SEND Occupational Therapy supports children and young people to improve their confidence in daily activities and build independence skills in early years settings. Training is FREE to Local Authority primary and secondary mainstream settings within Birmingham. Please email if you would like to find out dates for upcoming training that your setting can access.
Contact: bchc.sendtherapy@nhs.net
Please email for further information around dates for upcoming training that your setting can access.
If you would like to find out more information about our offer, please see our links below:
SENCo Advice Meetings
Every mainstream education setting can access a 30-minute virtual Occupational Therapy SENCo advice meeting (1 per half-term). SENCo’s can discuss their concerns regarding a general topic or a specific query about a child / young person in their setting with a SEND Occupational Therapist.
Meetings are hosted virtually and led by your locality SEND Occupational Therapist. The following people can attend: SENCo, teaching staff and parents/carers.
The SEND Occupational Therapist can provide universal advice and strategies to support your setting. Common topics include toileting, dressing, pre-writing skills and feeding.
Staff will be required to fill out a meeting template before the booked session, which will help guide the discussion.
Staff can book this meeting by emailing the SEND Occupational Therapy at: bchc.sendtherapy@nhs.net
Sensory Circuits Training
Sensory circuits are a series of activities that aim to prepare children/ young people to be prepared to engage effectively for the day ahead. Sensory circuits can support with a child/young person’s physical, social and emotional development and their engagement in learning.
Training Information
SEND Occupational Therapy delivers a FREE half-day training on sensory circuits within local Authority mainstream schools in Birmingham. A training takes place every half term for primary and secondary settings.
The training covers basic sensory integration theory and uses a practical approach to teach attendees how to set up and run their own sensory circuit.
We also offer Sensory Circuits at Home Training that parents can attend for FREE within your setting. Please contact us if you would like to discuss further.
Hosting
Your setting will need to meet the criteria to be a host for our sensory circuit training to ensure your setting is appropriate. Hosts can send up to three members of staff to the sensory circuit training.
Please complete the sensory circuits school checklist below to confirm you meet the criteria, and email it to bchc.sendtherapy@nhs.net
Download the school checklist.
SEND Occupational Therapy will contact the host to confirm arrangements prior to training.
The host will also receive a copy of the register prior to the training with DBS details for delegates.
Booking
To book onto the sensory circuit training, you can email SEND Occupational Therapy on bchc.sendtherapy@nhs.net expressing your interest.
The following information is required via email:
- Full name of the staff member who will be attending
- DBS number
- Setting name and address, including postcode
- Email address for your delegate
- Any access/reasonable adjustments (if not applicable please state N/A)
*Please note – the above information is required for attendance
FAQs
How to express interest in being a host?
Please see our ‘hosting’ tab for more information.
How do I book the training?
Please see the ‘booking’ tab for more information.
Will I get a certificate?
Yes, you will be sent a certificate after attending the training
Can I send more than one person to this training?
Yes, if you are a host venue, then you can have up to three members of staff attend.
Will I get a copy of the training presentation?
Following attendance at training, you will be sent a resource booklet with the content that is discussed at the training
Occupational Therapy Skill Builders
The OT Skill Builders programme is aimed at upskilling a member of staff to become confident in delivering a 6-week Occupational Therapy (OT) based intervention group (of up to 6 young people) within mainstream secondary school settings. This training is FREE to mainstream secondary schools within the Birmingham area.
Training Information
Once you express interest in the programme, you will be invited to a virtual meeting to receive training from SEND Occupational Therapy on your chosen topic and the resources required. The topics we offer are:
Media Leisure
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Developing skills needed for young people to participate in leisure activities such as playing video games, socialising with peers and touch typing. This topic looks at the underlying skills needed for development into adulthood.
Travel
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Developing the skills needed to stay safe whilst travelling to school via different methods, e.g. walking or the bus, and how young people can develop their independence.
Meal Preparation
- Developing the skills needed for meal preparation and highlighting challenges young people may face.
Following training, an Occupational Therapist from SEND Occupational Therapy will support your member of staff to assess baselines of your young people, design session plans and run intervention groups. Following the intervention groups, SEND Occupational Therapy will support your staff member to reassess the group in line with their baseline scores.
We kindly ask all settings to provide feedback to allow us to evaluate the impact of the training within your setting.
Booking
To book onto the OT Skill Builders training, you can email SEND Occupational Therapy on bchc.sendtherapy@nhs.net expressing your interest.
The following information is required via email:
- Full name of the staff member who will be running the group
- Setting name and address, including postcode
- Email address for your delegate and SENCO
- The chosen topic for your intervention group
*Please note – you will need to provide the information above to be able to attend the training
FAQs
What are the expectations of the staff member?
The staff member is expected to:
- Identify appropriate young people for the group
- Assess young people pre- and post-intervention group
- Make session plans for the group
- Prepare equipment before the sessions and before the Occupational Therapist’s arrival
- Be committed to the program and able to attend all sessions and meetings
- Upskill other staff members on how to run a group
What support does the staff member require from settings?
- The member of staff should have protected time to plan and run groups
- Support from SENCo to source equipment and resources for the group
- An allocated, quiet area to run the group
Will I get a certificate?
Yes, you will be sent a certificate after completing the programme
Will I get a copy of the training presentation?
Following attendance at the initial meeting, you will be sent a resource booklet with the content that is discussed. After the completion of the programme, school can request, resource packs for other intervention topics but will not be fully supported by SEND Occupational Therapy to run further groups during that academic year.
Fun Moves
FunMoves is a FREE training delivered in partnership with the University of Bradford. FunMoves is an evidence-based screening and intervention tool which was co-produced with schools that enables teaching staff to assess the fundamental movement skills of a whole class within an hour. This tool allows the screening of children between academic years 1-6 within your setting that staff can complete with the support from SEND Occupational Therapy.
Training Information
Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are the motor skills which underpin participation in physical activity. Research has found that FMS have an impact on a child’s health (both physical and mental) as well as their academic performance.
This tool allows the screening of children between academic years 1-6 within a P.E. lesson or a small group session within your setting.
A member of SEND Occupational Therapy will run through the assessment and theory with staff within your setting. The assessment is completed by staff at the beginning and after 12 weeks of intervention. The intervention is implemented at home and within P.E. sessions or group settings at least twice per week.
School and home will be provided with a Fundamental Movement Skills activity booklet, which is available in multiple languages.
Booking
To book onto FunMoves training, you can email us to express your interest at bchc.sendtherapy@nhs.net.
We will require the following information via email:
- Full name of the staff member who will be attending
- Setting name and address, including postcode
- Email address for your delegate *Please note – you will need to provide the information above to be able to attend the training
*Please note – you will need to provide the information above to be able to attend the training
FAQs
How do I book the training?
Please see the ‘booking’ tab for more information.
How many people do you recommend sending on the training?
As you will be assessing potentially a whole class at a time, we do recommend you send two members of staff onto the training.
Will I be provided with a manual of how to complete FunMoves within my setting?
You will be provided with a manual on how to set up the grid, score the participants, consent forms, as this is a research project, as well as a complimentary Fundamental Movement Skills pack for both home and school to complete over a 12-week period.
What equipment do we need?
All your school requires to complete this screening tool is a suitable space i.e. a school hall, tape, tape measure, up to 25 beanbags and a timer.
Are the parent packs available in alternative languages?
Yes, we have copies available in some additional languages to ensure that this is accessible as possible for parents to support with intervention.
What happens if we do not have consent from parents to be part of the research programme?
The child can still participate in the activity. However, their scores will not be recorded or reflected within the research and if a parent changes their mind if they do not want their child to be part of the study, they can withdraw up to a month after the study by contacting University of Bradford directly. These children will also not receive an individualised report.
Ready Steady Reception Group (Nursery and Reception)
Ready, Steady, Reception is a FREE training for nursery or reception settings whereby staff will be supported by a member of our team to help you set up a group within your setting to support the development of communication and interaction, pre-writing skills, toileting, dressing and mealtimes.
Training Information
SEND Occupational Therapy delivers training within schools in Birmingham. Ready, Steady, Reception is a FREE training that is available for both nurseries and reception classes. Staff will be supported by a member of SEND Occupational Therapy to help you set up a group within your setting to support the development of communication and interaction, pre-writing skills, toileting, dressing and mealtimes.
Following attendance at the introduction session, you will be provided with a FREE resource pack with ideas and activities to support your setting to set up Ready. Steady, Reception Groups within your setting.
We kindly ask all settings to provide feedback to allow us to evaluate the impact of the training on children, young people and families within your setting.
Booking
To book onto our FREE Ready, Steady, Reception training, you can email us to express your interest at bchc.sendtherapy@nhs.net
We will require the following information via email:
- Full name of the staff member who will be completing the group
- Name of setting
- Email address for your delegate *Please note- you will need to provide the information above to be able to attend the training
FAQs
How do I book the training?
Please see the ‘booking’ tab for more information.
Will I get a certificate?
Yes you will be sent a certificate after attending the training.
Can I send more than one person to this training.
One member of staff is able to attend the training once per academic year.
What will I need to bring to the training?
You may wish to bring a pen and paper to make notes during the introduction session. Schools need to provide the equipment/resources for the sessions planned.
Will I get a copy of the training presentation?
When you have attended the introduction training, you will be sent a training booklet with the content that is discussed at the training along with resources you can use to the email that you provided upon booking. This will also include information for parents to implement.
How long is the group for?
This will run for 6 weeks, with the first week being online and the remaining 5 weeks being in-person.
Fun With Food (Part One)
Fun with Food Training is a half-day training for early years settings (Local Authority school nurseries and reception classes). It aims to support early years staff to understand what is involved in the steps to eating and drinking and provide universal strategies to support children within your setting. This is delivered jointly between SEND Occupational Therapy (OT) and Speech and Language therapy (SLT) teams.
Training Information
SEND Occupational Therapy, in collaboration with Speech and Language Therapy, delivers a FREE half-day training on Fun with Food for early years staff in private, voluntary, independent (PVI) settings, Local Authority school nurseries and reception classes in Birmingham.
The training is delivered once per term online. The training will support staff with developing awareness, promote positive eating and drinking interactions within their settings.
Early years settings interested in attending this training will be required to attend the Fun with Food Group (Part 2), where you are supported to set up Fun with Food Groups within your setting.
One staff member per setting can attend the training due to demand and availability.
Following attendance at the training, you will be provided with a FREE resource pack (Part One) to support your setting.
We kindly ask all early years’ settings to provide feedback to allow us to evaluate the impact of the training within your setting.
Booking
To book onto the FREE Fun with Food training, you can email SEND Occupational Therapy on bchc.sendtherapy@nhs.net expressing your interest.
The following information is required via email:
- Full name of the staff member who will be attending
- Setting name and address, including postcode
- Email address for your delegate
*Please note – the above information is required for attendance
FAQs
How do I book the training?
Please see the ‘booking’ tab for more information.
Will I get a certificate?
Yes, you will be sent a certificate after attending the training.
What will I need to bring to the training?
You may wish to bring a pen and paper to make notes.
Will I get a copy of the training presentation?
Following attendance at training, you will be sent a resource booklet (Part One) with the content that is discussed at the training.
Fun With Food (Part Two)
Fun with Food Group is a follow-up from Fun with Food Training (Part One). This is for early years settings (Local Authority school nurseries and reception classes). The Fun with Food group is an early years’ FREE training for staff to be supported by a member of SEND Occupational Therapy to help set up a group within your setting. The group will support the development of feeding skills through food play and sensory food play for children with a restricted diet/fussy eaters. We incorporate universal communication strategies that can be implemented within the group and your setting.
Training Information
SEND Occupational Therapy in collaboration with the Speech and Language Therapy support staff to set up Fun with Food Group activities within your setting.
The aim of the Fun with Food group is for staff to be able to understand strategies to support feeding and mealtimes.
Parents are encouraged to participate in the final session and will also be provided with a resource pack (Part 2) to support intervention continuing at home to promote positive experiences with food.
We kindly ask all settings to provide feedback to allow us to evaluate the impact of the training on children, young people and families within your setting.
Booking
To book onto our FREE Fun with Food group training, please email us to express your interest at bchc.sendtherapy@nhs.net.
We will require the following information via email:
- Full name of the staff member who will be attending
- Name of setting, address and postcode
- Email address for your delegate
*Please note – you will need to provide the information above to be able to attend the training
FAQs
How do I book the training?
Please see the ‘booking’ tab for more information.
Will I get a certificate?
Yes, you will be sent a certificate after attending the training.
Can I send more than one person to this training?
One member of staff can attend the training once per academic year.
What will I need to bring?
You may wish to bring a pen and paper to make notes during the introduction session. However, it is expected that the setting will provide and prepare the food items for the practical elements of setting up the group.
Will I get a copy of the training presentation?
When you have attended the introduction training, you will be sent a training booklet with the content that is discussed at the training along with resources you can use to the email that you provided upon booking. This will also include information for parents to implement.
Do I need to attend the Fun with Food Training (Part One) to access the Fun with Food group?
Yes, you do need to have attended the Fun with Food Training (Part One) to access this training but the Fun with Food training is beneficial.
How long is the group for?
This will run for 5 weeks and parents are encouraged to attend the final session.
Which children are suitable for this group?
Children who present as picky/fussy eaters, children with a beige or bland diet.
Who is not suitabe for this group?
Children who have difficulty swallowing will not be suitable to attend this training.
Free Online Webinars
SEND Occupational Therapy deliver FREE online training webinars to support mainstream settings in Birmingham. This training is delivered once per term virtually and provides an overview of how you can support children and young people within your setting.
Training Information
Please visit our Eventbrite page for a full list of our webinar topics. Topics include:
- Sensory
- Motor
- Transition within education
- Activities of daily living (i.e. dressing, handwriting, etc.)
Booking
This event is for professionals working within Birmingham mainstream settings.
To book onto our FREE virtual webinars, please visit our Eventbrite page.
Please note you do not need to make an account to join our webinars on Eventbrite.
Please ensure you answer all pre-requisite questions, if these are not completed fully, your booking may be refunded.
FAQs
How do I book the training?
Please see the ‘booking’ tab for more information.
Will I get a certificate?
Yes you will be sent a certificate after attending the training.
Can I send more than one person to this training?
Yes, but please all register individually.
Will I get a copy of the training presentation?
When you have attended the training, you will be sent a resource booklet with the content that is discussed at the training along with resources you can use to the email that you provided upon booking.
Why has my booking been refunded?
This may be that you are recognised as being  a staff member from a mainstream school in Birmingham.
C-SENSE
The C-SENSE is a FREE checklist that can be used to evaluate the mainstream school environment used by children with sensory processing differences. The checklist can be used a prompt to think about the factors that can contribute to sensory overload and consider changes to reduce those stress factors.
Training Information
The C-SENSE is a checklist that can be used to evaluate the environment used by children with sensory processing differences. The checklist can be used a prompt to think about the factors that can contribute to sensory overload and consider changes to reduce those stress factors.
A SEND Occupational Therapist can visit your setting to evaluate the environment and provide recommendations to adapt the environment to be more sensory friendly and comment on what you have done well.
Booking
If you are interested in this, please email us requesting a date/time for SEND occupational therapy to visit. Please note that we will require 2 hours to complete the evaluation.
If you have any further questions, please see our frequently asked questions tab or email us at bchc.sendtherapy@nhs.net. Â
FAQs
How do I book a C-SENSE?
Please see the ‘booking’ tab for more information.
Will our school get a copy of the report?
Yes, following completion you will receive a copy of the report.
What are the expectations from school staff?
We kindly ask that the school SENCO or a member of the senior leadership team accompany the Occupational Therapist when completing the C-Sense, this is to allow for questions and recommendations to be discussed verbally.
You will be contacted by a member of SEND Occupational Therapy after 3 months to gain impact feedback.
Stay & Plays and Coffee Mornings
SEND Occupational Therapists can attend mainstream primary and secondary schools in Birmingham at their Stay & Plays and Coffee Mornings to raise awareness of SEND Occupational Therapy. They can offer universal advice, support and signposting to parents/carers.
At both Stay & Plays and Coffee Mornings, SEND Occupational Therapy can deliver a short presentation (if requested in advance) about their offer and can provide informal universal advice to parents/ carers. Please contact us if you would like to discuss the option for SEND Occupational Therapy to deliver training to your staff or families within your setting.
If you would like to request a SEND Occupational Therapist to attend your coffee morning, please email any upcoming dates to: bchc.sendtherapyteam@nhs.net.