Reach & Connect

What is Briarwood Reach & Connect?

Step into a world of expert support and transformative training with Reach & Connect!

Briarwood Reach & Connect is the dedicated outreach and training service proudly offered by Briarwood School, a setting recognised by Ofsted as 'Outstanding' in every category. Our foundational belief, central to Briarwood's values, is that all pupils should Enjoy, Engage, and Learn to their full potential. We are passionately committed to extending this aim to all pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), wherever they learn.

We understand schools are navigating significant challenges, supporting a growing number of pupils with SEND and increasingly complex needs, often with limited resources and expertise. This can lead to pressures such as reduced access to education, disrupted learning, low attendance and high exclusion rates. Reach & Connect is here to help.

Briarwood’s expertise has been honed and developed over fifty years as a community special school in areas including Severe to Profound learning difficulties, Autism, medical needs, global developmental delay, complex needs, sensory processing needs, genetic disorders and more. Additionally, Reach & Connect builds on our hugely successful Belonging in SEND pilot, developed in collaboration with Bristol City Council and providing a comprehensive and innovative improvement programme around inclusion and well-being for SEND students within other schools and settings.

 

What does Reach & Connect offer?

Our approach is built on collaborative partnerships, empowering your staff, building confidence, and fostering inclusive practices. By partnering with Reach & Connect, you can achieve improved outcomes for pupils with SEND, reduce exclusions, build capacity within your school, and create a more supportive and understanding learning environment for all. Choose from a range of support to meet the specific needs of your pupils, your team and your setting, including:

Specialist Outreach Support:

Direct support for individual pupils within their setting through observation, needs assessment, and strategy development.

School Improvement Support:

We work with school leaders to develop inclusive policies and highly effective practices specifically related to SEND.

Targeted Training:

We provide practical, evidence-based training sessions for school staff including leaders, teachers and LSAs, either at our training and development centre or at your school.

Different Provision:

Sometimes pupils just need something a bit different. This may be short term and our focus is always on reintegration.

Please use the links below to explore our offer further.

"The specialist team from Briarwood were brilliant! They didn 't just tell us what to do, they worked alongside our staff, helping us adapt our approach and build capacity right here in our school."

"Facing increasing complex needs with limited resources, Reach & Connect was a lifeline. Their tailored support provided exactly the 'fresh eyes ' and expertise we needed to keep a child thriving in mainstream."