Our Vision

We aim to provide a supportive environment for students on the autism spectrum who may struggle with the day-to-day life of mainstream education. 

Our Enhanced Resource Provision (ERP) is designed to bridge the gap for students who are able to achieve and access mainstream curriculum but may require some special assistance during unstructured times throughout the day. The ERP also provides a safe and supportive base for any occasion where the learning environment becomes over stimulating for our students. We aim to help these students conquer any barriers to learning they may have and help them develop both socially and academically in preparation for adulthood. 

What We Offer

At Holderness Academy & Sixth Form College, we aim to make all students feel valued, and to break down any barriers to learning they may have to allow them to achieve to the best of their ability.

For students on the autistic spectrum, these barriers to learning are not always based on academic ability; they often affect social situations and the ability to participate in some tasks that the majority of people take for granted.

To overcome these barriers, we offer a range of services which are individually catered for each child’s needs and can be adapted as time and situations progress. Some of these services include:

• Access to the ERP room and sensory room

• Teaching Assistant Support in lessons

• Social skill building lesson programme

• Input from the Local Authority Autism Practitioner

• Lego-based therapy sessions

• Individual work booths for students within the ERP room

• Use of the ERP base for supervised breaks & lunches away from crowds

• Access to a range of sensory equipment and resources

• Additional areas around the site which can be accessed in overwhelming situations

Our Base

Based within the heart of the learning support department, our ERP room has been specially designed to be a versatile environment which caters for all the needs of students on the spectrum to give them an area in which they feel comfortable. Due to the high demand for student places within our ERP, we have doubled the size of this space by adding additional internal doors and an extra sensory room.

Our large table offers a space for our students to complete any work that can’t be done within the classroom and also provides a group eating area for students to use during break and lunch times. Students are encouraged to eat together at our group table where many interesting discussions take place. A 65” monitor provides entertainment during lunchtime with a range of documentaries and movies. We also have a selection of clubs on offer. 

Each student within the base has access to their own work booth where they can leave their belongings, spend time working and create a small space of their own within the academy learning environment. 

We have a comfy seating area for students to use for socialising, reading and relaxing, along with a cosy reading area in which students can choose books from our specially selected collection from some great writers all the way to books that help develop social skills. 

Our dedicated Lego bench provides students with an area to build Lego together with weekly challenges of building tasks. Our range of Lego education sets opens up the opportunity to use Lego to develop social skills and understanding.

Sensory Rooms

Our sensory room provides a space that is worlds away from the school environment feeling. Filled with comfy flooring, beanbags and sensory equipment, students can use these areas to relax, or to escape from situations they find difficult until they feel ready to face the day again. Each room is professionally painted with space and underwater themes as chosen by our students; this adds further to the escape from the typical learning space that students often need when becoming overstimulated. Additional lighting features allow students to control the ambience of the room. 

Teaching Assistants

We have a large team of Teaching Assistants who are specially trained to assist students on the autistic spectrum to support them both in and out of the classroom. Our team participates in regular training sessions from our ERYC Autism Practitioner along with attending a range of external training sessions, ensuring they are equipped with all the strategies needed to support the students in our provision. 

How To Apply

Applications to the unit are through identification of the need for an ERP place during the annual review meeting. This will then follow the ERYC application process through the SEN panel to establish if the student requires the extra resources the provision offers in order for them to access mainstream school life. 

We encourage parents/carers to contact the Academy for more information about our ERP prior to requesting places during the review meeting as this allows us to discuss students’ needs and if the provision will be suitable for them. 

We aim to remain inclusive of all ASC diagnosed students across the academy and although the provision may not be required, some aspects of it will be offered to those ASC students who require that little bit of extra assistance during their time at Holderness Academy & Sixth Form College. 

Further guidance for this can be found on the East Riding Council Website - 

https://www.eastriding.gov.uk/learning/schools-colleges-and-academies/