Every Kisharon pupil is supported by a team of professionals. Our teams of highly trained and experienced therapists work alongside our teachers.

Challenging every student to achieve their own goals, Kisharon teachers and support staff use up-to-date, evidence and research based methods which are constantly reviewed and evaluated.

Art Therapy

– Charlotte Attar (trainee)

Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses creative activities like drawing, painting, or sculpting to help individuals express emotions, process experiences, and improve mental well-being. It is facilitated by a trained art therapist and focuses on the therapeutic process rather than artistic skill. 

Art therapy is not dependent on spoken language and can therefore be helpful to anyone who finds it difficult to express their thoughts and feelings verbally.

Art therapy is accessible to anyone, regardless of artistic ability.

Music therapy

– Omer Plotniarz

Music therapy is a creative way to use music to build a therapeutic connection, focusing on emotional, physical, and developmental goals. It reaches deeply into a person’s feelings, whether adult or child, helping to address challenges while fostering creativity, growth, and positive change.

The music therapy sessions are tailored to the unique needs of each pupil and can support a variety of goals, such as:

• Developing non-verbal interaction skills through turn-taking, imitation, and role exchanges during musical improvisation.
• Enhancing attention and social awareness, fostering positive connections with peers and the wider community.
• Building emotional insight and understanding.
• Encouraging self-expression through music.
• Promoting self-awareness and awareness of others through the therapeutic musical relationship.

Occupational therapy

– Rachelle Richman & Scott Campbell

Occupational Therapy (OT) is a holistic approach that supports individuals in developing the skills they need to participate in meaningful daily activities. At Kisharon Noe, our OT services help students overcome barriers, build independence, and engage more fully in their school, home, and community environments.

Our goal is to foster independence, enabling students to actively participate and engage in all areas of their lives. We believe that with the right support, every student can achieve their full potential.

Our OT program covers a wide range of skill-building opportunities, including:

• Sensory Regulation: Helping students process and respond to sensory input effectively.
• Fine and Gross Motor Skills: Developing strength, coordination, and control for tasks like writing, cutting, and physical activities.
• Visual Perception: Enhancing skills like tracking, spatial awareness, and hand-eye coordination.
• Self-Care Skills: Promoting independence in daily tasks such as dressing, grooming, and eating.
• Life Skills: Teaching practical abilities like shopping, meal preparation, and money management.
• Social Skills: Supporting students in building relationships and navigating social interactions.
• Emotional Regulation: Providing tools to manage emotions and behavior effectively.

What we offer

• Universal provision: Strategies embedded into daily routines to support all students, such as classroom sensory tools and group activities.
• Targeted provision: Group-based interventions, including boys’ and girls’ groups, focusing on specific areas like hygiene, appearance, or motor skills.
• Specialist provision: One-to-one sessions addressing individual goals, including personalized sensory plans, motor skill programs, and life skills development.

Why OT matters

Occupational Therapy plays a vital role in helping students gain independence, confidence, and the ability to navigate their world. By addressing each student’s unique needs, our OT program ensures they can participate and thrive in the activities that matter most to them.

Physiotherapy

– Sally Wright & Kimberley Dias

The school physiotherapy team works collaboratively with students, parents, teachers and our inhouse therapy team to meet agreed needs and goals. 

Clinical input is informed by assessment. 

We work to develop abilities that underpin sitting, standing, walking, transfers, gross motor skills and PE as well as the skills themselves. 

We also work to prevent or reduce known complications. 

Students are supported to use learnt and emerging skills across the curriculum.

A variety of treatment approaches are used including neurodevelopmental, sensory integration, musculo-skeletal techniques, relaxation and hydrotherapy. We are fortunate in having a hydrotherapy pool. 

Our overall aim is for our students to become active, confident participators in their physical lives and to lead physically healthy lifestyles.  

Our service:

• We are on site 5 days a week. This means we can respond quickly to problems as they arise, attend and contribute to whole  school training and build collaborative and integrative working relationships by working with classroom staff on daily basis. 
• Our whole school (universal) programme includes non-specialist seating review; general mobility and gross motor advice, whole class gross motor groups; in class spinal workouts and warm water pool advice.  These programmes are accessible to all our students. 
• Students with physiotherapy provision on their EHCP receive specialist physiotherapy provision as detailed. In other words, provision over and above universal and specific to that student’s needs. This can take many forms e.g. blocks of 1:1 physiotherapy; weekly 1:1 physiotherapy; student specific training; specialist seating and walker reviews; neurodevelopmental programmes.
• All provision is formally reviewed at annual review.

We both refer to and liaise with external NHS services e.g. orthopaedic, spinal and neurological clinics; community physiotherapy teams; orthotics clinics; wheelchair clinics. We invite companies who provide mobility and supportive equipment into school. 

Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT)

– Aimee Rhodes

Speech and Language Therapists collaborate with the School Leadership Team to assess the training needs related to communication and feeding, providing whole-school training when necessary to benefit all students.

When a student is referred for Speech and Language Therapy, the therapists work directly in the classroom alongside the teacher and other support staff.

There is close communication with parents to ensure that everyone involved in the child’s care can focus on agreed-upon goals at the most suitable times and in the most natural settings. We also collaborate with the multi-disciplinary Health Team and other agencies supporting the student.

When a child or young person is referred to us the Speech and Language Therapist will:

• Collect information from previous therapists the child has seen.
• Work closely with other members of the multidisciplinary team as needed.
• Set targets in collaboration with the class teacher and parents.
• Provide guidance and training to staff on how to address these targets throughout the school day.
• Support the learning and application of skills in various settings.
• Monitor and evaluate progress.
• Contribute to the annual review process.
• Communicate with and offer advice to parents regarding their child’s progress.