How one SEMH provision uses Motional to make sense of progress that is rarely linear
At The Place, part of Arden Grove Infant and Nursery School, children arrive because they are at risk of exclusion from their mainstream school.
Most have been identified as experiencing social, emotional and mental health difficulties. Many have experienced significant early life trauma. Almost all continue to live within challenging and often unstable circumstances.
For Anne Oakley, SEMH Base Lead and Designated Safeguarding Lead, understanding progress means understanding much more than behaviour.
It means understanding the context around each child.
“In reality, we have a mixture of needs which isn’t evident until their blocks are reduced.”
For several years, Motional has been part of that process.
Not because it creates a picture of perfect, linear progress.
But because it reflects the reality of children’s lives.
Looking beyond behaviour
Children often arrive at The Place with very high levels of distress.
As trust and safety begin to develop, different needs start to emerge.
What initially appears to be behaviour can reveal underlying immaturities, learning differences, developmental gaps or unmet emotional needs.
For Anne and her team, Motional provides a framework for understanding those changes over time.
“As blocks reduce, we are able to find immaturities, gaps and learning differences which are often the root of the fear.”
The assessment process helps staff move beyond surface presentation and develop a clearer understanding of what children may need next.
Progress is not always linear
One of the challenges of working with vulnerable children is that progress rarely follows a straight line.
Changes at home, family stress, safeguarding concerns and wider life events can all have a significant impact on how a child presents.
Anne and her team regularly see children make substantial progress while also experiencing setbacks linked to events beyond school.
This is where Motional has proved particularly valuable.
“Motional consistently reflects our children’s blocks at the start of their placements and any sudden or ongoing ‘blips’.”
Rather than masking complexity, the assessments help make it visible.
This allows staff to understand changes in context, interpret data more meaningfully and tell a more accurate story about a child’s journey.
Making sense of the whole picture
Alongside Motional, the team maintains a narrative record of significant life events and changes in circumstances.
Together, these two sources provide a fuller understanding of progress.
Without that context, temporary setbacks can sometimes appear as regression.
With it, leaders, governors, trustees and local authority colleagues can understand the wider picture.
“Without this, it can often look like children have regressed.”
For Anne, one of Motional’s greatest strengths is its ability to capture both the challenges children arrive with and the progress they make over time.
“Over the whole term of their placement, Motional accurately shows the huge progress our children make. It is really great.”
Reflecting individual needs
As Motional has evolved, the team has welcomed the increasing flexibility of the assessment pathways and differentiated Neuro-affirming descriptors.
The ability to reflect different presentations and needs has strengthened confidence in the process and helped staff feel that the assessments genuinely reflect the children they work with.
“We have found the SEMH definitions completely reflect our SEMH children.”
“Similarly, the same with our ASD children.”
The team has also found that the advice and activities generated through Motional remain closely aligned to the needs identified through the assessment process.
“We feel the advice and activities completely match their current needs too.”
Understanding progress in context
For specialist and SEMH settings, demonstrating progress is rarely straightforward.
The children who make the greatest gains are often those whose lives remain the most complex.
For Anne and her team, Motional provides a way of recognising both realities at the same time.
It acknowledges the impact of ongoing challenges while still making progress visible.
“Motional consistently reflects our children’s blocks at the start of their placements and the huge progress they make over time.”
That balance between understanding need, recognising context and demonstrating progress is why Motional continues to play an important role in the work of The Place.
Because for some children, understanding the journey is just as important as measuring the destination.