Complex Needs Resource Base

Intent

The Complex Needs Resource Base (CNRB) at The Avenue Primary School exists to provide highly specialised support for pupils with Educational Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) whose complex needs cannot be fully met in a typical mainstream classroom.

The Avenue Primary School is currently supporting learners, across mainstream and the Complex Needs Resource Base, with a variety of needs including:

• Speech and language difficulties,
• Visual impairments
• Hearing impairments
• Physical impairments
• Global developmental delay
• Autism Spectrum Condition
• Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder
• Attachment difficulties
• Dyslexia
• Dyspraxia
• Chromosomal Disorders

With 28 places across two bespoke classes—Robins and Kestrels—the Resource Base is designed for children whose academic or personal development is significantly behind their chronological age.

The core aims of the provision are:

• To deliver an inclusive, bespoke education that nurtures both academic progress and life skills.
• To ensure all pupils have access to a rich, adapted curriculum that mirrors the mainstream offer where possible.
• To foster confidence, independence, communication, and emotional wellbeing through highly tailored support.
• To promote inclusion by enabling pupils to participate in wider school life and, where appropriate, access mainstream lessons.

This provision is only accessible through Wiltshire Council’s Special Educational Needs Panel or through the Annual Review process, ensuring a targeted approach for those with the most significant and complex profiles.

Implementation

The CNRB is split into two classes:

• Robins Class: Focuses on early, informal, play-based learning, helping pupils acquire the foundational skills necessary to engage with school life. This class benefits from dedicated play and quiet spaces and fully accessible facilities.
• Kestrels Class: Offers a semi-formal learning structure, with opportunities for pupils to develop academic and personal skills through movement between structured and flexible learning environments.

Each class supports pupils with a high adult-to-child ratio. Class teachers are qualified specialists in SEND education, and teaching assistants deliver tailored interventions such as phonics, numeracy, and emotional literacy (e.g., ELSA, Thrive). Pupils also benefit from:

• Daily phonics or reading sessions
• Woodland learning and PE sessions
• Access to the main school and social opportunities
• Timetabled personal development and life skills curriculum 

The curriculum is designed to mirror the mainstream content wherever appropriate while remaining highly adaptable to the individual needs of each learner. The Resource Base works in close collaboration with a range of professionals, including Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Educational Psychologists, and Physiotherapists, to ensure holistic and informed provision.

Importantly, pupils are integrated into the wider school community through shared assemblies, social times, extracurricular activities, and the rewards system. Some pupils will also attend selected mainstream lessons depending on readiness and need.

Impact

The impact of The Avenue’s Complex Needs Resource Base is evident in the holistic progress pupils make across academic, social, emotional, and life skills domains. Pupils benefit from

• Improved access to education through personalised and consistent teaching strategies.
• Increased independence, resilience, and confidence, supporting their journey toward inclusion and adulthood.
• Stronger communication and interaction skills, often enhanced through therapeutic input and structured social learning.
• Greater engagement in learning, thanks to a curriculum tailored to their pace, strengths, and interests.
• Meaningful participation in school life, helping develop friendships, routines, and a sense of belonging.

The flexible and supportive nature of the provision allows children to progress at their own pace while feeling safe, understood, and valued. The ultimate goal is for each child to achieve their full potential—educationally, socially, and emotionally—and to be equipped with the skills needed to thrive in the wider world.