Maple

Behaviour Mentor: Mrs C Terry

Behaviour Assistant: Mrs K Saint

The Maple Room at Arden has been running successfully since 2017. The purpose of Maple is to allow pupils to develop into happy and independent children who can self-regulate and thrive, giving pupils the support they need to be able to work within a mainstream classroom full time. 

The aim is for Maple to provide a safe, calm environment where:

  • Challenge is controlled
  • Wellbeing is promoted
  • Resilience is encouraged
The classroom is appropriately resourced with purpose-built equipment, relevant resources and soft furnishings designed to offer: 

  • A safe place to have time out when needed
  • A place where we train our Restorative Ambassadors and also practice and promote Restorative Approaches
  • A low challenge/high nurture environment for pupils to complete work set by the class teacher 
  • The opportunity to participate in group discussions/activities to promote wellbeing, appropriate play and communication
  • A place where children can gain skills and coping strategies to allow children to cope in a mainstream classroom full time
  • Specific, topical support groups including transition support, anger management, anxiety and self esteem
  • Promotion of Arden's SEND, Behaviour, Attendance and Inclusion policies

At Arden Primary School, we deliver Restorative Ambassador training to pupils in Years 5 and 6, empowering them with the ethos, understanding, values, skills, and language needed for resolving harm and repairing conflicts among their peers. This training ensures a consistent approach to conflict resolution across the school, especially during unstructured times. Not only does this training support friendship and conflict resolution in our playgrounds, but it also equips pupils with valuable life skills. Arden Primary School has been recognised as a showcase school for Stockport due to our exemplary restorative practices.

What is Lego® Therapy?  

Lego-based therapy (LeGoff et al 2014) is an evidence based approach that aims to develop social communication skills in autistic children, such as sharing, turn-taking, following rules, using names and problem-solving. 

Lego® Therapy is a series of positive, proactive, child-centred interventions. These sessions encourage children’s communication, social and language skills, cognitive skills, fine motor skills, and emotional and behavioural responses. 

Lego® based therapy also gives children the opportunity to socialise and form relationships with others as it helps them to learn about other people’s point of view. It gives children a chance to transfer their skills from their small Lego group to a bigger group, classroom, school, home, or other community settings. 

What does Lego® Therapy look like in practice?

Children work in groups of three with each participant having a distinct role to build a Lego model collaboratively: 

  • Engineers use the Lego instructions and ask the Supplier for the specific pieces of Lego needed
  • Suppliers gives the Builder the pieces
  • Builders follow the building instructions from the Engineer in order to construct the model

How can Lego®–based therapy can help? 

We know that Lego®–based therapy can play a central role in changing people’s lives for the better. It has applications in the fields of education, special educational needs and disability, social care, mental health and even sport. 

It’s all down to the benefits of real play with a focus on quality time that we can spend socialising, solving problems, being active, curious and creative. It’s an opportunity for real engagement with a variety of people. 

Lego®–based therapy is highly structured, so it gives children a sense of safety, familiarity and predictability. It’s engaging and motivating, so children are more likely to follow a facilitator’s lead or group rules. It offers a host of different projects to build, and numerous games and activities to play, so children are kept engaged and remain more willing to listen, share and interact. 

Lego® based therapy also helps to develop: 

·         Self-worth 
·         Self-calming strategies 
·         Cooperative skills and ability to work in a team 

Legoff DB, Gomez De La Cuesta G,  Krauss GW (2014) LEGO-Based Therapy: How to build social competence through Lego-Based Clubs for children with autism and related conditions.