The HIVE
Helping Every Child Thrive
At Leadgate Primary School, we are committed to ensuring that every child feels supported, valued and able to achieve their full potential. The HIVE is an internal Key Stage 2 provision designed to support pupils with additional needs by providing a safe, nurturing and inclusive space within school.
The HIVE reflects our commitment to inclusion, ensuring that all pupils are supported to access learning through individualised pathways that respond to their specific needs. Our aim is to help children develop the confidence, skills and strategies they need to participate successfully in school life while remaining active members of their mainstream classroom community.
Unlike the NEST provision, pupils do not require an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) to access the HIVE. The provision (support base) is designed to support a wider group of pupils with identified Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) who benefit from additional support identified through the graduated response. Through the cycle of Assess, Plan, Do, Review, support is carefully tailored to meet individual needs and remove barriers to learning.
Our Aim
The HIVE aims to help pupils:
- Feel safe, secure and understood.
- Develop emotional regulation and independence.
- Build resilience and confidence.
- Access learning successfully.
- Overcome barriers to learning.
- Achieve their individual potential.
- Successfully engage in their mainstream classroom.
- Develop the skills needed to manage transitions and wider school life.
By providing both short-term regulation support and tailored learning opportunities, the HIVE helps ensure that every child has the opportunity to succeed, belong and flourish at Leadgate Primary School. Our ultimate goal is to equip pupils with the strategies they need to become confident, independent learners who can access and enjoy the full range of experiences offered within their mainstream classroom.
A Safe and Supportive Space
The HIVE offers a calm and structured environment where pupils can go when they feel overwhelmed by the busy classroom setting. It provides opportunities for children to develop and practise self-regulation skills, helping them recognise their emotions and make positive choices about managing them.
Identified pupils are provided with regulation tokens, each allowing a 10-minute visit to the HIVE when they need a short break from the classroom. This approach promotes self-awareness, emotional regulation and independence. Following their time in the HIVE, pupils return to class feeling calmer, more focused and better prepared to engage in learning.
Pupils may access the HIVE for a variety of reasons, including:
- Physical movement breaks
- Support with anxiety or worries
- Time and space to regulate emotions
- Support following transitions or changes to routine
- Developing self-regulation strategies
- Building confidence and resilience
- Sensory or communication needs
- Managing attention and concentration difficulties
Supporting Success in the Mainstream Classroom
A key focus of the HIVE is to ensure that pupils are able to engage successfully in their mainstream classroom with the right level of support at the times they need it most. The provision does not replace classroom learning but provides additional space and time away from the busy classroom when it becomes overwhelming. This additional support enables pupils to access mainstream lessons successfully.
Some pupils may find particular aspects of the school day challenging, especially transitions between activities or moving from less structured times, such as playtimes and lunchtimes, back into the classroom. The HIVE provides a safe, calm and supportive space where pupils can regulate, refocus and prepare themselves for learning.
By offering timely support during these more challenging moments, the HIVE helps pupils develop independence and self-regulation skills while ensuring they are ready to return to class, engage positively in lessons and achieve success alongside their peers. Through this responsive approach, we aim to reduce barriers to learning and promote meaningful inclusion, enabling pupils to spend the majority of their time learning within their mainstream classroom.
Support Beyond the Classroom
The HIVE is staffed during breaktimes and lunchtimes, providing a supportive alternative for children who may find the playground, lunch hall or other less structured parts of the school day overwhelming. However, the focus is always on supporting children to build the skills they need to manage unstructured times and build positive relationships with others so no pupil will spend the whole of playtime in the HIVE.
This ensures that pupils have access to a safe and nurturing environment throughout the school day whenever needed. By providing support during these times, we help pupils develop positive relationships, build confidence and return to learning feeling settled and ready to succeed.
Personalised Learning Opportunities
In addition to providing emotional and wellbeing support, the HIVE also offers targeted interventions to meet individual needs. Some pupils may access specific interventions, as well as elements of English and mathematics, within the provision as part of a more personalised curriculum offer, similar to the Enhanced Learning Provision. This flexible approach enables pupils to develop both academically and emotionally while ensuring they attend their mainstream class and curriculum wherever possible.
Working Together
The HIVE is overseen by Miss Handy, alongside the NEST provision, ensuring a consistent and supportive approach across our school’s inclusion services.
Staff work closely with pupils, families and external professionals where appropriate to identify needs, review progress and ensure that the right support is provided at the right time. The HIVE plays an important role in helping pupils build the skills and confidence needed to thrive both in and beyond the classroom.