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Mainstream school training and resources

  • Professionals and Clinicians
Primary school children in school uniform standing around a table playing with different musical instruments. A young girl in the foreground is staring directly into the camera.

The purpose of the resource pack is to give school staff and parents ideas to support their children to practise and develop skills, prior to accessing our advice line or referring to Occupational Therapy.

By providing advice and strategies at a universal level, a more specialised and targeted service can be provided for children who are presenting with complex difficulties.

Ready to learn pack

School staff and parents can work together and use this resource pack to help with developing an appropriate support plan as part of the Graduated Response to Supporting Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) - Assess, Plan, Do, Review.  More information is available in the Cambridgeshire local offer.

Sensory differences

We have an online resource which will help you to understand sensory differences in the context of everyday activities. It also helps to learn strategies to support sensory differences in line with the strongest evidence base.

Introduction and learning aims

  • Understand sensory differences in the context of everyday activities.
  • Understand why sensory processing is one part of the puzzle.
  • Learn strategies to support sensory differences in line with the strongest evidence base.

Sensory system explained

All of us process sensory information from the environment differently. Some children may have more sensitive sensory systems. The 5 senses that carry information from the world outside include sight, hear, tough, taste and smell. 

How to adapt and modify to best meet need

Each child or young person has their own thresholds to the different sensory systems. There are 2 stages to processing sensory information. The first stage is registration and the second stage is modulation.

Sensory differences and preferences

Take a moment to think about yourself and a close friend or someone you live with. Does one of you prefer working with background noise, whilst the other prefers it quiet? Does one of you prefer the heat, and one of you the cold? This should show we are all different. 

Senses and emotion

Sensory information comes in through lots of sources and flows through your body. Certain sensory experiences can help you to feel relaxed and calm. But, if you perceive a threat your nervous system will go into flight, fright or freeze. When this happens you'll be unable to listen and instead be trying to find the best way to get away from, hide or remove ourselves from the threat. 

Children with additional needs

Children with additional needs may have physical, learning and sensory differences as part of their profile. We can't change the way a child registers sensory information, but we can support them to develop strategies, adapt the task or environment in order to support their needs. 

Self regulation

Self regulation is the ability to modify and adjust our environment so we can participate and function. A thinking tool can be used to help children to be in the right zone for them to access learning.

Ready to learn pack resources


Last reviewed: 27 March, 2024

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