Courses are free and run at The Spires Academy. If mothers, fathers and carers want to learn with their children as a family, or further develop their own skills to support their children at school, we will have a course that suits your needs.
Family Learning builds confidence, skills and interest to go on learning in adults and children and enables families to learn with and from each other. The courses promote family relationships, raise the attainment and achievement of adults and promote positive behaviour and attitude changes in children through the encouragement of collaborative learning.
Virtual Courses
Northamptonshire County Council - Free courses provided by Specialist Support Service which will be held virtually.
Anger & Emotions Workshop
This course is for parents and carers of children aged 5 - 19 years, living in Northamptonshire.
This is a virtual workshop held over 2 sessions on the following dates:-
The workshop will be held through Zoom and log on details will be sent prior to the start of the first session.
The Anger & Emotions Workshop is a course run over two weeks. The workshop is designed for parents/carers and the sessions will include details on emotional scaling, the life cycle of a "meltdown" and how to effectively track behaviours. It will cover how best to evaluate behaviours, how to teach relaxation techniques and how to teach your child to understand what anger is and other different emotions. It will also cover how to communicate emotions and empower families to create an individual plan for the child or young person they are supporting.
Reflections - for parents/carers of children up to age 7 - Virtual Course
This course is designed for parent/carers of children aged up to 7 years or end of Key Stage 1
This is a virtual course held over 6 sessions at 10.00am - 11.30am. The dates are listed below:
The workshop will be held through Zoom and log on details will be sent prior to the start of the first session.
We are offering two adult places per child. However we do ask that the same people attend all of the sessions, if possible.
The topics covered are shown below.
Week 1 - Understanding children with social communication difficulties and/or Autism
Week 2 - Understanding visual structure
Week 3 - Social Communication skills
Week 4 - Supporting emotional development and behavioural needs
Week 5 - Information Advice and Support Service
Week 6 - Moving forward
Sensory Workshop
This workshop is for parents and carers of children aged 5 - 19 years, living in Northamptonshire.
This is a virtual workshop held on the following date:
Tuesday 15th December 2020 - 10.00am - 11.30am
The workshop will be held through Zoom and log on details will be sent prior to the start of the first session.
You are able to book two adult places per child.
The workshop aims to help parent/carers gain a basic understanding of sensory processing as below:
Anxiety Workshop
This course is for parents and carers of children aged 5 - 19 years, living in Northamptonshire.
This is a 2 week course held each Tuesday from 10.00am - 11.30am on the following dates:-
The workshop will be held through Zoom and log on details will be sent prior to the start of the first session.
There are 2 sessions and we ask for your attendance at both.
The Anxiety Workshop will be held over two weekly sessions. The workshop is designed for parents/carers and will provide information about anxiety in children with ASD, how it might affect them and why (this can include some challenging behaviours). The workshop aims to improve the confidence of parents/carers in recognising and managing their child's anxiety. We will help you to make an action plan, look at different strategies appropriate for your child and will look at ways that you can introduce these at home.
Toileting Workshop
For parents/carers of children aged 5 - 19 years living in Northants with ASD or related social interaction & communication difficulties
This course is for parents and carers of children aged 5 - 19 years, living in Northamptonshire.
This is a 90 minute course held on:
Wednesday 20th January 2021 at 10.00am - 11.30am
The workshop will be held through Zoom and log on details will be sent prior to the session.
The workshop is designed for parents/carers and covers the sequencing of toileting, strategies to try and bridge the child's gaps or sticking points (including sensory) and show ways to attempt to move the sequence on from the child's own starting point. We cover the sequence from start to finish, we break it down into each step and discuss the barriers that might be encountered relating to that step and ways to try and overcome them.
Food Workshop
For parents/carers of children aged 5 - 19 with ASD or related social interaction & communication difficulties living in Northamptonshire
This course is for parents and carers of children aged 5 - 19 years, living in Northamptonshire.
This is a 2 week course held on Thursdays from 10.00am - 11.30am on the following dates:-
The Food Workshop will be held over 2 weekly sessions. The workshop aims to help parent/carers understand more about difficulties surrounding food and ASD, to explore strategies and visual resources to support overcoming food and eating difficulties, and to create bespoke resources to support positive change.