From Surviving School to Thriving in School
For some children, the school day can feel overwhelming. They struggle to regulate their emotions, find it difficult to join in with learning, avoid classroom activities or become anxious during even the smallest transitions. For many, these behaviours are simply the visible signs of deeper developmental, sensory or motor challenges that have never been fully understood.
At the Alfie Nick Foundation, we believe that identifying and addressing those barriers early can change the course of a child's future.
That's why we are proud to have funded an 18-week Occupational Therapy pilot at St Barnabas C of E Primary School, delivered by Now, Next & Then in partnership with LEAF Trust. The project supported eight Reception and Year 1 children who were experiencing significant barriers to learning, emotional regulation and participation in school life.
Looking Beyond Behaviour
Rather than focusing on behaviour alone, the programme sought to understand why each child was struggling.
Every child received an individual developmental screening assessment before beginning a tailored programme of weekly Occupational Therapy. Working closely with teachers, therapists identified the underlying barriers affecting each child's ability to participate, learn and thrive, before putting practical strategies in place to support them both in therapy sessions and throughout the school day.
This approach enabled staff to look beyond the behaviours they were seeing and understand the underlying developmental, sensory and motor barriers affecting each child's ability to participate, learn and thrive.
The Difference It Made
By the end of the pilot, the transformation was remarkable.
Children who had previously struggled to enter the classroom, refused adult-directed tasks or found it difficult to regulate their emotions were now participating confidently in school life. Every child was able to access class full time, demonstrating greater independence, stronger concentration and increased emotional security.
Teachers also reported significant improvements in children's willingness to engage with learning.
One pupil who had regularly refused writing activities became enthusiastic about writing and willingly joined both Occupational Therapy and other adult-led interventions. Others developed greater resilience, stronger friendships, increased confidence and a growing belief in their own abilities. Across the group, children became more settled, more independent and more able to participate in both adult-directed and child-led learning.
The impact extended beyond confidence alone.
Attendance improved for most of the children involved. Two of the three Year 1 pupils reached the expected standard in the Phonics Screening Check despite none being predicted to achieve this at the start of the project. Reception pupils made significant progress towards the fine motor and writing Early Learning Goals, giving them much stronger foundations for future learning.
Perhaps most importantly, children themselves began speaking positively about school.
Pupils talked enthusiastically about school, celebrated their writing and shared that they enjoyed coming to school - something that had not always been true before the pilot began.
A Lasting Legacy
While the impact on the children was significant, the benefits didn't stop there.
Throughout the project, school staff received coaching, practical advice and tailored strategies that became embedded into everyday classroom practice. Teachers developed greater confidence in recognising developmental needs, introduced sensory adaptations, fine motor activities, visual supports and new approaches to helping children regulate and participate successfully.
As one teacher reflected, the project helped staff move beyond seeing challenging behaviour as something to manage, and instead understand the developmental needs sitting beneath it. That change in understanding means the impact of the pilot will continue long after the final therapy session.
More Than a Pilot
This project has shown the power of early intervention.
By identifying developmental barriers early, children are better able to engage with learning, build relationships, regulate their emotions and enjoy school. At the same time, teachers become better equipped to support every child in their classroom, creating lasting improvements that benefit future pupils as well.
The findings have been so encouraging that the Alfie Nick Foundation and the LEAF Trust are now exploring how specialist Occupational Therapy screening and targeted interventions provided by Now, Next & Then can be expanded across its schools, alongside wider training for Early Years practitioners.
For us, that's what success looks like.
Not simply funding a project, but helping to create sustainable change that gives vulnerable children the best possible start in education.
Because every child deserves the opportunity not just to attend school but to feel confident, capable and ready to thrive.