ARB
Welcome to our ARB
Trematon Area Resource Base (ARB) is a valued and integral part of Saltash Community School. It provides a specialised environment for children with severe and complex learning difficulties. The ARB is a provision for pupils aged between eleven and sixteen years old.
OfSTED
In our most recent OfSTED visit, inspectors made the following observations about the teaching and support provided to students by Trematon ARB:
“Skilled teaching assistants support pupils well”
“Pupils with SEND who have EHC plans are making strong progress; many of these are in the ARB”
“Pupils within the ARB demonstrate high levels of achievement in relation to their starting points”.
Philosophy
Trematon ARB values every child as an individual: our setting encourages every child to achieve their full potential and to develop an intrinsic desire to learn and participate in school, family and community life. We provide a calm, caring environment in which academic, social, emotional and sensory needs are met. We aim to develop the children’s self-esteem, self-awareness and self-confidence by promoting and building on the children’s strengths and interests, developing strategies and skills that will prepare them for the next stage of their development and life.
The ARB team
The ARB benefits from an experienced and professional team who receive regular training in order to maintain high standards and expertise. The current team is as follows:
- Senior ARB teacher, SENCO and DDSL: Helen Hodson hhodson@saltashcloud.net
- ARB teacher: Gareth Hunt ghunt@saltashcloud.net
- ARB Learning Support Assistant: Trudi Materna tmaterna@saltashcloud.net
- ARB Learning Support Assistant: Hannah Keyes hkeyes@saltashcloud.net
- ARB Learning Support Assistant: Alice Pollard apollard@saltashcloud.net
- ARB Learning Support Assistant: Joanna Carson jcarson@saltashcloud.net
- ARB Learning Support Assistant: Karen Snowdon ksnowdon@saltashcloud.net
Parents and Carers
The ARB recognises that the parents and carers play the most significant role in their child’s development. We work in partnership with parents and all other agencies to ensure continuity of approach for all concerned. The ARB seeks to promote the full involvement of parents through:
- Regular daily updates through the “Class Dojo” application where student progress and achievements can be shared with parents and carers.
- Formal and detailed Education, Health Care Plan annual reviews.
- Open communication by text, phone or email at any time during the working day.
Curriculum and Routines
The students are taught a broad and balanced curriculum which aims to promote the academic, spiritual, moral, cultural, emotional and physical development of all children. The students have full access to the National Curriculum, including the Foundation Stage, through relevant and stimulating lessons which enable every child to reach their full potential. The subjects are modified and differentiated so that they are appropriate for the age and stage of each child, and accessible for all. Emphasis is placed upon communication skills, social skills and the development of independence, life and thinking skills.
The Environment and Facilities
Our facilities were newly refurbished in 2022, providing us with excellent indoor and outdoor learning environments. Each of the streamed teaching groups is taught in a separate classroom to encourage distraction-free learning and for students with sensory needs there is a fully equipped sensory room and quiet room which they can access. There is also a separate dining area and kitchen which is used as a social space and teaching resource for life skills and food tech lessons.
Our outdoor space features a covered play area, a raised area with picnic benches, a vegetable garden and greenhouse. We are also creating a pond to encourage our resident wildlife. One highlight of our outdoor space which our students really enjoy is our chicken run. Our chickens were all hatched and raised at the ARB, and they are often brought inside so that students can interact with them.