What is TMBSS?

‘The Tuition, Medical and Behaviour Support Service’ exists to meet the needs of students aged between 5 and 16 across Shropshire who cannot be taught in school for a short period of time.  Our key purpose is to provide a high quality learning experience appropriate to the needs of the individual student.

Ultimately, we are a short term placement and support the (re)integration back into the most appropriate education provision at the earliest opportunity.

What is the purpose of a placement at TMBSS? 

This will vary depending on the entry method to TMBSS.

• Students may attend TMBSS whilst awaiting Fair Access Panel – this type of ‘maintenance’ placement is to ensure students have access to education whilst waiting for a new mainstream placement.
• We also reserve the right to move students to another Centre when appropriate.

Key points

• If students receive an EHCP, TMBSS do not determine the student’s allocated school. This is decided through the Local Authority SEN department, who gather information from parents/carers, education, health and social care to establish potential provisions. TMBSS staff will work with the identified placement to support transition.
• Students in KS1, 2 and 3 and some in KS4 will remain on the roll of their mainstream school (unless SDP). Their progress will be reviewed regularly and an individualised (re) integration programme will be put together as appropriate for the needs of the student.

What do we provide in terms of curriculum?

TMBSS aims to provide a curriculum which is highly responsive to the needs of the individual. Our key aim is to ensure that this is both high quality and effective for equipping the young person for their next stage.

• Students may, therefore, be taught in small mixed ability groups containing pupils of several year groups if it is deemed appropriate.
• Students’ programmes follow the most recent National Curriculum requirements and close links are maintained with mainstream schools, to support reintegration into mainstream education / training.
• All students have the entitlement to access a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum that is matched to their needs and abilities. A range of alternative provision activities are available to re-engage, motivate and develop students’ skills.
• Students in KS4 work towards the completion of a wide range of GCSE and alternative qualifications.

Attendance

Attendance is a priority for TMBSS. It is crucial to the success of a student’s placement, their subsequent placements and academic progress. TMBSS actively seek to encourage all students to work towards achieving a full attendance record.

• Attendance is monitored daily by centre managers and discussed weekly by the Senior Leadership Team.
• All centres actively pursue each student’s attendance by a system of daily phone calls at close of register.
• If we have 3 consecutive non-attendances without contact from parent/carer, or without an adequate explanation, then we would follow the Local Authority’s attendance tracking progress guidance.
• Staff may conduct unannounced visits to monitor student attendance and offer support where appropriate.
• We work closely with the Education Welfare Officer who may use a range of approaches. In cases of persistent attendance issues, EWOs may seek to issue court proceedings, resulting in a fine of £2500 and/or 3 months imprisonment.

Expectations of parents:

• Parents/carers are expected to encourage maximum attendance.
• When absence occurs, parents/carers are required to contact the Education Centre to provide reason for absence at earliest opportunity. It is also parental responsibility to contact transport to cancel taxis as appropriate.
• If we do not receive notification of absence from yourselves you will be contacted.
• In the case of persistent non-attendance issues, parents/carers will be required to discuss matter with the Centre Manager at an early stage and to work with the staff in resolving any problems together. 
• TMBSS may invite the parents/carers to an Attendance Review Meeting in order to try and resolve attendance issues.

Authorised absences are mornings or afternoons away from school for a reason such as genuine illness of the student or unavoidable cause.

Unauthorised absences are those which TMBSS does not consider reasonable and for which no “leave” has been given.  This includes:

• Parents/carers keeping children off school unnecessarily.
• Truancy before or during the school day.
• Absences which have never been properly explained.
• Term time holidays

Transport

Students who live close to their allocated centre will not be eligible for transport (3miles). It may be appropriate for some students to use public transport.

• For those who are entitled to transport, this may be via taxi or minibus.
• Once request forms are completed, these are to be returned to the Centre, where they will be submitted.
• TMBSS do not determine the route, company, driver or other students transported in the same taxi.
• It is the responsibility of the parent/carer to cancel transport in the event of unplanned absence in addition to contacting the Centre.
• Where parents/carers are aware of future absences (e.g. arranged appointments) they are required to cancel transport a minimum of 24 hours in advance in addition to contacting the Centre.

How do we manage behaviour?

Everybody has the right to learn, to feel safe, to be respected and to be fairly treated.

Key areas of our behaviour policy:

• Everyone is expected to behave in a reasonable way, to accept responsibility for their behaviour and to encourage others to do the same.
• Prevention rather than intervention strategies is regarded as the norm.
• Specialist staff work to remove barriers to learning that may have become entrenched in former educational settings.
• Staff work to create an ethos where acceptable behaviour is positively encouraged and misbehaviour is reduced.
• Where negative behaviours occur, TMBSS staff are trained to useSafety Interventions– verbal de-escalation and physical disengagement techniques.
• Where students are at risk of causing harm to themselves, others or to property, they may be held using restrictive Safety Intervention. Only staff trained in Safety Intervention techniques will carry out these holds.
• Incidents will be dealt with using restorative approaches.

No-Smoking Policy

All TMBSS centres are no-smoking sites

• All students, staff (teaching, peripatetic, support and non-teaching), visitors, parents/carers may not smoke while on school premises.
• This includes while students are engaged in school related activities outside the school, e.g. off-site educational visits
• Students are not permitted to bring smoking paraphernalia /vapes into centres.
• If students constantly breach this policy, parents will be asked to attend a meeting with senior staff to discuss concerns and continued breaches may result in a fixed term exclusion.
• If students require support/education to stop smoking they will be offered support by staff.

Mobile Phones

Students are not allowed mobile phones in Centre.  They will be asked to hand them in at Reception.  TMBSS will not accept responsibility for damage or loss to the mobile phone. 

TMBSS reserves the right to use a metal detector if staff feel a phone is being concealed.

• TMBSS request that in support of this, parents/carers contact centre administrators or centre managers in an emergency rather than the student directly.
• Centre Managers will contact parents if it is necessary or will facilitate a telephone-call with the student if it is in the best interest of the student/situation.

Breaches of this policy may result in:

• Communication with parents/carers.
• Imposition of other sanctions up to and including a fixed term exclusion from school.
• If the offence is serious it will be reported to the Police.

Healthy Drinks Choices

Following guidance on Food Standards in School and our ongoing commitment to promote healthy choices and lifestyles, TMBSS has taken the decision to not permit the consumption of ‘Energy Drinks’ by students within our service. Fizzy drinks other than plain carbonated water, are also not permitted in centres.

Whilst we encourage consumption of natural water, without any flavouring or additives during the school day, suggested alternatives include:

• Plain water (still or carbonated)
• Lower fat milk or lactose-reduced milk
• Fruit or vegetable juice (max 150mls)
• Plain soya, rice or oat drinks enriched with calcium; plain fermented milk (e.g. yogurt) drinks
• Combinations of fruit or vegetable juice with plain water (still or carbonated, with no added sugars or honey)
• Combinations of fruit juice and lower fat milk or plain low-fat yoghurt, plain soya, rice or oat drinks enriched with calcium

Uniform & Dress Code

For information on uniform for students who attend our primary centre, please click here. 

As students in our secondary centres rarely attend TMBSS for extended placements, sometimes moving on to a new school within a period of weeks, we do not expect students to wear a specific school uniform.  Instead, students are expected to adhere to the following dress code:

• Full length V neck or round neck top which falls just below the neckline and covers the waist and shoulders.
• Trousers, opaque leggings (with undergarments not visible), knee length skirt or mid-thigh shorts. 
• Sensible footwear.
• No offensive or inappropriate slogans/images.

Individual Programme and Integration into Centre

Students are invited to visit the allocated Centre to meet the Centre Manager with parents/carers.

• All students are expected to complete baseline assessments to determine attainment and establish gaps in learning. This information will be used alongside information from previous setting (where available) to make programme relevant and appropriately pitched.
• Integration will be decided by Centre Manage/Senior Leadership Team based on the needs of each individual.
• Individual programmes will also be set out by Centre Manager. We are not able to offer all subjects in all Centres, however we will endeavour to support students wishing to continue with particular subjects/qualifications if possible. This may be done by accessing support from previous subject teachers or within TMBSS. 
• Housekeeping arrangements, e.g. lunch will be discussed at centre visit.