Studio 3 in Education
At Studio 3, we believe in supporting children and young people with additional needs as part of a child-centred, holistic approach. This includes providing individualised support within educational and classroom settings. In conjunction with Educational Adviser Gareth D. Morewood, we have developed a whole-school approach to providing education for children who have a range of complex needs, and who may also experience stress and dysregulation.
Here at Studio 3, we are firm believers in inclusion, and have demonstrated through research and practice that it is possible to support children with additional needs within a mainstream school environment, and that support is available for SEND (Special Educational Needs & Disabilities) pupils and their families. Our work in schools focuses on how to make classrooms - and schools as a whole - calmer, more positive, and stress-free environments for all children, particularly those with additional needs.
Is your organisation interested in adopting a bespoke whole-school approach to integration and support for SEND students? Find out more about how Studio 3 can help to transform your school and classrooms into calm and stress-free environments where learning can occur in optimal conditions.
Inclusion Using Low Arousal Approaches
Firstly, it is essential to understand our own stress as carers and teachers, as well as implementing stress and coping strategies for children, staff, and family members alike. In addition, it is important to understand the emotional environment of the school, and to recognise how calm, focused, and purposeful environments can contribute to the learning experiences of all children. We are primarily focused on supporting children with additional needs to learn in an optimal environment, free from stress and high levels of emotional arousal. This not only facilitates learning, but also helps to reduce distress.
Studio 3 offer specialised support for schools on an individualised basis as part of our LASER Approach to Education. This is a bespoke, flexible package, with the option of ongoing support and supervision, which focuses on creating a Low Arousal ethos as part of a whole-school approach.
All of our work is evidence-based with a strong experiential focus. Find out more about the theories and research behind our approaches here.
Key Goals:
A focus on stress reduction for pupils, teachers and family members, as well as within the environment of the school.
Reducing restrictive practices, including punitive measures, seclusion and physical restraint.
Excellence in trauma-informed care and de-escalation.
Creating a school ethos and culture of Low Arousal.
The Studio 3 LASER Approach
The LASER Approach is a flexible package with optional ongoing supervision for mainstream schools, specialist settings, teachers, and individuals on applying Low Arousal Approaches and inclusive pedagogy in the classroom. The aim of this training is to implement a whole-school approach towards managing distress, and provide training and on-going support for teachers, staff and family members. The LASER Approach is evidence-based with a strong experiential focus, and seeks to develop less stressful school environments and more resilient practitioners.
About the LASER Approach
Studio 3 is passionate about helping schools and other educational environments to manage stress and trauma, and to create optimal environments for learning. Schools can be incredibly stressful environments for individuals with autism, intellectual disabilities, and other additional support needs, which can lead to moments of distress and meltdown in the classroom.
It is increasingly common for individuals with additional support needs to be taught within mainstream schools and as part of an inclusive environment. However, there is often a failure to provide sufficient training and support to teachers and other staff members. As a result, we still see many instances of restraint and physical interventions as part of some children’s daily lives, both here in the UK and internationally.
Our Educational Adviser, Gareth D. Morewood, has been working throughout his career to cultivate systemic change within the UK Education system, and to teach staff alternatives to restraint within an inclusive, whole-school framework. We have teamed up with Gareth to create an approach to implementing Low Arousal Approaches within educational settings, with incredible outcomes so far.
From this collaboration, the LASER project was born - a flexible and bespoke training solution tailored for mainstream education settings, education in the home, and specialist education centres. The aim of this course is to train teachers, families, and other support workers in whole-school and inclusive approaches to safely and calmly managing stress and promoting co-production.
Gareth D Morewood
Educational Adviser for Studio 3
Gareth is the Educational Advisor for Studio 3 Previously he worked for 25 years in UK schools, 17 of which years were spent as SENCo in a large, inclusive secondary school in the North West of England. Gareth has extensive ‘front-line’ experience supporting schools, families and working directly with young people in the UK and abroad, particularly Chile, Dubai, Portugal, Ireland and Scandinavia. Additionally, Gareth has been a Visiting Lecturer at various academic institutions, leading on Post-Graduate courses teaching non-adverse approaches supporting people with complex needs.
Gareth is Co-Director of the LASER Approach, which fuses his critically acclaimed Saturation Model (Morewood, Humphrey & Symes, 2011) with Low Arousal Approaches (McDonnell, 2019) as part of a system-led model of inclusive practice.
As Educational Adviser, Gareth provides training for individuals and schools who wish to implement emotional regulation and Low Arousal Approaches within classrooms and other educational settings. The flexible nature of Gareth's approach allows for the LASER Approach to be delivered in sessions that suit the school or organisation's schedule.