A new SEND provision

We opened our new ASSET Flourish provision at Ringshall Primary School in September 2024. Flourish is an alternative curriculum provision for ASSET children with SEND/additional needs.

There are times when children with special educational needs in our ASSET schools need an alternative curriculum and specialist support in order to access their mainstream school provision.

ASSET Flourish will eventually be a group of several specialist provisions based in ASSET schools across Suffolk, providing short term support to children with a range of needs who are currently finding it challenging to access their mainstream provision.

Our first Flourish centre opened on our Ringshall Primary site in September 2024, providing support for children in Years 3-6 with social, emotional and mental health needs. Children can be referred by their ASSET school for support for 2, 3, or 4 days a week. When children are not in Flourish, members of the Flourish team will provide outreach to their home school, working with the child and their teachers and support staff to see how their usual school provision can be adapted to meet their needs. Flourish is not a long term or permanent provision and children stay on roll at their home school, returning full time when they have received a suitable period of support to help them thrive in their usual setting.

Future Flourish centres are planned to meet a range of SEN needs, across the age range, and across Suffolk. In time we will offer spaces to children from other schools who are in the locality of a Flourish centre.

Referrals to Flourish are made by home schools in consultation with parents. Applications will go before a panel, and then the Flourish team will put a programme in place of visits to the child in their home school, visits by the child and their parents to Flourish, an agreed timetable for attending flourish and a support package for outreach in the home school.

A placement at Flourish Ringshall may be an option for children in KS2 who are:

In need of targeted and specific support or early intervention
Struggling to have their needs met/overcome barriers in their current setting
Have an SEMH need/history of trauma and/or displaying challenging behaviour
May be at risk of exclusion
Spending at least 75% of their time in the classroom

Flourish at Ringshall delivers an alternative curriculum that provides:

Pupil centred interventions that help with engagement in an appropriate curriculum
A well-resourced environment with a holistic approach; focusing on nurturing the ‘whole child’ through the ‘6 core strengths of development’ -attachment, self-regulation, affiliation, awareness, tolerance and respect
Opportunities to develop positive relationships, build resilience and emotional wellbeing
A focus on outdoor learning, craft, cookery and the introduction of more formal learning of English, Maths & Science when pupils are ready to so
An environment of high expectation and low threat
Flexible support, according to need; options of 2, 3 or 4 days per week dependent on individual needs and the purpose of the referral
A range of strategies, approaches and outreach to aid re-engagement in learning successful reintegration in the ‘home school’- an expectation that ‘home school’ staff engage in professional development and make visits to Flourish
Support from and links to all parts of ASSET and regular communication with families

Flourish follows a core strengths curriculum- based on Bruce Perry’s ‘6 core strengths of healthy child development’. Each of the core strengths–attachment, self-regulation, affiliation, awareness, tolerance, and respect – is a building block in a child’s development. Together, they provide a strong foundation of future health, happiness, and productivity.

The Flourish day starts between 9 and 9.30 as children arrive from different places, and ends between 2 and 3.30. Parents should arrange transport but help may be available - parents can apply to Flourish for support if they can demonstrate that transport will be a problem. Classes are small, with a maximum of 8 children could be attending Flourish at any time.