Specialist Resourced Provision - Bedenham Penguins
The Resourced Provision at Bedenham consists of 18 places (September 2025) for children with an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP), with Social, Emotional and Mental Health as a primary area of educational need.
Penguins Class is the name of our Resourced Provision, located in a safe and quiet part of the school. It comprises three spacious classrooms: Cove, Igloo, and The Huddle.
We are fortunate to have two well-equipped outdoor areas. One is designed for our older children, while the newer area is tailored to provide outdoor provision for Early Years and Key Stage 1 learners.
At Penguins, we take a supportive and nurturing approach, recognising and responding to the individual needs of every child. Our exciting and creative curriculum is shaped by the children's interests and is designed to help them thrive.
Our aim is to build resilient learners who can manage their emotions when faced with challenges or difficult situations. We support this by:
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Understanding the complex needs of each child and identifying the most effective strategies to support them;
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Supporting children to self-regulate or co-regulate, building emotional resilience over time;
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Making the most of every opportunity to develop core learning skills;
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Working closely with parents, carers, and professionals to ensure each child’s needs are assessed, reviewed, and met;
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Collaborating with mainstream teachers to ensure reintegration into a long-term setting is effective and successful.
The staff within the Resourced Provision are highly skilled in supporting children with complex needs and are led by an experienced senior teacher. We also have a dedicated ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) who works with children in both 1:1 and group sessions.
Children in Penguins are an active part of the whole school community and have access to the same opportunities as their peers. They participate fully in school life, including events and extra-curricular activities such as residential trips, discos, Sports Day, Bikeability, assemblies, and whole-school celebrations. Some children have even held roles as student ambassadors, including Team Captain and Sports Leader.
At the start of their journey at Bedenham, children are based in Penguins Class. When they are ready, they begin to reintegrate into their mainstream class with support. This may start with a single lesson or a particular subject and can build to part or full days, depending on each child’s needs. Reintegration is part of the child’s long-term plan and is reviewed regularly in collaboration with staff, parents/carers, and the child.