KITE Therapeutic Learning Services

There are a few special people that are very important to our KITE family who are nominated for this years BAPS awards.

The wonderful Tori Dye is nominated in the Educating Education Category. I had the pleasure of working closely with Tori last year when she tutored one of our lovely learners. She is an exceptional tutor and truly deserves this award.

KITE are proud to work with Old School Riding Centre where several of our children attend their sessions. The centre is run by Laura King (Bannard) who is nominated in the Mental Health Champion Category.

Finally, the brilliant Danielle Jata Hall of PDA Parenting is once again nominated in 2 categories for her tireless championing of PDA. As almost all our KITE learners are autistic with a PDA profile we highly value the work that Danielle does.

Good luck to all these amazing nominees!! You are all super stars 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

🎉In case you missed it! We've announced our 2022 finalists. Head to our website now to meet the finalists and cast your vote! 🎉

https://www.myfamilyourneeds.co.uk/news/meet-the-baps-awards-finalists-for-2022/

Sharing on behalf of a client (PLEASE NOTE THIS ROLE IS NOT FOR NEST OR KITE SO PLEASE USE THE EMAIL IN THE POST TO RESPOND!)
Online Learning Mentor
This role offers a rewarding opportunity to become part of a 7-year-old’s rich learning
journey. We are looking for a learning mentor who is able to connect creatively, online, for up to 3 hours a week. You will become part of a team supporting what is best described as a programme of self-directed education. The provision is supported by an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) and so will also be reviewed through this process.

The 3 hours can be negotiated but will need to work around existing provision. These hours will also likely be added to over time.

The ideal candidate will be a dynamic, fun, and insightful learning mentor, specialising in supporting truly individual learning pathways. If you believe that learning is a natural process arising from felt-safety, connection, curiosity, playfulness, and rich, developmentally attuned opportunities, if you are passionate
about working away from systems of rewards and punishments, committed to enhancing every child’s individuality rather than gaining conformity, we would love to hear from you.

Job Description
The work will focus on online connection through games, activities, and discussions, based on the student’s interests and passions. The learning opportunities will look different over time, evolving fluidly. Connection may start with online games, such as Minecraft, and will diversify at a natural pace, as trust is gained. This will happen with deep respect for the student’s agency, choice over their goals, and how these will be met on their learning pathway. An attuned, responsive, and reciprocal approach is essential.
Applicants Need to Have:
 Experience working flexibly as a teacher, tutor, learning mentor, or in a similar
professional role supporting children and young people.
 The learning mentor’s suitability will depend on their experience, knowledge base, understanding, skills, and approach, rather than on any specific qualification.
 Understanding of and belief in self-directed education and the importance of intrinsic motivation.
 Comfortable following a child’s lead and not being in the role of ‘expert’.
 Experience supporting children and young people within a neurodiversity- affirming framework.
 Excellent communication and advocacy skills.
 The ability to connect effectively via text as a preferred method of
communication and via online platforms such as Minecraft.
 The ability to provide a low arousal, low demand approach with a high degree of novelty, flexibility, ingenuity, and creativity.
 The ability to provide an empowering learning context, sensitive to and validating of the student’s individual needs. Session content and length will always need to be attuned to the student’s body budget and fluctuating capacity to engage, keeping their emotional wellbeing at the centre.
 Unswerving commitment to deliver all sessions away from systems of rewards
and punishments.
 The ability to remain calm, to communicate from safety, and to work
reflectively.
 Commitment to do further reading related to the individual needs of the
student, especially in relation to Autistic and PDA experience.
 An interest in listening to and learning from Autistic educators, with a
commitment to moving away from the medical model, and to offering supports
with this learning in mind.
 The ability to work closely with parents and professionals. This will include
being responsive to advice and new information, to ensure the needs and
well-being of the child are prioritised at all times.
 The skills to maintain clear learning records and to complete reports for EHCP meetings and annual reviews.
 A full and up to date DBS Certificate

Rate of pay upwards of £40 per hour, depending on experience.
Applications of interest should include a covering letter, CV, and details of availability. Please send to [email protected] Suitable
candidates will then be invited for an interview over zoom within two weeks of your application being received

Thank you to all our amazing KITE associates for another brilliant year.

This year we have grown even bigger and taken on many new brilliant tutors, LSA's and team members. We are so grateful to you all for your hard work and dedication to KITE.

Thank you to all our families for being so lovely to work with. Our collaborative approach with you is one of the key reasons we can work so well with your brilliant children and young people.

Thank you, lastly, most importantly to our wonderful KITE students. You bring us all so much fun, humour and make all our jobs very enjoyable and rewarding.

Here is to another fantastic year where we will all continue to "fly high!"

Wishing you a wonderful and well deserved summer break.

Laura, Andrea and all the KITE team.

(Thank you to the team who made it to yesterday's end of term meet up - it was lovely to see you all.)

URGENT!!!!

Female Tutor required for Zoology and Palaeontology lessons for 2 hrs per week, for our non-binary student, aged 17.

They live in Basingstoke, and the tutoring must be in person.

This is NOT for University or A Level so will not be for exam purposes and is just for their special interest so must be interest led.

The tutor must be someone who will be able to back-fill gaps in this student’s science knowledge as well .

Please contact [email protected] for the attention of Caroline, if you are interested in applying for this role”

Highly, highly recommend these memberships by Send Family Instincts - be sure to check them out!

Good morning!

Have you seen our handy flow chart to help you decide which membership will suit your needs best?

You can find more information on each membership here https://www.sendfamilyinstincts.com/memberships

Just a note, if you are considering EOTAS at all, opt for EOTAS Instincts, even if there are barriers to attendance and/or PDA. EOTAS Instincts is the only membership that includes the amazing EOTAS 101 Webinar.

If you need help deciding, drop us an email to [email protected]

Highly recommend Wi******er Science Centre for a great, fun and educational day out!!

💛

Early yesterday morning I received one of the best text messages I have ever received, it simply said:

“Hi Laura, just had to share this……………R is up, ready and sat in the room he wants to take the exam in."

Whilst exams halls around the country are crammed with Year 11 students taking their GCSE’S, the thought of this Year 10 student who has overcome SO much, sitting in a room on his own patiently waiting for his exam papers to arrive momentarily moved me to tears………

Later R’s mum messaged met to say R had finished the exam and that said, “He’s done. He said it was OK” - this text then trumping the one I had received earlier in terms of “best texts ever received!”

The fact that R took this exam is absolutely MONUMENTAL.

3 years ago R started Secondary School and the impact on his mental health was catastrophic.
R managed the first 2 weeks, then despite wanting to go in and trying so, so hard he couldn’t return.

For months R retreated to the safety of his bed – at times only venturing out of his room at night.

But R’s parents knew what he needed, they fought and fought for R to have his KITE tutoring funded by his school, confident in the knowledge that THEY knew what was best for THEIR son.

Eventually, their hard work and determination paid off.

R’s parents have always surrounded R with love and understanding whilst respecting his need for autonomy and space.

6 months ago R was still unable to leave his bed, and would hide under the bed covers when he was due to have a session with his brilliant tutor Simon.

But, every week Simon would log on as agreed, sometimes chatting to R’s mum so that R could overhear.

One week - a shy thumb poked out from under the bed covers to give a sign of approval about something Simon had said.
Simon slowly and respectfully gained R’s trust and made a connection. Eventually R started to log onto sessions with Simon who recognised R’s amazing abilities. Simon has never been R’s “tutor” because R never needed one. Simon became a trusted adult who respected R’s intelligence and ability and simply facilitated his learning.

Yesterday was a monumental event and it happened due to:

💛Love
💛Determination
💛Patience
💛Autonomy
💛Strength
💛Understanding
💛Connection

THAT is what children need to succeed……………..

(Simon, W and A and of course R – you are all bloody brilliant and I am in awe of you all………..)

Sharing with R’s parent’s consent.

Early yesterday morning I received one of the best text messages I have ever received, it simply said:

“Hi Laura, just had to share this……………R is up, ready and sat in the room he wants to take the exam in."

Whilst exams halls around the country are crammed with Year 11 students taking their GCSE’S, the thought of this Year 10 student who has overcome SO much, sitting in a room on his own patiently waiting for his exam papers to arrive momentarily moved me to tears………

Later R’s mum messaged met to say R had finished the exam and that said, “He’s done. He said it was OK” - this text then trumping the one I had received earlier in terms of “best texts ever received!”

The fact that R took this exam is absolutely MONUMENTAL.

3 years ago R started Secondary School and the impact on his mental health was catastrophic.
R managed the first 2 weeks, then despite wanting to go in and trying so, so hard he couldn’t return.

For months R retreated to the safety of his bed – at times only venturing out of his room at night.

But R’s parents knew what he needed, they fought and fought for R to have his KITE tutoring funded by his school, confident in the knowledge that THEY knew what was best for THEIR son.

Eventually, their hard work and determination paid off.

R’s parents have always surrounded R with love and understanding whilst respecting his need for autonomy and space.

6 months ago R was still unable to leave his bed, and would hide under the bed covers when he was due to have a session with his brilliant tutor Simon.

But, every week Simon would log on as agreed, sometimes chatting to R’s mum so that R could overhear.

One week - a shy thumb poked out from under the bed covers to give a sign of approval about something Simon had said.
Simon slowly and respectfully gained R’s trust and made a connection. Eventually R started to log onto sessions with Simon who recognised R’s amazing abilities. Simon has never been R’s “tutor” because R never needed one. Simon became a trusted adult who respected R’s intelligence and ability and simply facilitated his learning.

Yesterday was a monumental event and it happened due to:

💛Love
💛Determination
💛Patience
💛Autonomy
💛Strength
💛Understanding
💛Connection

THAT is what children need to succeed……………..

(Simon, W and A and of course R – you are all bloody brilliant and I am in awe of you all………..)

Sharing with R’s parent’s consent.

Early yesterday morning I received one of the best text messages I have ever received, it simply said:

“Hi Laura, just had to share this……………R is up, ready and sat in the room he wants to take the exam in."

Whilst exams halls around the country are crammed with Year 11 students taking their GCSE’S, the thought of this Year 10 student who has overcome SO much, sitting in a room on his own patiently waiting for his exam papers to arrive momentarily moved me to tears………

Later R’s mum messaged met to say R had finished the exam and that said, “He’s done. He said it was OK” - this text then trumping the one I had received earlier in terms of “best texts ever received!”

The fact that R took this exam is absolutely MONUMENTAL.

3 years ago R started Secondary School and the impact on his mental health was catastrophic.
R managed the first 2 weeks, then despite wanting to go in and trying so, so hard he couldn’t return.

For months R retreated to the safety of his bed – at times only venturing out of his room at night.

But R’s parents knew what he needed, they fought and fought for R to have his KITE tutoring funded by his school, confident in the knowledge that THEY knew what was best for THEIR son.

Eventually, their hard work and determination paid off.

R’s parents have always surrounded R with love and understanding whilst respecting his need for autonomy and space.

6 months ago R was still unable to leave his bed, and would hide under the bed covers when he was due to have a session with his brilliant tutor Simon.

But, every week Simon would log on as agreed, sometimes chatting to R’s mum so that R could overhear.

One week - a shy thumb poked out from under the bed covers to give a sign of approval about something Simon had said.
Simon slowly and respectfully gained R’s trust and made a connection. Eventually R started to log onto sessions with Simon who recognised R’s amazing abilities. Simon has never been R’s “tutor” because R never needed one. Simon became a trusted adult who respected R’s intelligence and ability and simply facilitated his learning.

Yesterday was a monumental event and it happened due to:

💛Love
💛Determination
💛Patience
💛Autonomy
💛Strength
💛Understanding
💛Connection

THAT is what children need to succeed……………..

(Simon, W and A and of course R – you are all bloody brilliant and I am in awe of you all………..)

Sharing with R’s parent’s consent.

Two of my favourite people are working together to deliver this bloody brilliant webinar! I highly recommend you sign up to this now!! 👇🏻

NEW WEBINAR AHOY!

Join Heidi Mavir, Founder of EOTAS Matters and The Nurturing SEND Consultant - Karen Stepanova for a LIVE Webinar for Parents of Autistic and PDA children and young people.

Parents of Autistic and PDA children often tell us that they are frustrated by the lack of undertanding of thier children's Demand Avoidant profile. In this brand new Webinar we will guide you through how you can use Section A of your child's EHCP to ensure the plan is an accurate reflection of your child and what they need.

We will cover:

What is PDA?

What is Section A of an EHCP?

How to effectively use Section A to frame all the of things that don’t work for your child

How to effectively use Section A to evidence what DOES work for your child

If you have a PDAer in your home (or suspect you might) and you either have an EHCP or are applying for one, this is for you

Tickets are limited and allocated on first-come; first-served. £15 gets you a seat in the live webinar, free replay, resources and a Q&A after the Webinar.

See you there!

Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/section-a-for-pda-a-pda-parents-guide-to-section-a-of-your-ehcp-tickets-344252798387

Fantastic post from Education Otherwise Than At School - EOTAS Matters supporting SEN Families

People ask me ALL the time.... what can we ask for in our EOTAS Package?

The answer is.... pretty much anything

AND

To give yourself the best chance of securing it, follow these steps .....

1) Ensure that you have EVIDENCE that the privision you are requesting EDUCATES OR TRAINS
2) Ensure that you have EVIDENCE that the provision you are requesting is linked to the Outcomes in your EHCP
3) Ensure that you have EVIDENCE that a suitably qualified Professional has made a specific recommendation or is in support of the provision
4) Ensure that the provision you are requesting is linked to a Special Educational Need, as detailed in Section B of your EHCP
5) Ensure that the provision you are requesting is specified and quantified in Section F of your EHCP
6) Ensure that you have made a request for funding for the provision and that it's detailed in Section J of your plan

And finally..... once you have secured the provision, make sure you have a photo of your kid living their best life and loving the provision you worked hard to secure to remind yourself that you are a bad ass ❤

If you need help with how to put together a request for EOTAS, we have some things to help you. Pop us an email to [email protected] with FREE Guide in the subject box and we'll send you our PDF Guide to Requesting EOTAS.

Image description (shared with permission)
My son Theo, who wears dark rimmed glasses, has blue hair and is wearing a climbing helmet is standing beside his climbing instructor, Stu, who is a white man with short stubble. Theo is smiling into the camera. Stu is pulling his best gurn. They are in front of a climbng wall that Theo has just finished conquering.

One of my brilliant KITE learners has written his own book with his brilliant LSA!!

This is a fantastic example of how much a child with PDA can learn when they have the following:

😊 A brilliant, equal and reciprocal relationship with an adult they trust
😊Autonomy
😊Interest based learning
😊Fun sessions
😊Control over their learning

Well done to you both!!!!!

A brilliant post from Missing The Mark

Sometimes we have to start again.

At first it is just being.
Then ever so slowly.
Over time.
Bit by bit.
Side by side.
Little by little.

We add..

This recovering.
This is repairing.

An amazing line up of support is available from SEND Family Instincts…..

You asked, we listened. Here's our Handy Flow Chart Guide to choosing the correct Membership for your family. Please email us for extra guidance if you are still not sure. [email protected]

https://www.sendfamilyinstincts.com/memberships

Today I celebrated 3 years working with one of our amazing KITE clients - and we had a very unique party to celebrate 🙂🙃

Today I finally had the pleasure of meeting Laura Bannard and Dan from Old Town Riding School.

KITE have formed a brilliant collaboration with Laura and her fantastic team at the stables. We have 2 students accessing their EOTAS programmes where they can learn whilst being with ponies in a small and nurturing environment at the stables and hope to have more soon.

Laura Bannard just “gets it” and has a heart of pure gold.

I was joined today by one of our amazing KITE Learning Mentors; Stephan (AKA Gherkin) who finally got to meet his KITE learner in person too.

And last but definitely not least I had the complete pleasure of meeting Danielle from PDA Parenting who I feel like I’ve known for years!

We have just received the loveliest email about one of our incredible tutors. (Sharing with consent.)

"Hi Laura,

I just wanted to drop you a line to say how amazing Kate is and what an amazing teacher she is. I feel so so lucky that you recruited her when you did and she agreed to come to work with J.

She is making a huge difference to J’s life, and she’s such a kind and easy going lovely lady. She’s so in tune with J, and really gets him, his interests, so patient, with all the the skills to work with a PDA child.

I really am so happy that we started when we did with Kite and Kate. It’s the best thing that has happened for all of us for such a long time and J is learning so much from her."

Well done Kate - we are so lucky and proud to have you on our team!

Laura and Andrea x

I am delighted to be speaking about “PDA and Education” at this event in May. Click on the link below to find out more 👇🏻

The 15 May is PDA DAY, and we are celebrating by hosting a FULL DAY of speakers on a number of topics around PDA.

Join the event page by clicking the link in my bio to find out what you can expect.

We are so proud of our talented student, Phoebe, who has given her consent for us to share her fantastic artwork here.

These impressions are of musicians Takeshi and Imai. We love what you do, Phoebe! So impressive! Thank you for giving us consent to share.

THIS!!!!! 👇🏻 I hear it all the time!

EHCP Myths #5
Schools have to have done 2 cycles of plan/do/review, or have spent £6000, or have carried out an Educational Psychologist assessment before they can apply for an EHCP.

This is untrue. The only legal thresholds are that the child or young person MAY have SEN and it MAY be necessary for special educational provision to be made for them. Anything else is Local Authority criteria, but the legal threshold trumps policy.

If you need support with this, please join one of our Memberships where our trained Helpdesk advocates can support you. https://www.sendfamilyinstincts.com/memberships

This will be ace!!!

THIS WEEK!!

Join me on Wednesday night for our BRAND NEW WEBINAR where we'll cover how to use your Annual Review to secure EOTAS

We'll go over
💥How, when and why you need an Annual Review
💥What's legally required from your LA
💥How and what to prep in advance
💥Who to bring with you
💥What happens at a Review meeting
💥What happens after Review
💥And what to do if things don't go the way you hope

Tickets are £15 and include

❤ 60 minute Live Webinar, written and delivered by Heidi Mavir, Specialist EOTAS Advocate
❤ Follow up email with resources and links
❤ Lifetime Unlimited Access to the Replay
❤ Live Q&A with Heidi for all those attending the live session

Secure your seat here 👇

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ehcp-reviews-and-eotas-tickets-262846189027

This will be great!

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for a webinar in collaboration with Heidi Education Otherwise Than At School EOTAS Support for SEN Families on May 4th 8pm. More information coming this week……

We get dozens of emails daily from families struggling to secure education for their children. The common theme is that these families are exhausted.

Exhausted from writing the neverending emails.

Exhausted from going through pages and pages of reports and working documents.

And exhausted from trying to balance everyone's needs whilst juggling the piles and piles of paperwork.

In response to this, Kate Jones, Psychotherapist and Neurodivergent Coach, joined Heidi to deliver a webinar called: Surviving the trauma of Broken systems - a practical guide to putting on your own oxygen mask first.

You can now access a recording of the Webinar with unlimited replays for just £20 (plus Eventbrite admin fee)

Grab your pass for instant access here
👇
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/surviving-the-trauma-of-broken-systems-tickets-249237996557
❤

🌟Starting again soon!

🌟This is a really lovely programme for any parent or carer who feels like they need advice and a caring hand as they start their advocacy journey.

🌟Hope to see you there. More information and tickets in the link below 👇🏻

We begin our long awaited for Advocacy programme again on 22nd February!

F U L L * R E V I E W

I joined the Nurture Advocacy Programme (NAP) unsure of exactly what it would entail and not certain that I needed it. I am a teacher, I know how schools work, I have a good relationship with my children's schools, and I wasn't embroiled in any difficult negotiations. My son's school was already very supportive of his diagnosed needs, and my daughter was getting along fine. However, I knew enough about Laura and Jodie to know that if they had something they felt they wanted to communicate to parents of children with additional needs, then I wanted to hear about it! I wasn't disappointed; this was definitely a case of me not knowing what I didn't know, prior to doing this course.

Since doing the NAP, I'm staggered by the avenues of support yet to be explored, and excited by the opportunity to work with school and other organisations getting the support my family deserves. Additionally, I could not have known that I would realise things throughout the course that would lead me to use my new found confidence and skills to advocate for my undiagnosed daughter. She was starting to struggle in subtle ways that I may have missed or overlooked without the constant reassurance to "trust your mother's instinct" - an invaluable foundation that runs through the Nurturing Advocacy Programme. This, together with the weekly point of contact, making us accountable for our self-care, meant that I actually started to treat myself as I would treat a good friend (another core principle of the course). I found I was in danger of dishing out nuggets of wisdom from the programme when supporting friends in similar situations without actually stopping to follow the advice myself! Thanks to the support of the private online support community running alongside the programme, I did not fall into this trap again! An amazing programme that opens doors, validates feelings, reassures and empowers - what more could you ask?! I definitely recommend the NAP to anyone who feels like, for whatever reason, their children are not yet fully understood or supported by those entrusted to do so. Thank you Jodie, Laura, and all those in developing and running the programme.
https://thenurtureprogramme.co.uk/the-nurturing-advocacy-programme/