Services at SENStory HQ
Helping all children with SEND to nurture their nature in the beauty of the great outdoors.
Accessible. Inclusive. Safe. Fun.
We know just how important it is for provision and therapy to cater to the needs of your child, especially when they have additional needs. We’re on a mission to help you forge a path that’s right for your family. So as a team, we’ve put together a squad of seasoned and highly experienced professionals to help you get the right support on your SEND journey.
Great Rapport!
"The team have a great rapport with my con and use a variety of techniques to keep him engaged and motivated throughout his sessions."
Positive Impact
"Olivia has grown & grown at SENStory, her confidence has come on leaps and bounds, and this has had such a positive impact on her outside of SENStory."
100% Supportive
"Your guidance and care has been second to none and every step of the way you have always been 100% supportive."
Meet the Team
Jo McMeechan
Hey I’m Jo. I'm an Inclusion and Diversity Trainer and Consultant, a specialist Paediatric Physiotherapist, and a mum to two incredible SEND children.
Our own household is full of diversity and over the years I’ve had a real battle with a broken education system that didn't fit the same mould as my children. SENStory was born out of a want to help children and young adults, who were facing the same struggles as my children were, to never feel like they were the exception rather than the rule.
Meet the Team
Kate Fox
Hi, I'm Kate! I'm a specialist Paediatric Physiotherapist and you'll find me working in a mixture of outdoor sessions at SENStory, or at home or school visits out in the community.
I have many years experience working in special schools with children with complex physical and learning needs. I have also worked extensively with children being assessed for, or diagnosed with, DCD (Developmental Coordination Disorder) as well as working with preschool aged children with neurological or genetic conditions or those with a developmental delay.
I very much use a holistic approach when assessing children and advising families on a treatment plan. Making therapy fun and engaging is essential to not only motivate your child but to also build a trusting relationship going forward.
I have two children, a partner and a dog who keep me very busy! Our eldest child is autistic and home educated which, alongside my job, makes me very passionate about advocating for all things SEN.
Meet the Team
Kate Worthington-Short
Hey, I'm Kate! I'm an Equine Facilitated Learning Therapist at SENStory.
I am also a qualified social worker with over 20 years experience in providing support to children, young people and their families who are social excluded. I work in an attachment and trauma informed way with the children I support.
At home I have a dog, cat, two children and an allotment which keeps life full and interesting! I also share a horse who I love to explore the countryside with!
I really enjoy sharing the power of horses and nature to help when life gets tricky.
What You Can Expect From Us
From hippotherapy and physiotherapy, to nature-based learning sessions and equine facilitated learning, we believe that children learn and progress best when it’s rooted in play. All of our sessions are led by SEND- specialist professionals, all of who have a wealth of knowledge and experience in helping your children to thrive.
Our practice is child led and supports physical and sensory needs with wellbeing at the centre of everything we do. We pride ourselves on offering a non-clinical vibe; we want all of our children to feel able to relax without the sterile feeling of typical medical or therapeutic settings.
Simply put, we want your child to feel at home here.
And we’ll do everything in our power to make it feel like that for you and for them.
1. Equine Facilitated Learning
Come learn, laugh and play with us in the beauty of the great outdoors with our herd of horses!
Here at SENStory HQ, we believe that nature is one the best settings for a child’s development. We offer both 1:1 and group provision to help children with additional needs to explore, connect and play in a sensory friendly environment.
In a nutshell, we get children outdoors and away from a sterile, clinical or educational environment to reset, have fun and focus on what they CAN do. In doing so we are able to make progress through fun, effective provision that looks like play and exploring.
We theme sessions with our very own equine curriculum for those children who can engage with a more structured learning based approach.
Through play-based activities, our trained professionals will support your child with self advocacy, confidence building, emotional literacy and sensory regulation skills to help them thrive.
1:1 sessions are 60 minutes and can be booked weekly throughout term time as one off sessions during the holidays.
Suitable for children who with a higher level of sensory, communication or physical need or a history of trauma and attachment needs. Sessions are run in a quiet setting with 1:1 support.
The sessions are suitable for children who are non-ambulant and will access the site with a wheelchair or walking aid.
2. SENStory Explorers
Join our small group provision in the beauty of the great outdoors with our herd of horses!
These sessions are specifically designed for children and young people between the ages of 8 and 14 years old who have barriers to education, EOTAS packages, are home educated or have low level SEN need.
Through these sessions we will introduce the children to our pioneering, nature based and equine facilitated learning programme. This programme is designed to support children with building confidence, independence and life skills, as well as forming friendships and finding strategies to help them with a range of challenges.
These sessions may not be suitable for children who need 1:1 support. However, if your child has access to 1:1 support and you would like to discuss this with us, please get in touch.
3. Physiotherapy
We don’t do one-size-fits-all at SENStory.
Instead, we offer bespoke, tailored therapy that's right for your child in a non-clinical setting. A setting that’s fun, accessible, safe and inclusive. A setting that will bring your child joy as they progress and reach their goals. Working alongside our incredible team of professionals, we’ll help you to develop a therapeutic programme for your child that works towards their goals.
It all starts with an initial assessment.
This takes place in 2 parts:
Step 1 - A 30 minute zoom call with our Physiotherapist to gather history and information with you as a Parent before we meet with your child.
Step 2 - A face to face assessment with you and your child at our setting in South Gloucestershire near Bristol.
You can choose to book this with or without a summary report, and you can opt for regular ongoing physiotherapy, once we’ve created a treatment plan together.
We want you to feel heard and be an integral part of your child’s therapy. We can promise you that we’ll listen to your concerns, work with your goals, and take a collaborative approach to making sure that your child gets the support that they need, both here, at home and in any other setting.
4. DMI Therapy
Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI) is a therapeutic technique used in physical and occupational therapy to treat children with motor delay by improving automatic postural responses and help each child progress towards developmental milestones (i.e. rolling, sitting, four point kneeling, crawling, standing and walking).
This type of therapy is a good fit for most children and can particularly benefit those who haven't met their motor milestones yet.
We offer DMI in blocks of 3 or 4 sessions over the course of a week; this is to maximise the results that we can achieve by working in an intensive way.
We currently have DMI blocks available over the summer holiday.
Your child is unique. They’re wonderfully themselves. We’ll help you to help them to nurture their nature and make sure that the provision they receive is as individual as they are.
You’re not alone. We’re here to help you, every step of the way.
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