020 8688 7560 Fax: 020 8406 8220
Email: [email protected]
Paediatric Physiotherapy
“Rebound Therapy” is the use of trampolines in providing therapeutic exercise and recreation for people with a wide range of special needs.
Participants can range from mild to severe physical disabilities
and from mild to profound and multiple learning disabilities,
including dual sensory impairment and autistic spectrum.
(Eddy Anderson, 1969).
Rebound Therapy is used to facilitate movement, promote
balance, promote an increase or decrease in muscle
tone, promote relaxation, promote sensory integration,
improve fitness and exercise tolerance, and to improve
communication skills.”
Each class team at Rutherford School has had comprehensive
Rebound Therapy training and are qualified to lead sessions.
This enables the pupils to have access to the trampoline
with class staff or with the Physiotherapy team. During
these sessions children work on carefully planned targets
as outlined in their Individual Educational Plan which is
agreed in combination with our teaching staff and
Paediatric Physio Therapy team.
Caring FirstRespect Always
1a Melville Avenue, South Croydon, CR2 7HZ
Tel: 020 8688 7560 Fax: 020 8406 8220
Email: [email protected]
Rebound Therapy
Occupational Therapy is used to enable pupils to participate fully in every aspect of their life having more successful participation in daily life. This may include prescribed or bespoke provision and the use of specialist equipment.
Our dedicated Occupational Therapy team aims to assist
pupils at Rutherford with daily life skills and to maximise
opportunities for participation in all areas of the curriculum
and opportunities and experiences out of the school
environment.
The focus is on increasing opportunities and life chances, and
to guide the pupil towards adulthood with the best possibility
of fulfilling themselves.
Occupational Therapy is just one part of the holistic approach
we follow for each pupil attending our school. It involves:
• Working with the pupil, family and teaching staff.
• Identifying areas of daily life which are problematic by
collaborating with all those involved in the pupil’s care.
• Linking therapy to a practical part of the pupil’s routine.
• Addressing appropriate needs without placing undue
demands on the family and education staff.
Some of the assessments that the occupational therapists at Rutherford School provide are:
•Positions for function. It includes wheelchairs, class chairs,
potty chairs and other positions that enable the pupil to
access his/her environment and school tools.
•Hands for function. The occupational therapist assesses
components of function that are required to use hands in a
purposeful way to feed themselves, help with dressing or use
school tools.
•Orthotics for hands and arms. The occupational therapist
routinely assesses and works with pupils to maximise their
participation in tasks such as dressing, toileting and eating
and drinking.
•Access. The occupational therapist focuses on removing
barriers from the pupils’ ability to learn, helping pupils
develop skills which increase their independence in school
environment, and educating school staff about the
different considerations required for pupils with disabilities.
Our therapists follow two main approaches of intervention:
•Restorative approaches. To establish and develop a
new skill such as cause and effect. This might be through
direct intervention or through advice and consultation with
education staff and families.
•Adaptive approaches. To adapt and/or modify the task
or the environment.
Caring FirstRespect Always
1a Melville Avenue, South Croydon, CR2 7HZ
Tel: 020 8688 7560 Fax: 020 8406 8220
Email: [email protected]
Occupational Therapy
Speech and Language Therapy at Rutherford School is provided by a Clinical Specialist Speech and Language Therapist who works three days a week during term time.
The aim of Rutherford’s Speech and Language Therapy service
is to pursue the right of every pupil to have an effective means
of communication appropriate for their skills and to ensure
that pupils are safe with regard to their swallowing, eating and
drinking skills.
Aims:
•To provide an appropriate level of advice for all pupils.
•To facilitate on-going development of an appropriate
communication environment at Rutherford School.
•To provide training and mentoring for staff to enable their
performance in relation to speech and language skills.
•To ensure children’s safety when eating and drinking
by providing risk assessments and Standard Operational
Procedures.
•To ensure development of communication skills are
embedded within the school curriculum.
•To develop teaching staffs’ assessment and teaching skills
relating to communication.
The aims and objectives of the Speech and Language Therapy
service are achieved by working in a collaborative approach
with the pupil, education and therapy staff and the child’s
family / carers.
Areas of Intervention
Areas of Speech and Language Therapy include:
Communication and eating and drinking. Communication is
a very wide area of development and underpins all learning.
Communication includes the following;
Pre-verbal Skills. Include; play, attention, motivation,
eye contact/eye gaze, anticipation, turn taking and cause
and effect.
(Verbal) Comprehension. Include; the understanding of
spoken vocabulary, key words, context and situation, signing
and visual aids.
Expressive communication. This may or may not include
speech; it also refers to signing and the use of visual aids such
as objects, photographs and symbols and will involve body
movements and vocalisations. Some people are able to use
visual aids on electronic devices which can be used as voice
output devices.
Pragmatics. To involve how communication skills are used
and how appropriately language skills are utilised.
Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC). Involve ICT skills and visual aids.
Short and long term aims for communication are embedded
in the children’s I.E.P. (individual educational programme)
planning. This is an integral part of effective treatment
supplied by the Speech and Language Therapy Service.
All therapy led pathways are implemented holistically by
multidisciplinary teams within school.
Caring FirstRespect Always
1a Melville Avenue, South Croydon, CR2 7HZ
Tel: 020 8688 7560 Fax: 020 8406 8220
Email: [email protected]
Speech andLanguage Therapy
Rutherford School, in partnership with Croydon Council, offers a Saturday Club for children and young people with PMLD and complex special educational needs.
This club is on offer to all children and young people (aged
6 – 19 years) in Croydon with PMLD, complex medical and/
or special educational needs. There is a formal application
process, which will also involve a nursing assessment of the
child’s needs for medical support. Saturday Club sessions
run from 10.00 am to 3.00 pm; we aim to open at least three
Saturdays per month. The club is staffed by highly-experienced
staff and members of the school’s nursing team.
Current activities include: art and craft, stories and poems,
cooking, activities to enhance use of the senses, opportunities
to use the school’s technology facilities, and outings on an
occasional basis; we plan to re-introduce swimming very soon,
and to introduce rebound therapy in the New Year.
In addition to Saturday Club, Rutherford School also offers a
Summer Club for a two-week period during the summer holidays.
The Summer Club runs from Monday to Friday from 8:45 am to
3.15 pm, and is staffed by members of the school’s regular staff
team. We hope to be able to offer this facility to external pupils
from Summer 2015. Please enquire.
Activities include outings, swimming, rebound therapy, art
and craft, cooking and outdoor activities in the schools lovely
grounds and sensory garden.
Caring FirstRespect Always
1a Melville Avenue, South Croydon, CR2 7HZ
Tel: 020 8688 7560 Fax: 020 8406 8220
Email: [email protected]
The Saturday & Summer Clubs
All enquiries for Saturday Club and or Summer Club to: Jenny Borg, External relations Co-ordinator, Rutherford School at [email protected], or call 020 8688 7560
Music therapy is a specialised clinical intervention.
Music Therapists primarily use improvised music to:
•Engage with their pupils in shared interaction.
•Respond to their pupil’s initiations.
Music therapy aims to build an emerging therapeutic
relationship to facilitate the development of essential
cognitive and communication skills, as well as providing
an outlet for creative expression.
Music as a non-verbal language, is an ideal medium for
pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Individual sessions offer pupils opportunities to learn more
about themselves in a comfortable, supportive environment.
Where appropriate, group sessions may also facilitate the
development of many social skills.
Music Therapists are professional musicians. Their role is to:
•Listen and observe their pupil’s spontaneous music making.
•Respond in a ways that encourage further interaction.
•Support communication.
•Build confidence in how pupils relate to the world
around them.
Two music therapists work at Rutherford School and their roles include the following:
•Provide music therapy assessments and ongoing clinical
sessions for children in 1:1 and group therapy settings.
• Integrate communication-based objectives into clinical
sessions.
•Provide clinical reports for annual review meetings.
•Monitor and review pupil objectives on a regular basis
in consultation with teachers.
•Facilitate in-house training to staff about principles of
music therapy.
•Liaise regularly with other therapists in multi-disciplinary
school team.
•Host observational visits for music therapists in training.
A Short Case Study
Anna is a 10 year old child with Rett’s Syndrome. She has
attended 1:1 music therapy for 4 years. Her original referral
from her class teacher highlighted a spontaneous and
enlivening response to musical stimuli and that music therapy
sessions might provide a space in which Anna could develop
her pre-verbal communication and social skills through
musical interaction with the therapist.
During the assessment phase of the therapy, Anna
demonstrated a lively and curious response to a range of
musical sounds, and through short episodes of interaction
with the therapist, it seemed evident that a period of ongoing
therapy would provide an appropriate outlet for Anna’s
emotional and social communication. As the process of the
therapy continued, and through repetition of familiar musical
material, Anna gradually became more confident and openly
expressive in her music-making, and this in turn enriched the
therapeutic relationship with the therapist.
Anna’s teacher in class has recently commented:
“Anna has become more confident in using her pre-verbal
communication skills in class, and she is a much more lively
personality generally. She also uses objects in a much more
functional and meaningful way since she has been attending
music therapy”
Caring FirstRespect Always
1a Melville Avenue, South Croydon, CR2 7HZ
Tel: 020 8688 7560 Fax: 020 8406 8220
Email: [email protected]
MusicTherapy
The multi - sensory room at Rutherford was specifically designed for the needs of the individual pupils within the school.
Each piece of equipment has been installed and positioned in
such a way that there is enough space to make it accessible
and functional for all our pupils. The complete black out
concept of the room allows less distraction making this an
ideal environment not only for our visually impairment pupils
but also for our sighted students who use the room.
Richard Hirstwood, provided the advice on bespoke aspects
of multisensory environments. Lee Lemmings of Sensory
Guru is a specialist in the design and installation of sensory
environments which includes gesture controlled software.
The room is visually inviting and provides the “optimum”
working environment for all of our pupils whatever their
sensory impairment.
Multi-Sensory Activities include:
•Bubble tube
•Height adjustable infinity tunnel
•Fibre-optic curtain & ball.
•Sound & light panel
•Solar projector to use with large white screen and/or
black or white umbrellas.
•Multi-sensory stimuli e.g. Small light sources, textured balls,
light pillows, vibro glo, vibrating tubes etc.
•Software such as big bang patterns
•High contrast geometric pattern boards
•Silver prism boards
• iPad
•Communication resources such as puppets, music,
switch operated toys, big mack switch story books.
All equipment is switch adaptable.
Case Study:
Bobby’s Story
When Bobby first came to Rutherford School his mother was
told that Bobby had been diagnosed with Cortical Visual
Impairment and had limited vision.
He was introduced to weekly sessions in the multi-sensory
room. He had very little visual responses to the large light
sources. We continued to work on his Visual Impairment
programme which was designed with the input of Croydon
Visual Impairment Services.
After 6 months it became apparent that his vision was
beginning to change as he started showing awareness of
moving lights. He would turn to look briefly at them and
then look away soon after. With regular sessions and also
opportunities to work with light stimuli within the classroom
his visual skills improved.
Bobby has been receiving weekly sessions for 4 years now and
is still overseen by the “Visual impairment Service” that are
always there to give advice whenever required. He now is able
to work in a lit room with coloured objects rather than light
sources. He also accesses visual apps on the iPad during his
sessions with very little prompts.
Working in the multi-sensory room has opened up a whole
new world for him visually and he is able to work on some of
his specific learning targets within these sessions.
Caring FirstRespect Always
1a Melville Avenue, South Croydon, CR2 7HZ
Tel: 020 8688 7560 Fax: 020 8406 8220
Email: [email protected]
School Multi-Sensory Room
The Nursing Team at Rutherford school delivers nursing care to the pupils to enable them to access the curriculum as fully as possible.
In order to meet the medical needs of each pupil within the
context of the school routine, they work in partnership with
parents or carers, the school’s intra-disciplinary team and other
external professionals as necessary.
The nurses are experienced in the management of children
with complex needs including, for example epilepsy, enteral
feeding and complex medical conditions. They are committed to
providing evidence-based care and to keeping up to date with the
latest developments in nursing practice.
The nursing team administer prescribed medication to pupils
during school hours and give enteral feeds as prescribed.
Pupil’s heights and weights are recorded on a regular basis.
In order to prevent unnecessary disruption to pupils’ education,
the Nursing Team works in collaboration with Community
Health Services to provide regular medical clinics. Dr Joy Okpala,
Community Paediatric Consultant conducts these clinics in
school with a member of the nursing team, the class teacher and
the pupil’s parent or carer.
A dietician from Croydon University Hospital runs regular Dietetic
clinics in school in conjunction with the nursing team and the
Dysphagia specialist to provide nutritional guidance and support.
Parents/Carers are invited to attend these clinics.
The Community Dental Service visits the school every 6 months
to see those pupils whose families have given consent. Families
do not generally attend but if there are any concerns these are
communicated to parents by letter.
These clinics are provided to assist in the welfare and
development of pupils and to prevent them having to spend
unnecessary time attending external appointments out of
school hours.
The school nurses are available to provide nursing advice
and guidance to parents and carers during school hours.
If a more in-depth discussion is required this can be arranged
by appointment.
The Nursing Department at Rutherford School is also an
approved training establishment for Student Nurses from
Kingston University who are either studying Learning Disability
or Child Branch nursing.
“…a great team of nurses, they have all contributed significantly to my learning needs…”
“…lovely school , lovely people…”“I enjoyed observing different nurses’ safe practice…”
“The school had a very good atmosphere”
The nursing team similarly appreciate having student nurses
– they come with fresh ideas and teaching them reinforces
our own learning and safe practice.
Caring FirstRespect Always
1a Melville Avenue, South Croydon, CR2 7HZ
Tel: 020 8688 7560 Fax: 020 8406 8220
Email: [email protected]
NursingTeam
Caring FirstRespect Always
Informationpackwww.garwoodfoundation.org.uk
Registered charity number: 272905Company registration number: 1285858
www.rutherfordschool.org.uk
1a Melville Avenue, South Croydon, CR2 7HZTel: 020 8688 7560 Fax: 020 8406 8220
Email: [email protected]
Part of the
Caring FirstRespect Always